54 Contributions from the Gray Herbarium 
This brings us to a consideration of the generic position of this 
group of plants. Anything bordering on a complete discussion of 
this matter would require pages. ‘ Suffice it to say that almost all, 
if not all, American botanists have been content to consider these 
species as representing a subgenus of Gilia. This is the more sig- 
nificant when it is remembered that several segregate genera of 
Gilia have been proposed and to some extent adopted in recent 
years. Brand’s removal of this section to Navarretia, therefore, 
was epoch-making. In his key to genera he separates this genus 
by the character “ calycis dentes inaequalis.” In view of the fact 
that species of Ewnavarretia are distinguished by the degree to 
which this character exists its weakness as a generic distinction is 
apparent. Furthermore in species of the section Hugelia, at least, 
the calyx-teeth may be essentially equal. Then, too, the habital 
distinctiveness of Navarretia, one of its strongest (and a necessary) 
asset, is ruined by the inclusion of the Hugelia group. It is true 
that the recently discovered N. Abramsii because of its woolly 
character suggests a close relationship between the groups but 
after all it is a better Navarretia than anything else. Finally the 
complexity of the matter has been increased by the publication of 
the genus Eriastrum Wooton & Standl. Contrib. U. 8. Nat. Herb. 
xvi. 160 (1913), the authors pointing out, |. c. xix. 520 (1915), that 
their genus is related to Collomia because it too possesses the char- 
acter ‘‘ Calyx not rupturéd by the capsule,’ a character hereto- 
fore given, even by Brand, as peculiar to Collomia. Indeed all of 
this seems to bear out the contention expressed in Bot. Gaz. Ixi. 34 
(1916) that this character “is scarcely to be considered generically 
in a family in which the more natural genera run hopelessly to- 
gether technically.” It seems advisable therefore to keep the 
section Hugelia in the genus Gilia, as has been done by Gray and 
most botanists, including those of California who know the species 
in the field 
The plants here discussed may be summarized as follows. 
a. Perennial, the stems woody toward the base; corolla large, 
the tube 2-4 times as long as the calyx. 
eng _Subappressed, imbricated, entire or pinnatifid, 
Re ar ete ore Pegi Fetuah cradle Rae G- 1. G. densifolia. 
Leaves 4 srneading. not ype vee usually acreplely 
en innatifid and white-tomentose................ a. var. elongata. 
a. Annual or biennial, the stems jae to the base 
corolla-tube often less than 2 times as long as the 
