94 POBTULACACEiE. claytonia. 



the base o£ the lo^^est pedicel : sepals ovate, «^/;t,"^Xr'leif,s- ro^ts'So' 

 long • netals 3-4 lines long, pale rose color with darker veins . roots glo- 

 bosl; '^Eastern Washington aW Oregon to the Kocky Mountains, Nevada 

 and California, in mountainous districts. 



C. nmbellata Watson Bot. King 43, t. 6. Scapose stems an inch or 

 two hiX radical leaves orbicular to oblong or. ovate on long slender pet- 

 Mea (often wanting on flowering specimens): in volucral leaves orbicular 

 oovate or rhombofdal, on slender Petioles: flowers 3-5 m a subse.sileu^^ 

 bel, subtended by a broad scarious bract: petals 3-4 lines long a httle 

 longer than the rounded, obtuse, somewhat scanous sepals: root of vari- 

 ous shape, usually oblong or fusiform, )^-2 inches long. In gravelly 

 ground, Stein's Mountain, southeastern Oregon to Nevada. 



* * Stems and leaves from the crown of a fleshy root. 

 C. Megarrhiza Parry Watson Bib. Tnd. 118. Leaves numerous, 

 cuneate with rounded apex, attenuate below to a margined petiole 

 with scarious dilated base 1-6 inches long. 2-18 lines wide; scapose stems 

 not exceeding the leaves : involucral leaves lanceolate or linear sessile : 

 raceme secund, subsessile. with comparatively large acutish scarious 

 bract at base; sepals oblong 2-3 lines long, petals obovate subemargin- 

 ate, a third longer than the sepals. High alpine, growing in crevices of 

 rocks, its large purple tap-root penetrating to a great depth. Blue Mount- 

 ains of eastern Oregon to the Eocky Mountains. 



7 MONTIA Micheli Nova Plantarum Gen. 17 t. 13. 

 Low glabrous and succulent herbs with delicate pale or white 

 flowers in loose axillary or terminal simple or compound ra- 

 cemes. Sepals 2, rarely 3, persistent. Petals usually 5, rarely 3 

 or wanting ; more or less united at base, usually unequal, 3 of 

 them a little smaller than the other 2. Stamens 3-5, inserted on 

 the base of the corolla, opposite its lobes. Ovary 3-ovuled : cap- 

 sule 3-valved, 3-seeded. 



* Leafy-stemmed annuals : petals unequal. 

 -1- At least the lower leaves opposite. 



M. minor Gmelin Fl. Bad. i, 301, (?), Stems weak and filiform, form- 

 ing dense mats 2-10 inches in diameter rooting at the lower nodes : leaves 

 spatulate or obovate to narrowly oblanceolate, 3-9 lines long : flowers a 

 line long or less : petals conspicuous a little longer than the calyx : seeds 

 dull black, tuberculate. In wet places and ditches, Washington to north- 

 ern California. 



■t- Leaves all alternate. 



.H- Stamens 2 or 3 : opposite the 3 smaller petals. 



M. Howellil Watson Proc. Am. Acad, xviii, 191. Stems slender, dif- 

 fusely branched 3^-3 inches long, procumbent and rooting at the nodes: 

 leaves narrowly spatulate 2-4 lines long with a dilated scarious clasping 

 base, rarely opposite, usually opposite to a triangular scarious clasping 

 bract which subtends a few-flowered raceme : pedicels shorter than the 

 leaves, reflexed in fruit : flowers very small : sepals less than a line long : 

 petals 2, rarely 3-5 or wanting ; the 2 larger a little exserted : seeds black, 

 smooth and shining. Willamette valley : flowers in very early spring. 



M. dichotoma Howell 1. c. 36. Claytonia dichotoma Nutt . T . & G . Fl- 

 gO^. Erect, 1-3 inches high, branching from the base and compact leaves 

 all linear 6-12 lines long: flowers in dense terminal racemes; sepals 

 broadly elliptical, about a line long, usually colored! petals but little 

 longer '. distiuotly united at base : seeds thiels-lenticuldf minutely tubei" 



