116 



Mycologia 



the caespitose branches of oregana, for its filiform branches are 

 generally sterile. No Alectoria except oregana has been known 

 with other than an innate marginate condition of the apothecia, 

 — in oregana it is fimbrio-ciliate. 



Now that we have finished the structural considerations, let 

 us turn to the actual material at hand and its distribution. An 

 examination shows clearly that it varies enormously, passing 

 insensibly from reduced degenerate examples (i. e., stygiodes) , 

 through specimens with broad or narrow lacinia, and finally to 

 those in the subterete condition which are typical of Tuckerman's 

 true calif omica. Tuckerman himself clearly realized the inter- 

 gradation, for he gave the broad laciniate, rarely canescent 

 examples the name sepincola. The littoral and low country 

 examples from central California northward to Washington 

 always approach or are referable to the canescent subterete spe- 

 cies, while the specimens from the mountains of California 

 (4000 ft.) to Mt. Benson, Vancouver (3,300 ft.) are referable to 

 the variety sepincola, the name first given by Tuckerman to such 

 specimens, for which I propose Tuckermanii* as sepincola 

 (Cetraria saepincola (Ehrh.) Ach. is already in use in the genus, 

 which would cause confusion if this variety were ever raised to 

 a species. As all Tuckerman's material came from a coast (an 

 intermediate) station in southern California the type of the sub- 

 terete species is not as typical as those specimens from further 

 north, nor are the examples of the compressed variety as robust 

 as those from higher altitudes. For this reason I have not used 

 the Menzies material for the type specimen. Cetraria calif omica 

 Tuckermanii should be used for the plants of the published 

 exsiccati, excluding Mr. Merrill's distribution under Alectoria 

 calif omica (Tuck.) Merrill. His distribution represents typical 

 Cetraria calif omica Tuck. 



Cetraria californica Merrill, proposed by Mr. Merrill, would 

 have been a homonym if Mr. Merrill's inference had been cor- 



* Type No. 2013 author's herb. No. 142 Lich. Bor. Amer. Wawona, Cal., 

 3950 ft. alt., May 16, 1896, leg. C. E. Cummings. Thallus caespitosus, laciniis 

 fuscis supra, pallidioribus infra, compressis, angustis vel latis, lacunosis, 

 quorum apices digitati, subdichotomi. Apothecia terminalia vel subterminalia, 

 margine crenulato-dentato, disco nigro-fusco. Sporae 3-5 X 6-1 o/jl. Habitat 

 in variis arboribus. 



