Loasaceae 255 



5. V. Douglasii Steud. Stems clustered from a deep fascicled 

 root, mostly subterranean, only the leaves and flowers appearing 

 above the ground, more or less pubescent; leaves large, bipin- 

 nately dissected into long linear or oblong segments; stipules 

 lanceolate, entire or toothed ; peduncles equaling or exceeding 

 the leaves; petals 10-14 cm. long, yellow, the upper brownish 

 purple without. ( V. chrysantha Hook.) 

 Bear Valley, San Bernardino Mountains. 



Family 60. LOASACEAE. LOASA FAMILY. 



Erect or climbing branching herbs, often armed with 

 hooked stinging or viscid hairs, with alternate or oppo- 

 site exstipulate leaves, and solitary, racemose or cymose, 

 regular and perfect flowers. Calyx-tube adnate to 

 the ovary, its limb 4-5-lobed, persistent. Petals 4-5, 

 inserted on the throat of the calyx. Stamens many, 

 inserted with the petals ; filaments filiform, commonly 

 arranged in clusters, opposite the petals ; anthers in- 

 trorse, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary 1-celled, rarely 

 2-3-celled with 2-3 parietal placentae; styles filiform, 

 entire or 2-3-lobed ; ovules anatropous ; endosperm 

 scanty. 



1. MENTZELIA L. 



Erect herbs with alternate entire lobed or pinnatifid 

 leaves, and terminal solitary or cymose, usually showy 

 flowers. Petals 5 or 10, spreading, convolute in the bud, 

 usually yellow. Styles 3, more or less united. Capsule 

 dehiscent at the tip, few-many-seeded. Seeds flat, some- 

 times winged, roughened or smooth. 



* Petals .5, less than 15 mm. long. 



1. M. integrifolia (Wats.) Kydb. Slender, about 3 dm. high ; 

 leaves narrowly lanceolate, sinuate-toothed or entire, the upper- 

 most often ovate; flowers clustered near the ends of the many 

 branchlets; calyx -lobes 2 mm. long, shorter than the petals; 

 filaments all filiform ; capsule narrowly linear-clavate, 12-18 mm. 



