Macbride — Reclassified or new Compositae 43 
There is yet another variation of A. acaulis which deserves 
recognition. This is a plant of the high plains and thus geograph- 
ically it occupies a position intermediate in character between 
A. acaulis and the variety lanata.- It passes directly into the typical 
form however but in general may be distinguished by its green 
leaves and large heads. The leaves vary from thinly appressed 
silky pubescent to nearly glabrous except for some more or less 
appressed hairs along the midrib. This plant may be known as 
Y AcTINEA ACAULIS (Pursh) Spreng., var. simplex (A. Nels.), 
comb. nov. Tetraneuris simplex A. Nels. Bot. Gaz. xxviil. 127 
(1899). Actinella simplex A. Nels. in Coulter & Nelson Man. R. 
Mt. Bot. 558 (1909). Tetraneuris epunctata A. Nels. Bot. Gaz. 
XxXviil. 275 (1904). . glabriuscula Rydb. Bull. Torr. Club, 
Xxxiii. 155 (1906). Actinella acaulis (Pursh) Nutt., var. glabra 
(Nutt.) Gray, Syn. Fl. i.2 345, in small part. 
In Rydberg’s key, 7’. epunctata is distinguished by the state- 
ment “leaves glabrous, scarcely punctate.” Clements no. 34 
from Manitou is referred here by Rydberg (as shown by the speci- 
men in the Gray Herbarium) and the leaves are not only punctate 
but distinctly pubescent. The type of A. epunctata is nearly 
glabrous and that of A. simplex is thinly appressed silky pubescent 
ut numerous specimens show that these collections merely rep- 
resent extremes in this matter, on the one hand passing into typical 
A. acaulis and on the other into the variety Janata. 
It may be mentioned in this connection that all the species, 
even those recognized by Gray, undoubtedly at times merge or at 
least collections exist which it would be possible it seems to place 
with nearly equal reason in either of two given species. Never- 
_ theless the species recognized by Gray (and one or two others 
which I am considering here) are in general easily distinguished 
and therefore, even though forms in some cases have been collected 
Which seem intermediate in character, it appears desirable to con- 
tinue to maintain as species those plants long so accepted. Six 
Species were recognized in this alliance in the Synoptical Flora; 
Rydberg, in his treatment in the North American Flora, recognizes 
™ fewer than twenty-six. In reality there appear to be about 
eight rather well marked specific units but as already indicated 
there are few of these that, though generally distinct enough, do . 
not have forms or varieties through which they pass into related 

