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where with its allies it constitutes a group or section, distin- 

 guished by the absence of pappus and other characters. It is 

 said to be a compact group of closely related species, well 

 distinguished by habit and involucre. The group of Viguiera 

 proper from which it arose appears to be extinct. All this 

 should indicate a valid genus, and to it may be added the 

 fact that in caustic potash the rays of H. miiltiflora turn bright 

 red on the basal half. This is the color-reaction of the perennial 

 sunflowers, but is not exhibited by the type species of Viguiera. 

 Dr. Blake, in his prefatory remarks (Revis. Viguiera, p. 3), 

 strongly objects to the use of such chemical tests in taxonomic 

 work with composites, but I do not see why they are not as 

 significant as various morphological data. I never proposed 

 to use them alone. He objects that they cannot mean much, 

 since a variety of unrelated genera agreed in their reaction- 

 In this criticism he overlooked the fact that they agreed only 

 in not producing any red color. After stating any morphological 

 generic character, it could be added that numerous unrelated 

 forms agreed in not possessing it. It is worth while to realize, 

 through chemical tests, that things are not always what they 

 seem. Thus the pure white rays of Leucampyx newherryi 

 turn bright yellow in caustic potash, whereas ordinary white 

 flowers, devoid of pigment, are unaffected. 

 The genus Heliomeris, limited and defined as a section by 



Blake, will stand as follows: 



Heliomeris multiUora Nuttall.* 



* Since writing the above, I have been able to make new studies of Heliomeris 

 muUiflora at Peaceful Valley, Colorado, altitude 8,000 ft. This is well above the 

 zone of Helianthus, which was represented only by a single small H. annuus lenti- 

 cularis, from an accidentally dropped seed close to the store. The following char- 

 acters should be added to descriptions of H. muUiflora. Acuminate ends of disc- 

 bracts bright j-ellow; the bracts otherwise pure, white, with a light but bright green 

 keel down the back; but the outermost ones are also profusely speckled on the 

 back with black (anthocyanin). Stigmatic branches pure orange. Rays 

 emarginate at end; ray florets wholly without pistils. 



Mixed with the typical form was a very interesting mut. Apicalis, nov.; with 

 the apical third of the rays at full maturity creamy-white, abruptly contrasting 

 with the bright yellow basal two-thirds. When the flowers first come out, the 

 apical part is yellow, but a shade paler than the rest. This is very significant in 

 relation to the patterns in the rays of Helianthus. The species of Rudbeckia show 



