266 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



the forms — there even being in the- herbarium one of the 

 typical specimens of 31. iwsuius Greene, collected by Eev. J. 

 C. Nevin, Los Angeles, 1885, with the same peculiarity — it 

 can hardly serve as suflicient excuse. 



M. nasutus & 31. arvensis Greene, are the extremes of our 

 annual forms, separated only by the shape of the calyx, 

 31. microjjJti/UKS Benth. being so characterized as to include 

 the intermediate ones. 



M. TilvngWRege]. — The "matted, fleshy, amber-colored, 

 subtranslucent root-stocks," which are supposed to distin- 

 guish this from the other forms of luteus, are to be found 

 only in plants which have not sufficient soil to hide those 

 usually subterranean members from the direct action of the 

 light.' 



M. LACINIATUS Gray. — To this species, which is very 

 doubtfully distinct from 3£ luteus, belong 31. Elsenii KelL, 

 and 31. nudatus Curran. 



The following species seem quite closely related, and 

 probably all of them in suitable locations would be found 

 to root at the joints, in all the prostrate branches. 



M. GLABRATUS HBK., or its \2ix\eij adscendens , I have never 

 seen, except in so far as represented by 31. Hallii Greene, 

 which, as noted above, is undoubtedly luteus ; but the var. 

 Jamesii, or at least Dr. Palmer's No. 62, of 1885, comes 

 quite near 31. fiorihundus. 



M. ALSINOIDES Dougl. and M. peduncularis Dough, espec- 

 ially the first, should be carefully collected for variations. 

 Most of the specimens in herbariums, as in ours, are prob- 

 ably the early, upright and nearly simple ones. 



M. iNCONSPicuus Gray, with its varieties latidens and 

 acutidens {31. acutidens Greene), will probably be found to 

 include 31. Pidsiferce Gray, also. 



M. FLORIBUNDUS Dougl. — The more glabrous form, col- 



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