FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS OF ARIZONA 317 



1. Actaea arguta Nutt. ex Torr. and Gray, FL North Amer. 1: 35. 

 1838. 



White Mountains (Apache County), San Francisco Peaks (Coco- 

 nino County), southward to the mountains of Cochise and Pima 

 Counties, 8,000 to 9,800 feet, May to July. South Dakota to Alaska, 

 south to New Mexico, Arizona, and California. 



The Arizona form seems to be A. viridi flora Greene, of which the 

 type was collected on the San Francisco Peaks (Greene in 1889). 

 It may be at least varietally distinct. 



3. CIMICIFUGA. Bugbane 



Racemes long, sometimes branched; sepals 2 to 5; petals 1 to 8; 

 pistils usually more than 1, becoming, in fruit, dry, several-seeded 

 follicles; plants otherwise resembling Actaea. 



The name snakeroot is sometimes given these plants. The 

 underground parts, at least in C. racemosa of eastern North 

 America, contain a drug, cimicifugin, which has been used in treatment 

 of uterine disorders and of rheumatism. The eastern species were also 

 reputed beneficial in cases of snake bite. The botanical name of the 

 genus, of which "bugbane" is a translation, suggests that the plant 

 was used as an insecticide. 



1. Cimicifuga arizonica S. Wats., Amer. Acad. Arts andSci. Proc. 20: 



352. 1885. 



Known only from Bill Williams Mountain, Coconino County (Lem- 

 mon 3275, the type collection, Busby in 1883, Kearney and Peebles 

 14040), about 7,000 feet, rich soil in a wooded ravine, July and 

 August. 



The long white spikelike racemes, borne on tall stems above the 

 large leaves, make this a conspicuous plant when in flower. 



4. AQUILEGIA.42 Columbine 



Plants perennial, herbaceous; leaves ternately decompound; flowers 

 regular, solitary or few on long peduncles, large and showy; sepals 5, 

 petallike, soon deciduous; petals with a small blade and a long spur; 

 pistils 5, becoming in fruit many-seeded follicles with long slender 

 beaks. 



Key to the species 



1. Sepals and spurs red, the spurs not more than 2.5 cm. long, mostly incurved 



near the apex, abruptly contracted toward the apex; flowers nodding (2). 



2. Stems copiously glandular-pilose above; basal leaves biternate; leaflets 



glaucous on both faces, sparsely sericeous beneath; sepals about 10 mm. 



long 1. A. DESERTORUM. 



2. Stems sparsely to copiously glandular above; basal leaves typically triternate 



but often biternate; leaflets bright green above, glaucous and glabrous 

 to copiously sericeous beneath; sepals 15 to 20 mm. long. 



2. A. TRITERXATA. 



1. Sepals and spurs not red (rarely faintly tinged with pink), the spurs straight or 

 nearlv so, tapering gradually from base to apex; flowers erect or nearly 

 so (3). 



3. Leaves copiously pubescent and somewhat viscid; spurs less than 3 cm. long, 



very slender; flowers cream-colored or pale yellow. _ 3. A. micrantha. 

 3. Leaves glabrous or pubescent beneath; spurs 3.5 to 7 cm. Long (4). 



4. Sepals and spurs yellow; sepals acuminate 4. A. chrysavihx. 



4. Sepals and spurs blue or white; sepals obtuse or acute_ _ 5. A. coerulea. 



42 Reference: Payson, E. B. the north American species of aquilegia. Contrib. V. S. Natl. 

 Herbarium 20: 133-157. 1918. 



