Datiscaceae 257 



horizontally flattened and winged, minutely tuberculate, 3 mm. 

 broad. 



Frequent in dry washes in our interior valleys and canyons. May-Sep- 

 tember. 



Family 61. DATISCACEAE. DATISCA FAMILY. 



Ours smooth stout perennial herbs with unequally 

 laciniate pinnatifid leaves, and small dioecious or some- 

 times perfect flowers arranged in leafy racemes. Calyx 

 of sterile flowers very short with 4-9 unequal lobes ; 

 stamens 10-25, with short filaments. Pistillate flowers 

 with calyx-tube ovoid, somewhat 3-angled, 3-toothed ; 

 stamens when present 3, alternate with the teeth. Styles 

 3, bifid, the linear lobes stigmatic on the inner side. 

 Capsule 1-celled, opening at the apex between the styles. 

 Seeds many, small, in several rows on the 3 parietal 

 placentae ; embryo cylindric ; endosperm present. 



1. DATISCA L. DURANGO ROOT. 



Characters of the family. 



1. D. glomerata (Presl) B. & W. Stems erect, 1-2 m. high, 

 simple or sparingly branched; leaves ovate or lanceolate in out- 

 line, acuminate, about 15 cm. long, the floral shorter; flowers 

 4-7 in each axil of the long leafy raceme; petals minute or want- 

 ing; the fertile flowers perfect; anthers subsessile, 4 mm. long, 

 yellow ; styles exceeding the ovary ; capsule oblong-ovate, 6-8 

 mm. long, slightly narrowed toward the truncate, triangular, 

 3-toothed summit. 



Frequent along the streams in all our mountains, mostly in the upper 

 portions of the chaparral belt. 



Family 62. CACTACEAE. CACTUS FAMILY. 



Fleshy plants with flattened, terete, rigid or tuber- 

 culed, continuous or jointed stems, leafless or with small 

 leaves, generally spiny, the spines developed from cush- 

 ions of minute bristles (areolae). Flowers mostly solitary, 



