Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 4, Pt. 3

BOTANY.
figure). It differs from D. nudicaule in the leaves, the lobes of which are deeply 3-cleft, with
linear-lanceolate acute segments.
DELPHINIUM AZUREUM, Michx. Fl. 1, p. 314: var. floribus cceruleo-albidis, Benth. P1. Hartw.
p. 296. Plains, etc., Knight's Ferry, Stanislaus; May 7.
DELPHINIUM PATENS, Benth. 1P1. Hartw., P. 296. Hills, Napa; and on mountains near
Oakland; April 4-25.
DELPHINIUM SIMPLEX, Dougl. in Hook. Fl. Bor.-,4mer. 1, p. 25; Hook7. &.4rn. Bot. Beechey,
p. 317. Napa valley; April 26.
DELPHINIUM VARIEGATUM, Torr. & Gray, Fl. 1, p. 32; D. decorum, Benth. Pl. Hartw. p.295.
Napa valley; April 26. Flowers sometimes almost white.
DELPHINIUM DECORUM, Fisch. & Mey. Index sem. (3) Petrop., p.33. Plains near Punta de los
Reyes; April 17. Perhaps D. variegatum is not distinct from this.
DELPHINIUM SCOPULORUM, Gray, Pl. Wright. 2, p. 9. In the Sandia mountains, New Mexico;
October. In fruit.
AcTEA SPIcATA, Linn. var. ARGUTA, Nutt. in Torr. & Gray, Fl. 1, p. 35. Redwoods, Corte
Madera, and Oakland; April 4-10. Not found before south of Oregon. We are of opinion
that A. rubra and A. alba are likewise only varieties of A. spicata.
PEONIA BROWNII, Dougl. in Hook. Fl. Bor.-4Amer. 1, p. 27; Bot. Beg. 25, t. 30. ocomungo, March 17; and Duffield's ranch, Sierra Nevada, May 10. P. Californica, 3tut., is
not a distinct species.
CROSSOSOMA CALIFORNIcA, (Tab. I,) Nutt. P1. Gamb. in Journ. 4cad. Philaad. (ser. 2) 1, p.150.
Canons on Williams' River, a branch of the Colorado, western New Mexico; February 8. In the
memoir above quoted, Mr. Nuttall does not express any opinion as to the affinities of this genus,
owing to the embryo being unknown, the seeds in all his specimens being imperfect; but he
says that it -'" may well form a Suborder Crossosomee." On the ticket of a fragment of this
plant, which he sent us, he has written: Nat. Order Peoniacem. Unfortunately, our specimens
are only in flower, and the ripe seeds are still wanting. Although the stamens are decidedly
perigynous, and the seeds are furnished with an ample fimbrillate arillus, the plant may nevertheless belong to the tribe or Suborder Peoniacee. We were once inclined to refer it to tribe
Spiral of Rosacem, to which it has some resemblance in the flowers; but it is destitute of
stipules, and arillate seeds are not found in that order. We should place this remarkable plant
in Dilleniacee, were it not for the perigynous stamens. These are inserted in several series into
the upper part of a thin disk which, lining the tube of the calyx, projects in a somewhat
tumid border around the base of the pistils, as in Peonia.
BERBERIDACE2E.
VANCOUVERIA HEXANDRA, Morr. & Dec. ti nAnn. Sc. Nat. (2 ser.) 2, p. 351; Torr. & tray,'t. 1,
p. 52. Epimedium hexandrum, Hook. Fl. Bor.-Am. 1, p. 31, t. 13. Deep ravines andshady
woods, Napa valley; April 27.
BERBERIS AQUIFOLIUM, Pursh, Fl. 1, p. 219, t. 4, (excl. fig. 4.) Hill-sides Downieville, Yuba;
May 22. In the specimens from this locality, the leaflets are mostly reduced to a single pair,
and are sometimes even solitary. The Var. REPENS was found in the Sandia mountains of New
Mexico.
BERBERIS PINNATA, Lag. Elench. 1803, p. 6; Benth. P1. Hartw., p. 296. Mahonia fascicu
laris, DC. Syst. 2, p. 19, and in Deless8. Ic. 2, t. 3. Mountains near Oakland; April 4. This
agrees pretty well with Delessert's figure, but we are not confident that it is distinct from B.
aquifolium. The short petioles are pretty constant, but we can find no other reliable characters.
This plant occurs also near San Francisco.
BERBERIS TRIFOLIATA, Moricand, P1. A4mer. t. 69? In arroyas and canons;. Lithodendron creek
western New Mexico; December 4, (in fruit.) This species grows 15 feet high. The leaves
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