117 



nut Null., I'oiT. <V (Jiiiy, I'l. i. <>;{«>: ivfrm.l I.. . I/, •/■/■///> l>v Ul-iuIi. 

 cV llook. (Jen. IMaiil. i. SU7. Myrr/iis ^ Clycsiiia (ir;i\. Proc. 

 Am. Ac:ul. vii. ;U(*.. 



Tliis t,'emis is woll rircumsi rilicd, iioL only liy il8 liiiit Ktniclur*'. but 

 also by its geiUMiil hahit. In the ()ii«iii;il drscnption of ^'/i/ro^Hin Xutt. 

 tlio autliors nolo its ilosi> rfhitionsliip to ()>iiiii>iliiz(i. p()intiiig out that it 

 ilinVis "ill its «lal»roiis fiiiit. .I(>presst-(1 stylopodiun). and the abstmce of 

 iiivoliicels." Tlio disfovcMV of sprcics since then liiis broki'ii down tliosf 

 tharaeters eomplotidv: for '•' niuhiiiiui lias fruit sonn-tinios Juistly. u. 

 Di-rifh iitnliK oftiMi has a conical stylopodiuni. O. hrtichuimihi a somewhat 

 depressed one, O. inula rarely has involnct-ls. and in (•'. (x-ciflfiiliiliM they 

 are sometimes found. In the description of O. hikIh Toir. I'acif. K. Iieji. 

 iv. !):,, tlie author remarks that "tliis species is intermediate between 

 <>Minnrliizii and (IhjvitHiini. Tlio two genera should peihaps be united." 

 This was said in view of the combination in the new sp^ ( ies of the bristly 

 fruit of the former with the stylopodiuni and .absence «)f involucre of the 

 latter. Bentham .V Hooker, in tlrnpia Plniitunim. refer the (.'hienMiini 

 species to Murrh'm Scop., but fail to modify their description so as to iii- 

 rlude them. The winK-liki> ribs, prominent involucels, numerous and much 

 cut lea\es of Marrliis do not apply to <ll!ic(t.siii<(: a dUTercnce whi( h is still 

 further emphasi/.ed by the internal structure of the fruit. Dr. Gray, to 

 reconcile this discrepancy, in Proc. Am. Acr.d. vii. :>4!i. proposed a ^ (iUfcon- 

 iitfi under Mi/rrln'M. characterized so as to includ(^ our (ili/rDMiiui speci ?s: 

 liut in Troc. Am. Acad. viii. :J8fi. he withdrew (,'lj/coMmii from Mi/rrhiH. and 

 affirmed a much closer alliance foi- it to Osmorhiza (also, see Watson. Bot. 

 Calif, i. 26:?). although still retaining it as an independent genus. This 

 view was obtained from the study of the ntnv (I'ljronnut (Dnhiftnuiii. That 

 ^'/i/crwHi<» is distinct from .Vy/rcA/V* is abundantly evident for the reasons 

 given above, strengthened as they are by the fact that the prominent 

 groups of strengthening cells are not found in the pericarp t»f .>///»• rA/.s as 

 in OKworliiza ar.(\ ^7//co.s//(((, but almost in the tips ot the wing-like ribs. 

 In reference to the distinction between (lljicoHiKt and Osnunliizii, Di. Gray 

 (1. c) says "the cardinal characteristic of 0«hm)/-/m>« is the caudate atten- 

 uation of the base of the carpels. (•'Inroxma has none of this, but the base is 

 abrupt and obtuse." While this distinction is apparent between such 

 extreme species as (). hrKrislj/h's and ^'. nccidentalin, the "caudate atten- 

 \uition" of OA<»ior/(/.r(f becomes a very short stout hast} in (>. hrachi'podn. 

 while the "abrupt and obtuse base" of iilijcdsiiKi liocomes acute in (,'. 

 iiiiilii(iiittiH. A generic line drawn between O. In-ticlniiunlit and <!. nmhi- 

 tiiiiiiii would be extremely arbitraiy. 



* Fritit -cil/i proiiiiiu'iit r(i//(/ir/c oNrin/ah'oi/ (_> to 4 liiifs 

 loiiii ) ot hasi\ very hristiy. 



1. O. nuda Ton-. l':icif. K. Kcp. iv. '.i;'.. Rather slcmlcr, 

 somewhat pulK'scciit or j^hil)roiis: IcaNcs twice Icrnalc; Ifalk-ts ^2 



