NO. 5 NEW SELAGINELLAS MAXON 3 



relationship. Selaginella bigelovii differs, however, in its more com- 

 pact habit and rigid, funiform branches, and more particularly in 

 details of leaf structure, the cilia being strongly oblique, very rigid, 

 short (mostly 0.03 to 0.04 mm. long), and pointed, often incurved; 

 also, the setae are strongly scabrous throughout. Similar differences 

 are found in the sporophylls, those of 5". bigelovii being coriaceous, 

 distinctly carinate, and tipped with a strongly scabrous seta. 



SELAGINELLA EREMOPHILA Maxon, sp. nov. 



(PI. 2) 



Plants wholly prostrate, the main stems up to 10 or 12 cm. long, 



coarsely radicose at intervals throughout, freely branched, forming 



a close mat, the principal basal divisions subequal, divaricate, 2 or 



3 times pinnate, the ultimate sterile branches very short, mostly 2 to 



4 mm. long, about 2 mm. broad, involute upon drying; stems, 

 branches, and minor divisions all densely leafy, of pronounced dorso- 

 ventral aspect. Leaves crowded, in six ranks, those of the under side 

 the largest, about 2 mm. long, 0.5 mm. broad, exactly lanceolate, 

 acutish, not setigerous, ciliate (the cilia about 25 on each side, white, 

 spreading, mostly 0.075 to 0.125 mm. long), yellowish brown, im- 

 bricate, oblique-spreading, strongly secund upon drying ; leaves of the 

 upper side close-set, subimbricate, nearly vertical, straight or slightly 

 curved, deltoid-subulate, acutish, not setigerous, i to 1.4 mm. long, 

 0.4 to 0.47 mm. broad at the base, at first bright green and sub- 

 glaucous, soon turning yellowish brown, flat above, broadly convex 

 beneath and sulcate in a median line nearly or quite to the tip, ciliate, 

 the cilia 6 to 12 on each side, weak, mostly spreading, about o.i mm. 

 long, similar minute hairs tufted at the base of the midrib and extend- 

 ing sparingly along the dorsal groove. Spikes numerous, arcuately 

 ascending, 6 to 10 mm. long, i mm. thick or less ; sporophylls deltoid, 

 acute or acutish, not setigerous, mostly 1.2 to 1.4 mm. long, 0.9 to 

 I mm. broad, convex, subcarinate and sulcate dorsally, ciliate, the 

 cilia 12 to 18 on each side, spreading or weakly ascending, mostly 0.09 

 to 0.125 mm. long, rarely reaching the apex. Megasporangia few, 

 inferior, mostly basal ; megaspores light yellow, 0.36 to 0.4 mm. in 

 greatest diameter, the commissural faces finely and deeply reticulate, 

 the outer face coarsely but sharply and deeply reticulate, the ridges 

 about 0.016 mm. broad ; commissural costae prominent, long. Micro- 

 sporangia numerous ; microspores dull yellow, about 0.039 mm. in 

 diameter, long remaining associated in tetrads. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 867484, collected in 

 Palm Canyon, Riverside County, California, April 4, 1917, by Ivan 

 M. Johnston (No. 1047) > distributed as Selaginella parishii Underw. 



