20 Contributions from the Gray Herbarium 
tives, a group characterized by not at all carinate nutlets, included 
or slightly exserted stamens and erect or suberect corolla-lobes. 
This group, section Macromerioides Gray, is possible of two inter- 
pretations. It may be regarded either as a subgenus of Onosmo- 
dium or as a genus intermediate to Onosmodium and Macromeria. 
Mackenzie, in writing of O. Thurberi stated, 1. c., “ It differs from 
Onosmodium in the greatly elongated corolla, exserted stamens, 
long filaments and versatile anthers, in usually ripening more 
nutlets, and in the persistence of the enlarged base of the style.” 
However, upon examination of all the species of both sections, 
Onosmodium proper and Macromerioides, it seems to me clear that 
none of these characters are appropriate for the definition of genera 
because they exist in variable and inconstant degrees of develop- 
ment, even for example, the apparently distinctive character, 
‘anthers versatile.’”’ As a matter of fact the anthers are quite as 
versatile in O. occidentalis as in O. Thurberi; in neither are they 
truly versatile or truly innate being attached above the base 
toward, but not at, the middle. Gray, 1. c., indicated that the 
anthers of O. Thurberi were not truly versatile as in the related 
Mexican species but this fact did not deter Mackenzie from trans- 
fering O. Thurberi to the genus containing these species. That it 
would be unwise to try to maintain this section as a genus distinct 
from Onosmodium proper becomes even more evident when the 
species O. strigosum G. Don is taken into consideration. This. 
plant “ looks ”’ like a narrow-leaved O. Thurberi with corollas only 
about half as long. But the stamens are included and moreover 
the anthers are woolly dorsally. Altogether it seems advisable to 
regard these large-flowered species as congeneric with the smaller- 
flowered group Onosmodium proper, allowing Macromeria to stand 
as a monotypic genus, distinguished principally by the keeled 
nutlets. It becomes necessary, in accordance with this viewpoint: 
of the generic limitation of Macromeria to transfer a few species: 
described under that genus to Onosmodium. Since three of these 
are represented in this herbarium I am making this number of the 
required new combinations. 
osmodium discolor techs ), comb. nov. Macromeria dis- 
color oo Pl. Hartw. 49 (1840 : 
ium ee (Greenm. ), comb. nov. Macromeria. 
Pringles ¢ Greenm. Proc. Am. Acad. xxxiv. 570 (1899). 
