composite. 339 



Hab. California, at the upper part of the Sacramento River. Also 

 gathered subsequently by the Rev. Mr. Fitch, probably in the same 

 district. — A singular dwarf species, only an inch or two in height, 

 branching from the summit of a slender and evidently annual root; 

 the branches mostly simple, very woolly (as are the leaves), at least 

 when young, and crowded into a conglobate woolly mass, from which 

 the few closely sessile heads, with their bright rufous-purple pappus, 

 barely project their summits. Mr. Fitch's specimen, however, is more 

 developed ; the numerous heads, crowded in the axils of the cauline 

 leaves, forming a dense leafy spike, two inches in length. Radical 

 leaves spatulate or oblong, an inch or more in length, including the 

 petiole ; the cauline varying from oblong to linear, entire, cuspidate 

 or mucronate, closely sessile, crowded. Heads fully half an inch long, 

 closely sessile, cylindraceous or somewhat obconical; the scales of the 

 involucre rigid, pluriseriate, linear or lanceolate, mucronate or cus- 

 pidate, not squarrose, although the elongated inner scales become 

 recurved at maturity. These innermost scales are entirely scarious and 

 white, but of a firm texture, their long, tapering tips somewhat cor- 

 neous or spinescent, and contrasting strongly with the intensely rufous 

 pappus. Corollas white, in all the flowers regularly five-cleft into long 

 and linear lobes, the marginal ones not more ampliate than the 

 others. Branches of the style as in L. Germanorum, but the peni- 

 cillate tuft shorter : setiform appendage none. The species is an evi- 

 dent congener both of the preceding and of the following. 



Plate 7, B. Lessingia nana. Plant, of natural size. Fig. 1. A 

 flower. 2. Genitalia. 3. A detached stamen. 4. Receptacle and 

 part of involucre. Details enlarged. 



4. Lessingia virgata, Sp. Nov. 



L. dense floccoso-lanata, demum denudata; etude erecto idtrapedali; rarnis 

 virgatis ; foliis caidinis brevibus semi-amplexicaidibus oblongis imisve 

 spathulatis integer -rimis, summis concavis appressis subsagittaiis ; capi- 

 tulis ad axillas foliorum floralium sessilibus solitariis in spicam elon. 

 gatam virgatam subconfertis ; involucri cylindracei &-8-flori squamis 

 rnuticis ; corollis regulariter quinquefidis, exterioribus yarum ampli- 

 atis; styli ramis appendice longo-subulata hispida super atis ; pappo 

 corolla midto breviore. 



