FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS OF ARIZONA 855 



2. SYMPHORICARPOS. r - Snowbbbbt 



Shrubs with the older bark exfoliating; leaves opposite, simple. 

 without stipules, the blades entire to sinuately lobed; flowers regular 

 or nearly so. the corolla campanuiate. funnelform, or salverform, 4- or 

 5-lobed. pink or white, often pubescent within, with 1 to 5 nectaries 

 at base; ovary 4-celled, 2 of the cells containing 1 large fertile pendu- 

 lous ovule, the other cells containing several small abortive ovules; 

 berry ovoid, ellipsoid, or subglobose; nutlets normally 2, more or less 

 compressed. 



The plants afford valuable browse for livestock and deer. They 

 contain saponin but in such small quantity that poisoning rarely 

 occurs. The plants are often cultivated for their long-persistent, very 

 ornamental, waxy-looking white fruits, which are eaten by many 

 kinds of birds. The species are difficult to identify in the absence of 

 flowers. 



Key to the sp^: 



1. Corolla salverform, 11 to 13 mm. long, with only 1 small basal nectary, glabrous 

 within: style 5 to 7 mm. long, usually pilose above the middle; anthers 

 - ssile; leaves oblanceolate, glaucous, 6 to 15 mm. long, 2 to 5 mm. wide. 



1. S. LOXGIFLORUS. 



1. Corolla long-campanulate or tubular-funnelform, 6 to 13 mm. long, with 5 

 basal nectaries: style 3 to 5 mm. long, usually glabrous: anthers equaling 

 or somewhat shorter than the free portion of the filaments (2) . 

 2. Young twigs completely glabrous (3). 



3. Corolla long-campanulate, 6 to 7 mm. long, the tube pilose within: leaf 

 buds lanceolate in outline, acuminate: leaves normally very glaucous 

 beneath, pilosulous, rarely glabrous: plant low, spreading. 



2. S. PARISHII. 



3. Corolla tubular-funnelform, 11 to 13 mm. long, the tube sparsely pilose 



to nearly glabrous within: leaf buds ovate in outline, acute; leaves 



almost always entirely glabrous; plant erect 3. S. oreophilus. 



2. Young twigs puberulent or pubescent; corolla pilose within (4). 



4. Pubescence of the young twigs dense, of straight spreading hairs; corolla 



tubular-funnelform, 8 to 10 mm. long: anthers reaching only to the 

 base of the corolla lobes: leaves roundish oval, dark green, obtuse or 

 obtusish, softly pubescent on both faces, 1 to 3 cm. long, 6 to 18 



mm. wide 4. S. rotuxdifolius. 



4. Pubescence of the young twigs not dense or, if so, then the hairs short 

 and curved 1 5 . 

 5. Corolla funnelform-campanulate, 6 to 7 mm. long: young twigs loosely 

 pilosulous, the internodes occasional!}- glabrous: a low spreading 



shrub: leaves glaucous, pilosulous 2. S. parishh. 



5. Corolla tubular-funnelform, 8 to 12 mrm long: young twigs tomentulose- 

 puberulent with short curved hairs (6). 

 6. Plant erect: leaves puberulent, scarcely paler beneath, the principal 

 veins prominent on the upper surface in dried specimens, the 

 petioles 2 to 4 mm. long: nutlets lanceolate in outline or fusiform, 

 acute orapiculate at ba-e, 5 to 7 mm. long-. 5. S. utahex->. 

 6. Plant trailing: leaves short-pilosulous, paler beneath, the veins ob- 

 scure on the upper surface, the petioles 1 to 2 mm. long: nutlets 

 elliptic in outline, flattened, acutish at base, 4 to 5 mm. long. 



6. S. PALMERI. 



1. Symphoricarpos longiflorus A. Grav, Linn. Soc. London Jour. Bot. 

 14: 12. 1873. 

 Kaibab Plateau and Grand Canyon (Coconino County). Wolf 

 Hole, Pagumpa Springs, and Poach Springs (Mohave County 1 . 4.000 



;: Reference: Jones. George Nevlle. a monograph of the genus svmfhoricarpos. \rnold Arbo- 

 retum Jour. 21: 2IU-252. 194D. 



