138 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [august 



as stemless, with a short stout peduncle from the summit of which spring few- 

 several foliar-bracted rays which are then dichotomous or trichotomous. The 

 involucre of that species is tubular campanulate. 



Secured by Nelson and Macbride at Shoshone, Idaho, in the rich lava 

 soil of sagebrush swales, July 18, no. 1186. 



Polygonum emaciatum, n. sp. — Very slender glabrous silver- 

 green annual, 15-40 cm. high: stem usually simple below but 

 branching dichotomously from near the base and upward, the 

 internodes rather long, noticeably geniculate at the nodes so as to 

 give the stems and branches a zigzag aspect: leaves few, linear, 

 revolute, short, or even reduced to mere bracts: sheaths scarious, 

 irregularly lacerate into a few acuminate awns: flowers in slender, 

 rather open, terminal, spicate racemes; 1 or 2 in the axils of the 

 small bracts which are more or less concealed by the lacerate 

 sheaths; pedicels short, slender, erect, not exserted: perianth 

 segments obovate-cuneate, whitish with a red line, about 3 mm. 

 long: ovary oblong, triangular, as long as the slender styles: 

 mature fruit not at hand. 



This suggests P. tenue Michx., from which its peculiar skeletonized appear- 

 ance, its zigzag branching, its very small not cuspidate leaves, and its usually 

 solitary white flowers easily separate it. 



The type is Macbride's no. 1692, "doby" lava slopes, near Sweet, 

 Idaho, August 14, 1911; also by June Clark ; August 18, no. 269, in the 

 same locality. 



Loeflingia verna, n. sp. — A diminutive, vernal, glabrous annual, 

 1-5 cm. high, with short filiform root: stem simple or with few- 

 several filiform ascending branches: leaves triangular-subulate, 

 not cuspidate, 2 mm. or less long, opposite at the few nodes: flowers 

 few, solitary-axillary on rather long filiform pedicels forming an 

 open few-flowered cyme: sepals 5, entire, about 3 mm. long, 

 lanceolate, acute, scarious-margined, i-nerved but neither carinate 

 nor setaceous tipped: petals usually wanting, if present scarious, 

 narrowly lanceolate, as long as the sepals, apparently 3 only: 

 stamens 3 or rarely 5 : anthers small, on capillary filaments, stigmas 

 3 (or 2?), subsessile but distinct: ovary several-ovuled; capsule 

 i-celled, ovoid- triangular, as long as the sepals: seeds attached to 

 the central-basal placenta on rather long funiculi : embryo moder- 

 ately curved, accumbent. 



