AIZOACEAE. 383 



times puberulent. Leaves linear, thick, i -nerved, 2-6 cm. long, sessile or the 

 lower occasionally short-petioled ; involucre about 3-flowered; perianth purple, 

 longer than the involucre; stamens and style exserted; fruit commonly roughened 

 in the furrows between the 5 prominent ribs. In dry soil, Minn, to Mont., Utah, 

 Tex. and Mex. June-Aug. 



5. Allionia Bodini (Holzinger) Morong. (BooiN's UMBRELLA-WORT. (I. F. f. 

 1420.) Low, glabrous or minutely pubescent, stem whitish, diffusely branched, 

 0.5-1.3 dm. high. Leaves narrowly linear, sessile, 13 cm. long, 2 mm. wide or 

 less, fleshy; involucres solitary and short-peduncled in the upper axils, finely pubes- 

 cent, about 6 mm. broad when mature, 5-lobed to about the middle, the lobes 

 ovate-oblong, acute; fruit narrowly obovoid, obtusely 5 -ribbed, very pubescent, 5 

 mm. high. In dry soil, E, Colo, and W. Kans. June-July. 



6. Allionia Bushi Britton. BUSH'S UMBRELLA-WORT. (I. F. f. 1421.) Low, 

 glabrous, somewhat fleshy, stem nearly white, diffusely branched, about 2 dm. high, 

 the branches widely divergent. Leaves narrowly linear, sessile, 2-8 cm. long, 2-3 

 mm. wide, blunt, their width almost uniform from base to apex ; involucres clus- 

 tered at the ends of the branches, at first campanulate and longer than the flowers, 

 at length rotate and becoming 2 cm. broad, membranous, pubescent, finely retic- 

 ulate-veined, their lobes semicircular, rounded, the midveins prominent. In dry 

 ground; Jackson Co., Mo. Aug. 



2. ABRONIA Juss. 



Herbs, with opposite petioled thick entire leaves, one of each pair somewhat 

 larger than the other. Stems branching, mostly glandular-pubescent, with clus- 

 tered or solitary numerous -flowered involucres on long axillary peduncles. Flowers 

 sessile, usually conspicuous. Perianth-tube elongated, tubular or funnelform, the 

 limb spreading, 5-lobed, the lobes obcordate or emarginate. Stamens 3-5, unequal, 

 inserted on the tube of the perianth; anthers linear-oblong, included. Style fili- 

 form. Fruit dry, i-5-winged, the wings reticulate-veined. Seed cylindric, smooth, 

 shining. [Name from the Greek, graceful.] About 15 species, all American. 

 Besides the following, some 10 others occur in western N. Am. 



Perennial ; flowers white ; wings of the fruit 2 mm. broad or less. i. A.fragrans. 

 Annual ; flowers pink ; wings thin, 8-14 mm. broad, very conspicuous. 



2. A. micrantha. 



1. Abronia fragrans Nutt. WHITE ABRONIA. (I. F. f. 1422.) Viscid-pubes- 

 cent; stem erect or ascending, usually much branched. 3-6 dm. high. Leaves 

 oval, ovate, or oblong-elliptic, petioled, obtuse at the apex, 2-6 cm. long ; bracts of 

 the involucre 5 or 6, large, ovate or obovate, white; flowers white, very numerous 

 in the involucres, 1-2 cm. long, fragrant, opening at night; fruit 8-10 mm. high, 

 coriaceous with 5 or sometimes fewer, undulate coarsely reticulated wings which 

 do not close over its summit. In d?y soil, Iowa to Neb., Mont., Tex. and Mex. 

 June-Aug. 



2. Abronia micrantha (Torr.) Chois. PINK ABRONIA. (I. F. f. 1423.) Gla- 

 brous below, more or less glandular-pubescent above; stem ascending, branched, 

 3-6 dm. high. Leaves similar to those of the preceding; involucral bracts ovate 

 or ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate; flowers several or numerous, about 18 mm. 

 long, bright pink; calyx-limb 8-16 mm. broad; fruit nearly 2.5 cm. high, its 24 

 membranous wings entire-margined, shining, glabrous, united over the body of the 

 fruit, beautifully reticulate- veined. In dry soil. W. Neb. to Mont., Nev., Tex. and 

 N. Mex. June-Aug. 



Family 5. AIZOACEAE A. Br. 

 Carpet-weed Family. 



Herbs, rarely somewhat woody, mostly prostrate and branching, with 

 (in our species) opposite or verticillate leaves and perfect, small regular 

 flowers. Stipules none or scarious, or the petiole-bases dilated. Calyx 

 4 s-cleft or 4~5-parted. Petals small or none in our species. Stamens 

 perigynous. Ovary usually free from the calyx, 3-5-celled, and ovules 

 numerous in each cell in our species. Fruit a capsule with loculicidal 



