22 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
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special attention of American botanists to these differences, and — 
urge them to see whether they are constant. 
The form of the prickles affords a second important distine- 
tive character for X. Calfornica. In that species alone are the 
prickles curved at the tip or more or less hooked. Watson does 
well to assign straight or recurved prickles to R. Nutkana, R. 
Fendleri, and R. Woodsit, but in those species, in my opinion, 
prickles recurved at the tip are only exceptional. 
It is well to consider the regions of the axes where the 
prickles habitually show their normal form. These regions are 
ordinarily situated in the middle part of the stems and branches. 
On the floriferous branchlets, prickles normally recurved of 
hooked, following the weakness of the axes, may become straight. 
These variations in the armature, both in the form of the prickles 
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and their arrangement, explain the necessity of judging only. — 
from quite large specimens, and the extreme usefulness of being 
able to observe the whole bush. 
The form of the leaflets seems to vary quite widely in &. 
Californica, as well as the teeth, which may be simple or glan- 
dular-compound. The base, however, appears to be almost 
always rounded, and not attenuate or cuneate. The leaflets are 
almost always pubescent, with the lower surface glandular or not. 
According to Watson, they very rarely are completely glabrous, 
and that author cites but a single case, that of specimens 
obtained by Palmer at San Bernardino. No. 454 of the Palmer 
collection, representing R. Californica of that locality, is made up 4 
of specimens taken from several bushes which do not all belong — 
to the same variety or even to the same species, Some have 
completely glabrous leaves and straight prickles, while others 
have pubescent leaves and more or less hooked prickles. Engel- 
mann had sent to me specimens of this last form, also from San 
Bernardino, If the pubescent specimens belong to R. Californica, 
those with glabrous leaves appear to belong to another species. 
In my Prodromus, 1 have described a variety glabra of R. Califor 
nica, established on a plant cultivated in the Jardin des Plantes, 
Paris, under the name &. myriantha Decaisne, but that plant can 
