May 11, 1914 
1 I 
N 
Vol. XXVII, pp. 97-98 
PROCEEDINGS 
OF TUK 
BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 
WYETHIA HELTANTHOIDES NUTTALT. AND WYETHIA 
AMPLEXICAULIS NTJTTALT.. 
BY C. PIPER. 
Capt. Nathaniel Wyeth in his first trip to the Pacific North¬ 
west collected on his return journey in 1833 in the Flathead 
Valley, Montana, the two sunflower-like plants named in the 
title. On the first mentioned Nuttall founded the genus Wyetlvia, 
but the second he referred to the genus Espeletia. Six years 
later, however, he concluded that both were congenei-ic At the 
present time twelve species of Wyethia are recognized by most 
botanists, half of them being confined to California. All of them 
are confined to the region of the Rocky Mountains and westward, 
but one species, IP. amplexicaulis, ranging north of the 49th 
parallel of latitude. 
In their typical forms Wyethia heliaiithoules and IP. amplexi- 
caulis are very different from each other and hitherto no vari¬ 
eties or subspecies of either have been described. Specimens 
recently collected in Oregon by the veteran botanist, Mr. W. C. 
Cusick, show that the latter species is more variable than has 
been supposed and that the two species are closely interrelated 
by a third intermediate plant here described as a new species. 
The types are in the possession of the author. 
The relationships of the three species and of two new sub¬ 
species are indicated in the following key : 
Leaves and tegules ciliate; rays creani-colored; akenes pubescent 
above the middle; corona pul)escent, shorter tlian the width ol 
the akene. 
Upper cauline leaves petiolate. W. lielianthoides Nutt. 
Upper cauline leaves se.ssile.fl • cusichi n. sp. 
Leaves and tegules not ciliate; rays orange-yellow; akenes glabrous; 
corona glabrous longer than the width of the akene. 
•21— Pkoc. Biol. Soc. W.vsh., Vol. XXVII, 1914. 
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