June 9, [909 77 



But is it? Mr. Jones gave a description of his plant which en- 

 ables me to decide that I have the same thing, collected last 



August on the Ruby mountains on the ridge above Cave Creek 

 post office, Elko count)-, Nevada, in limestone, growing about 

 the base of cliffs, elevation 7600 feet. Jones described the flow- 

 ers of his plant as follows: "Sepals in the bud greenish-yellow, 

 after anthesis purple (usually) and reflexed, linear-oblanceolate, 

 obtuse, concave, almost hooded; blade of petals crumpled cross- 

 wise, edges jagged, linear, ^ line wide, yellowish-green, incon- 

 spicuous, 4 to 6 lines long, and thin, claw thick, fleshy, triangu- 

 lar-subulate, 6 lines long and a line wide at the saccate base, 

 glabrous, wdiole petal just equaling the filiform filament." 



This describes my plant very well, especially the "blade of 

 petals crumpled crosswise," which is very characteristic. The 

 only discrepancy is that in my plants the blade is almost too 

 wide at the apex to be called "linear," but somewhat oblanceo- 

 late would be better. 



Had I collected this plant only I might not have doubted 

 the statement in the Synoptical Flora that Jones' plant is typical 

 6". viridijlora. But along the railroad near Wells, Elko county, 

 Nevada, elevation 5630 feet, was found a plant of different as- 

 pect, with long (2 dm.) basal oblanceolate leaves, "attenuate be- 

 low into long flat winged" petioles. 



The striking difference is in the flowers. The petals oi 

 this plant are greenish, linear, about 17 mm. long, a little over 

 1 mm. wide at the base for a distance of 3 mm., then reduced to 

 1 mm. or less for the remaining length, being practical ly linear, 

 the edges entire, not ''jagged," as in the other plant, and no 

 sign of the "crumpled crosswise," but merely several longitudi- 

 nal veins. The petal is apparently twisted at the middle, and 

 seems to be verv slightly narrower there than either above or 

 below, but so little that the difference is almost imperceptible. 



That these are two distinct plants there can be no doubt, 

 but are either of them S. viridifiordl The plant from near 

 Wells most nearlv answers to the description, but the lamina of 

 the petal is not "scarcely longer than the claw." It is five 

 times longer, if we allow that the lower, broader portion may be 

 called a claw. 



