40 KEY AND FLORA 



HOUTTUY'NIA (ANEMOP'SIS), Yerba Mansa 



Herbs with aromatic, creeping rootstocks, and most of the 

 leaves radical. Flowers in spikes, subtended by a corolla-like 

 involucre on a few-leaved stem. Sepals and petals none, a 

 petal-like bract under each flower. Stamens on the base of 

 the ovary. Ovaries, sunk in the fleshy axis of the spike, each 

 consisting of several follicles, which open and appear to form 

 a 1-celled pod with several parietal placentae ; when ripe, 

 opening at the apex, leaving the old spikes full of regularly 

 arranged holes. 



H. Califor'nica Benth. & Hook. YERBA MANSA. This grows in 

 saline or alkaline swamps, and has reputed medicinal value. 



MYRICA'CEJE. WAX-MYRTLE FAMILY 



Monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs. Leaves fragrant, 

 alternate. Flowers in short sessile catkins with one naked 

 flower under each scale. Staminate flowers of about 10 

 stamens with united filaments. Ovary 1-celled, 1-ovuled, 

 with 2 sessile thread-like stigmas. Fruit a small, round, 

 dark purple nut, unevenly coated on the rough surface with 

 grayish white wax. 



Myri / ca Califor'nica Cham. Flowers usually androgynous. Leaves 

 evergreen, leathery, oblanceolate, dark green and glossy above, some- 

 what whitened below, serrate above the base, and narrowed to a 

 short petiole. Catkins solitary or in thick clusters. From Monterey 

 to Washington in moist places. 



SALICA'CEJE. WILLOW FAMILY 



Dioecious trees or shrubs. Flowers in scaly catkins and 

 destitute of perianth. Fruit a 1-celled pod with numerous 

 seeds, provided with rather long and silky down (usually 

 called cotton), by means of which they are transported by 

 the wind. 



