140 Mubieubergia, Volume 8 



Cressa vallicola sp. nov. 



Diffusely erect-spreading-, 2 dm. high or less, branched from 

 the base, the branches numerous, slender, woolly-villous, as is 

 the whole plant, even to the outside of the corolla lobes, leafy 

 throughout: leaves elliptical, the largest icm. long, 4mm. wide 

 those of the inflorescence but little reduced: inflorescence usu- 

 ally occupying the upper half of the branches, frequently ap- 

 pearing as if secund: pedicels 4 or 5 mm. long: calyx bibracteo- 

 late, the bracts foliaceous, shaped like the leaves, 3 to 3.5 mm. 

 long: calyx 5mm. long, the lobes elliptical-obovate, 2mm. wide, 

 blunt and rounded at the apex, strongly concave, harsh and cor- 

 iaceous in texture, the inner ones but little narrower than the 

 outer: corolla white, 6 mm. long, the tube 3 mm. long; lobes 

 lanceolate, acutish, slightly over i mm. wide; overlapping a lit- 

 tle, bearded externally: stamens equaling or a trifle shorter than 

 the corolla, the filaments subulate; anthers imm. long, scarcely 

 narrowed at apex, auricled as base, the auricles blunt: pistil 

 equaling the corolla, st\ le 2 parted for two-thirds its length, the 

 united lower third woollv; stigmas capitate: ovary densely Ian- 

 ate, a tuft of long hairs extending up to and concealing the style 

 to the point of division. 



The type, in the herbarium of A. A. Heller, \s I/e//er 8pj6a, 

 collected June 4, 1908, a short distance east of San Jose, Santa 

 Clara county, California, in a depression along the roadside, wet 

 in early spring, but at that time covered with the Cressa plants. 



This is no doubt the Cressa cretica of Jepson's Flora of 

 Western Middle California, which is said to be "especially com- 

 mon in the San Joaquin Valley, often covering thousands of 

 acres." While not at present having access to specimens of true 

 C. cretica^ I did stud\ it some vears ao^o. and am convinced that 

 it does not occur in this cnmitrw 



J Cressa iniiiiina sp. nov. 



Prostrate and creeping, silk\ sericeous throughout, the stems 

 3 to 7 cm. long, floriferons for half their length or more, leafy 

 throughout: leaves elliptica]-<)l)l()ng, the largest 8 mm. long, 3.5 

 mm, wide,/ suh-^c>^i!c': pedicels short, i to 2 mm. long: bracts 



