AEISTOLOCHIACEiE. 363 



calyx-segments cohering at tip; fertile anients shorter, 2 to 4 in. long, 

 with acute or acuminate bracts; ovary sessile; fruit globose, 3 to 4 

 lines in diameter, densely silky-tomentose like the ovary, in extreme 

 age glabrate; seed oval, 2 lines long. 



Common in the Coast Ranges from Monterey Co. northward: Los 

 G-atos; San Mateo Co.; Angel Island; Mt. Tamalpais; Kedwood 

 Peak, Oakland Hills. Peb. Fruiting June-Sept. 



2. G. Fremont! Torr. Beak Brttsh. Shrub, usually about 5 

 or becoming 10 ft. high; leaves oblong, tapering to each end, varying 

 to elliptical, glabrous and shining above, gray-puberulent or white- 

 tomentose beneath, in age often glabrous and yellow, particularly on 

 the under surface, not undulate, commonly 1^ (rarely 3) in. long, on 

 petioles 6 lines long; aments solitary or in clusters of 2 to 6, with 

 acute somewhat silky bracts; staminate aments 2 to 3 in. long; pis- 

 tillate ament about l| in. long, the ovary and young fruit very silky; 

 fruiting aments IJ to 3J in. long; mature fruit glabrous, 3 lines long, 

 short-pediceled; seeds subglobose or oval, IJ lines long. 



High Coast Range ridges and slopes: Yallo Bally Mountains, 

 Jepson; Napa Mountains; Vaca Mountains; southward to Mt. 

 Hamilton, Brewer. Also in the Sierra Nevada. Feb. The bark 

 when broken exudes a black juice. 



6. BUXIFOLIA Gray, of Red Mountain, Mendocino Co., has leaves 

 appressed-silky beneath and bears very slender aments. 



75. ARISTOLOCHIACE/E. Bikthwoet Family. 



Perennial herbs or twining shrubs. Leaves simple, alternate, 

 petioled, cordate. Flowers perfect, apetalous, with a petal-like syn- 

 sepalous 3-lobed calyx. Stamens 6 to 12 with extrorse anthers. 

 Styles mostly 6 and united at base, or 1. Ovary inferior 6-celled. 

 Fruit a fleshy or dry capsule. Seeds in 1 or 2 rows on the inner 

 angle of each cell, with a minute embryo in copious endosperm. 



Perennial herb; calyx regular; capsule irregularly dehiscent 



1. ASAEUM. 



Woody climber; calyx irregular; capsule septioidally aehiseent 



2. Abistoloceia. 



1. ASARUM L. 



Nearly aoaulescent herbs, with creeping fragrant rootstooks bearing 

 2 or 3 scale-like bracts, then 1 or 2 reniform or cordate leaves on long 

 closely approximate petioles and a short-ped uncled flower close to 

 the ground in the axil of the lower leaf. Calyx regular, eampanu- 

 late, the limb 3-parted, the lobes spreading or recurved, persistent. 

 Stamens 12, nearly free from the styles, at first reflexed, the alternate 

 ones shorter; filaments more or less distinct, the connective usually 

 continued beyond the anther into a point. Capsule globose, fleshy, 

 commonly bursting irregularly. Seeds large, thick, in 2 rows in each 

 cell. (Derivation obscure.) 



1. A. caudatum Lindl. Wild Ginger. Evergreen; rootstooks 

 slender, elongated; leaves cordate-reniform, shortly acute or obtusish, 



