CISTACEAE. 265 



CISTACEAE. Rock-rose Family. 



Low shrubs but ours herb-like or barely suffrutescent. Flowers complete, 

 regular, hypogynous. Sepals 5, persistent (2 smaller, wholly on the outside 

 and bract-like). Petals 5, ephemeral. Stamens indefinite. Ovary superior, 

 1-celled with 3 parietal placentae; style one; ovules orthotropus on slender 

 funiculi. Capsule 3-valved. 



1. HELIANTHEMUM Pers. 



Leaves alternate, simple, entire. Petals yellow, opening but once. Stamens 

 usually numerous, with filiform filaments and short anthers. Style very short 

 or none; stigma capitate, 3-lobed. Capsule 1-celled or nearly 3-celled by the 

 intrusion of the placentae. (Greek helios, sun, and anthemon, blossom.) 



1. H. scoparium Nutt. Mostly suffrutescent at base, erect, 1 to 2 ft. high, 

 corymbosely much branched, glabrous or nearly so; leaves small, narrowly 

 linear, sometimes very few; sepals minutely pubescent, sometimes glandular, 

 the inner 2 to 3 lines long, the two outer minute ; corolla 5 to 7 lines broad ; 

 placentae partition-like; embryo slender and much coiled. 



Dry slopes and ridges of the Coast Eanges from Lake Co. to Mt. Tamal- 

 pais and southward; not common. Apr.-May. Branches commonly clustered 

 and very rush-like, owing to the sparseness, or to the early deciduous char- 

 acter of the foliage. 



Resedaceae. Eeseda odorata L. (Mignonette). Branching annual herb 

 with simple alternate leaves and complete irregular inconspicuous flowers in 

 racemes ; sepals and petals 4 to 7, the latter deeply cleft ; stamens indefinite, 

 on one side the flower; ovary 1-celled, opening at the top before the seeds 

 ripen. — An escape in Marin Co. Very fragrant. 



VIOLACEAE. Violet Family. 



Perennial herbs with alternate stipulate leaves and complete flowers. Sepals 

 5, persistent. Corolla irregular, consisting of 5 somewhat unequal petals, 2 

 upper, 2 lateral and 1 lower, the lower spurred at base. Stamens 5, with 

 short and broad filaments bearing the anthers on their inner face and con- 

 nivent over the ovary. Ovary superior, 1-celled, maturing into a 3-valved 

 capsule with valves placenta-bearing along the middle. Style and stigma one. 

 Seeds rather large, with a hard coat and straight embryo in fleshy endosperm. 



1. VIOLA L. Violet. 

 Peduncles axillary, 1 -flowered. Stipules persistent. Sepals unequal, produced 

 below the point of insertion into auricles, persistent. Stamens with broad con- 

 nectives which are prolonged beyond the anthers, the two lower bearing spurs 

 which project into the spur of the corolla. The valves of the capsule bear the 

 seeds along the middle, and after dehiscence fold together firmly lengthwise and 

 eject the seeds with violence. (Old Latin name used by Virgil.) 



A. Leaves all undivided. 

 Flowers violet or purple; leaves broadly ovate, truncate or subcordate at base, obtuse 



at apex 1. V. canina. 



Flowers white, or white and yellow and purple; leaves cordate- or triangular-ovate, more 



or less acute or pointed at apex 2. V. ocellata. 



Flowers yellow. 



Stems erect, short; leaves often oblong; high montane 3. V. purpurea. 



Stems erect, longer; leaves round-ovate with truncate base; low open hills 



4. V. pedunculata. 

 Stems prostrate, stolon-like; leaves round-cordate, rounded at apex, glandular-dotted, 



