270 



stoni A. Nelson. The types of Nelson's description were 

 obtained too late in the year to show the color of the 

 corolla. The form with the pink "eye" may be known as 

 mut. nelsoni, nov. ; the closely related Old World A. 

 chamaejasme varies in the same manner. The color 

 variation is apparently somewhat obscured by differences 

 due to age, but there are two types, one with, the other 

 without, the red pigment. The carination of the leaves 

 is really very slight. Nelson has separated this species 

 from Androsace as the type of a genus Drosace. It is 

 possible that a genus may be maintained for this and 

 related caespitose forms, but if so, the name must appar- 

 ently be Aretia Linne, based on the Old World Aretia 

 alpina L. It is true that typical Aretia has the peduncles 

 one-flowered, but there is no absolute line of division here, 

 since Androsace coronata imiflora, from the Himalayas, 

 has one or sometimes two flowers on a stalk.* This is a 

 species very closely related to our A. carinata. 



The Primula and Androsace here discussed represent 

 the arctic-alpine flora derived from that of the Old 

 World, and seeming in a way out of place in our country, 

 like the alpine poppy. It is curious that even so far north 

 as the State of Washington, according to Piper, there is 

 no Primula or Androsace whatever. 



15. Phlox caespitosa Nuttall. Abundant above timber line. 



The flowers are of a peculiar light blue, just like the com- 

 mon greenhouse Plumbago. 



16. Polemonium confertum Gray. This magnificent species is 



abundant above timber line. In one place a variety with 

 white flowers (mut. albiflorum nov.) was quite common. 

 This would seem to run in Nelson's key to P. mellitum, 

 which is a distinct species of lower altitudes {e. g., Sunset, 

 Boulder County, fide D. M. Andrews). On comparing 

 blue and white flowers growing close together, I noted 

 that the stigmatic branches were longer in the white 



* Androsace coronata (A. chamaejasme var. coronata. Watt. Journ. Linn. Soc, 

 20); A. coronata uniflora (A. chamaejasme var. unifiora, Hooker f., Fl. Brit. Ind., 3). 



