166 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [MARCH 
what scarious: petals half to two-thirds as long, white, oblong, 
cleft only about a quarter of their length or even less, the teeth 
often unequal: stamens five: styles three: ovary globose: 
valves of young fruit three, bifid; seeds not seen.—Alsine 
Jamesii Holzinger, Contrib. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 216, in partie 
as to no. 608.— Collected in flower July 8, 1892, on St. Joseph's 
river, Wiessner’s Peak, Kootenai county, Idaho, at 1800" alti 
tude, by Messrs. Sandberg, MacDougal, and Heller, no. 608, 
and distributed as A/sine Jamesii from the Department of Agt : 
culture. 
This species has much the habit of the Japanese S. Vezonesis Maxi. 
which, however, is decandrous, has more deeply cleft petals and exhibits 
some other differences. S. oxyfhyl/a is on the border line between Stella- 
ria and Arenaria and indeed suggests at first sight Arenaria macrophy 
Hook., although slight examination of the pubescence and calyx shows"® 
be quite distinct from that species, and, all points considered, there can be . 
little doubt that its affinities are with Stellaria. It offers a drastic example 
of the deplorable haste with which the so-called reform of our nomenciatt ; 
has at times proceeded ; for the A/sine Jamesii of Holzinger, supposed q 
represent S¢edlaria Jamesii Torr., in reality rests upon a mixture of the very 7 
different S. oxyphyl/a (no. 608) and a luxuriant form of the cum ; 
S. media Cyrill. (no. 78 ), species so widely diverse that it is truly difficult | 
see how the confusion could have occurred. It will be rather interesting © : 
observe whether Adsine Jamesii Holzinger is to rest upon ise : 
(which by the way is not wholly correct, the original name being J aia 4 
and stand for a species which Mr. Holzinger may never have see? ces : 
never examined, or whether as in other cases the name is to be 
referring to the plants for which its author was actually using it. 
long, 5 or 6™ broad, puberulent or glabrous, finely 
near the contracted petiolar base, 1-nerved bet . 
transmitted light pinnate veins as well as ane ae 
One: peduncles two to several, axillary, solitaty ©. 
pubescent, about 1 in length, spreading, 1-floweres- 
cS. 
