4 PLANTS FREMONTIAN.E. I. 



Very large collections were also made in his Third Expedition in 1845 and the 

 two following years ; but again, notwithstanding every precaution, some valuable 

 packages were destroyed by the numerous and unavoidable mishaps of such a 

 hazardous journey. Very few of the new genera and species that were saved 

 have as yet been published, excepting several of the Composite, by Dr. Gray, 

 in order that the priority of their discovery might be secured for Colonel 

 Fremont. There was still another journey to California made by that zealous 

 traveller; the disastrous one commenced late in the year 1848. Even in this 

 he gleaned a few plants, which, with all his other botanical collections, he 

 kindly placed at my disposal. I had hoped that arrangements would have been 

 made by the Government for the publication of a general account of the Botany 

 of California ; but as there is no immediate prospect of such a work being under- 

 taken, I have prepared this memoir on some of the more interesting new genera 

 discovered by Colonel Fremont. The drawings of the accompanying plates were 

 made by Mr. Isaac Sprague, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who ranks among the 

 most eminent botanical draughtsmen of our day. 



SPRAGUEA. Nov. Gen. 



Calyx disepalus, persistens ; sepalis suborbiculatis, basi cordatis, emarginatis, 

 membranaceis, patentibus. Corollas petala 4, sestivatio imbricata, libera, duobus 

 exterioribus sepalis alternantibus, interioribus sepalis oppositis. Stamina 3, 

 petalis opposita. Ovarium uniloculars Ovula 8-10, basilaria. Stylus filiformis, 

 apice trifidus; lobis intus stigmatosis. Capsula membranacea, compressa, 

 uniloculars, bivalvis. Semina 2-5, lenticulari-compressa, nigra, nitida, estro- 

 phiolata.— Herba Californica, perennis, glabra ; caulibus 1-5, scapiformibus, e 

 caudice brevi ortis, remote squamosis ; floribus confertis scorpioideo-spicatis ; 

 spicis pluribus, aphyllis, umbellatis, terminalibus. 



SPRAGUEA UMBELLATA. Tab. I. 



NoH A h B "~r°[T S ° f th T G «° Zah rivCT ' in the foot - hills of the Sierra Nevada of 

 IS orthern Xah forma. In flower and fruit, May 22. Other specimens, not ticketed, 



^80^ eCtl ° n ' perhapS ° btained on the sa ™ g^und a little earlier in the 



JZ^tf^ reinar u kabl e Plant is short and tapering, soon dividing into a tuft 

 tlt!rX The T UdeX " Sh ° rt "* thick ' tawing up from its summit 



TZnll 7 r S1X T^ SCape " like branches ' whlch are from three inches to 

 Lnn o fb ; a . r m r W diVerginS ' AU thG pr ° per leaves are situated a * the 

 neTh two tr l' T mg . a denSC rOSUkte Cluster ' The y are from an ™ch to 

 ZZL k IV* ^ ° f " ***» coas * st <^e, obovate-spatulate, with a long 



tapering base, obtuse, and perfectly entire. The scapes are furnished with several 



