290 BOTANY. 



small clusters axillary along the leafy branches, sessile ; bracts nearly orbic- 

 ular, becoming 3-6" in diameter, united and cuneate at the indurated com- 

 pressed base, and dilated upward, obtuse, entire or rarely with a few lateral 

 teeth, waxy farinaceous. — Abundant in the alkaline valleys of the Great 

 Basin and extending southward into New Mexico, Arizona, and Northern 

 Mexico; 4-6,000 feet altitude; April-October. O. spinosa, Moquin, col- 

 lected by Nuttall, should be the same, judging from the description. (983.) 



Obione hymenelytea, Torr. Bot. Mex. Bound. 182. Pac. R. R. Rep. 4. 

 129, t. 20. Stem shrubby, 2-3° high, much-branched, the branches un- 

 armed, subterete, hoary; leaves subdeltoid-orbicular, or truncate or sub- 

 cordate at base, 1-lJ' in diameter, coarsely and acutely sinuate-dentate, 

 densely hoary-scurfy ; flowers dioecious, the staminate in dense clusters col- 

 lected into axillary and terminal paniculate spikes ; bracts reniform-orbicular, 

 membranous, very entire, united only at base, the disk naked; fruiting 

 bracts over 4" in breadth, reticulately veined, the short pedicel tumid and 

 spongy. — Colorado Desert and on the Lower Gila; Southern Utah, (Pal- 

 mer, 1870.) 



Obione Toeeeyi. Shrubby, 2 3° high, much branched, the short 

 divaricate rigid branchlel,s usually spinescent, scurfy -pulverulent ; leaves del- 

 toid-hastate, i-1' long, the smaller becoming ovate or oblong, entire, obtuse 

 or acutish, mucronulate ; flowers dioecious, in numerous small sessile clus- 

 ters, the staminate crowded in spreading panicles terminating the branch- 

 lets, the pistillate more scattered along nearly simple branchlets, which are 

 leafy only toward the base ; bracts of the flowers minute, ovate, obtuse and 

 entire, united at base, densely farinaceous ; fruit unknown. — Near O. acan- 

 thocarpa, Torr., but apparently very distinct, though the specimens are only 

 in flower. Very frequent in the dry valleys bordering the Truckee and 

 Carson Rivers, where it was also collected by Dr. Torrey (463 ;) July, 

 August. (984.) 



Obione aegentea, Moq. DC. Prodr. 13. 2. 115. Annual and herb- 

 aceous, 6-15' high, branching from the base, the branches ascending, densely 

 mealy-canescent, especially when young; leaves rather thick and fleshy, 

 i-2' long, usually hastate or deltoid, sometimes rhomboidal or ovoid, atten- 

 uate into the short petiole, obtuse or acutish, entire or rarely sinuate- 

 toothed ; flowers moncEcious, in sessile axillary clusters upon the leafy 

 branches ; staminate clusters small ; bracts somewhat orbicular, united at 



