Ii8 Muhlenbergia, Volume 5 



Pentstcmon geniculatus, the smaller flowered plant on the 

 right, while of the same general habit, has entirely different 

 characters. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, acute, instead of 

 rounded and obtuse, and the plant is more loosely branched. 

 While the stem and leaves are smooth, the calyx and outside of 

 the flower is clammy pubescent. The flowers are "in a single 

 dense subcapitate terminal cluster which is twice as broad as 

 high." The corolla is a half inch or more long, "of a dark lurid 

 purple, narrow, slightly ventricose." In addition, it has a char- 

 acteristic downward curve. The throat and upper part of the 

 corolla is not at all constricted, but open, and in certain forms 

 having but four lobes, is tubular. 



Abnormal flowers are common in this species, the corolla 

 divisions ranging in number from four to ten. One four-lobed 

 flower had four stamens, all perfect; another had the stamens 

 normal — four perfect, one sterile; still another had three perfect 

 ones and one sterile. One with five divisions had three perfect 

 stamens and two sterile ones. One with six regular divisions 

 had five stamens, four perfect, one sterile. One with the lower 

 lip four instead of three-lobed had normal stamens. A double 

 flower had seven perfect stamens, three sterile ones, and two 

 styles. 



No definite type locality is given, only "common on alpine 

 slopes, below retreating snow banks, in wet clayey or gravelly 

 soil, in the Sierra Nevada of California." On Mt. Rose it 

 ranges from 9600 to 10000 feet, and while not abundant at any 

 one place, is found here and there, commonly in dense mats of a 

 half foot to a foot in diameter Here it hardly occurs in wet 

 places, but in gravel and sand. The ground is fairly moist, 

 however, owing to the fact that the time between the disappear- 

 ance of the snow and the flowering of the plant is comparatively 

 short. The photograph was taken at an elevation of 9600 feet, 

 in an open forest of Pinui albican lis. It was also encountered 

 a few days since (September 24th) at 10000 feet, growing on a 

 bare- northeasterly slope In-low one of the two permanent snow 

 banks, the ground where it was found having been covered deep 

 with snow when the photograph at the lower elevation was 



