igi2] NELSON— IDAHO PLANTS 405 



This species is nearest to Melica bromoides Gray, from which it differs as 

 follows: M. Macbridei is about one-half as high as M. bromoides and much 

 slenderer and more graceful in appearance; it is much more scabrous and the 

 roughness continues beneath the sheaths to very near the nodes of the culm; 

 the sheaths exceed the internodes; the floral parts are shorter and wider than 

 in M. bromoides; the nerves of the glumes and lemmas never extend to the 

 margins; and lastly the rachilla between the flowers is smooth, white, and 

 "wormlike" and never green as in the other. 



This is number 948 of Macbride's 191 i collection of Idaho plants, secured 

 on dry slopes at Silver City, June 20. 



Calochortus umbellatus, n. sp. — Bulb small, ovoid to sub- 

 globose: stems slender, 3-5 dm. high, 2-3 -leaved; lower leaf long, 

 4-8 mm. wide, from one-half to three-fourths as long as the stem; 

 the other leaves narrowly linear (if only one, near the middle), 

 5-10 cm. long: flowers 3-9, in an umbel; pedicels slender, erect 

 (in a fascicle), 5-10 cm. long; involucral bracts few-several, 2-4 

 cm. long, the ovate base scarious, abruptly narrowed to the long 

 filiform green acumination: sepals lanceolate, acuminate, one 

 margin more broadly scarious than the other, 25 mm. or less long: 

 petals obovate-cuneate, the rounded summit more or less erose 

 and abruptly apiculate or subacute, white, with an indigo or purple 

 spot near the middle; the gland small, round, yellow, short-setose, 

 some long soft filamentous hairs scattered over the lower half of 

 the petal: filaments not much if any longer than the anthers, 

 dilating gradually from apex to base: capsule ellipsoidal, about 

 15 mm. long, narrowly thin- winged, lightly transversely striate. 



There is no doubt that this has passed as C. nitidus Dougl., to which it is 

 closely related. The Idaho specimens seen by the writer cannot, however, 

 well be so referred. Purdy has recharacterized C. nitidus in his excellent 

 revision (Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. III. 2:128. 1901) and the following facts, 

 drawn from his description are in direct contrast with C. umbellatus: "Stems 

 bulb-bearing near base, not bracted in the middle"; "umbel of 2-4 flowers 

 subtended by 2-4 linear bracts " ; " sepals ovate-laticeolate, exceeding the petals " ; 

 "petals 2 inches long, the same in width"; " filaments filiform, winged below") 

 capsule strongly winged and crested" 



Nelson and Macbride's no. 1197, July 19, 1911, is taken as the type* 

 The species seemed quite abundant on sagebrush lands near Wood River at 

 Ketchum. Mr. C. N. Woods has also secured it (no. 258) in the same county 

 (Blaine). A specimen from Yellowstone Park by Mrs. E. W. Scheuber is 

 also referable here. 



