The replicate species of Phlox of the Pacific northwest* 



Harold St. John 



Certain species of Phlox (Polemoniaceae) have the hyaline 

 membranous intercostal portion of the calyx-tube replicate or 

 folded out into conspicuous sacs. Such is the case, for instance, 

 in Phlox longifolia Nutt. This species and its relatives form the 

 object of the present study. 



The Herbarium of the State College of Washington is rich 

 in material and contains some of the types of this group. Then, 

 too, through the kindness of Dr. Aven Nelson, it has been 

 possible to borrow some of the Elias Nelson types from the 

 Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Dr. B. L. Robinson has likewise 

 aided by lending original specimens from the Gray Herbarium. 



The first northwestern replicate species to be described was 

 Phlox longifolia Nutt. This was based on plants collected by 

 Capt. Nathaniel J. Wyeth, "In the valleys of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains generally." The specimens were collected by Wyeth on 

 the return journey of his first expedition to Oregon. They prob- 

 ably came from western Montana, though Wyeth's Journal 

 does not mention them definitely. This Wyeth collection, now 

 in the Gray Herbarium, consists of four branches. Three of them 

 are glabrous or nearly glabrate on the calyces, peduncles, and 

 leaves, and agree with the phrase in the original description, 

 "foliis . . . glabris." The remaining specimen is white puberu- 

 lent on the calyces, peduncles, and stems. All have filiform 

 leaves 0.5-1 mm. wide. Dr. Asa Gray maintained^ the species, 

 describing it as "nearly glabrous or pubescent, . . . leaves 

 mostly narrowly linear." 



The next member of this group of plants with the replicate 

 calyx was collected by Charles A. Geyer in the "valley of the 

 Kooskooskie River and the adjoining plains," or as it is now 

 known, the lower Clearwater River, Idaho, and the Palouse 

 Country of Idaho and adjacent Washington. It was published 

 by Sir W. J. Hooker as P. speciosa Vnvsh, var. linearifolia} A 



* Contribution No. 46 from the Department of Botany, State College of 

 Washington. 



1 Syn. Fl. N. Am. 2, pt. 1 : 133, 1878. 



2 Journ Bot. Kew Miscell. 3: 289, 1851. 



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