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.
Downieville, California. Colonel Fremont found it on Antelope Creek, one of the tributaries of
the Upper Sacramento, and it is No. 2004 of Hartweg's California collection. If-the character
given above prove constant, this fine lily must be considered a distinct species from L. Canadense.
YuccA ALOIFOLIA, Linn. Spec. p. 457; Kunth, Einum. 4, p. 2,70? Near a mountain arroyo,
Williams' River. "Plant 15 feet high." The specimens are with leaves only. Also found at
Cajon Pass, Sierra Nevada, in March, with ripe capsules of the preceding season. The same
plant, or one very much resembling it, was found by Mr. Wright in New Mexico, and is his
No. 1909. The flowers are very large and white.
Yucca DRACONIS, Linn. 1. c.; Kunth, 1. c. Var. ARBORESCENS: foliis lineari-lanceolatis rigidis,
margine serrulato-scabris. Sandy and gravelly plains west of the Colorado, California. Dr.
Bigelow states that this species attains the height of 30 feet, with a diameter of 18 or 24 inches.
He found "whole forests" of this tree on the Mohave creek. The leaves are flat, about 3
inches long, and from 13 to a an inch wide, thick, convex below, flat or concave above, pointed
with a strong spike, the broad flat base about half as long as the upper rigid and narrower
portion. For want of more complete specimens we cannot be certain of the species.
YuccA ANGUSTIFOLIA, Pursh, Fl. 1, p. 227; Vutt. Gen. 1, p.218. Plains of Northern New
Mexico. Leaves only: these are 12-15 inches long, and scarcely more than one-fourth of an
inch wide, tapering upward, and ending in a strong sharp spine, thick and rigid, filamentous
on the margin, along which is a narrow white line.
Dr. Bigelow collected in New Mexico (near Hurrah creek) specimens of a Yucca which seems
to be undescribed. The leaves are a foot or more in length, and nearly an inch wide, very
thick, entire, abruptly pointed with a short blunt spine, and furnished on the margin (especially
towards the base and summit) with coarse tortuous fibres, tapering a little towards the base,
and then dilated into a short sheathing base, which is of a brownish-red color. Flowers not
seen. Fruit racemose, drooping, oval, as large as a hen's egg, pointed with the thickpersistent style. It is of a soft fleshy consistence, and has a sweet taste. Endocarp thin and
almost membranaceous, 3-celled, each cell partially divided into two others. Seeds piled horizontally in the cells, somewhat semi-circular, with thick edges, flat, black, wrinkled. Embryo
straight, cylindrical, nearly-the length of the seed; the albumen fleshy and somewhat indurated,
a transverse section (parallel with the flat surfaces) appearing ruminated. The fleshy fruit, on
account of the large quantity of grape sugar it contains, can be dried without decomposition, so
as to have about the same consistence as a dry fig.
Still another species was found in rocky places near Pecan creek, a tributary of the Canadian. The leaves are a foot long, and three-fourths of an inch wide, flat and rather thin; the
margin thin, sparingly furnished with very fine threads. No flowers were obtained. The fruit
is in an elongated raceme. The pods are about two inches long, and more than an inch in
diameter, erect and pedicellate; the mesocarp thin and somewhat fleshy, when drya little
papillose; cells divided by an accessory septum into 2 locelli. Seeds flat, smooth, and thin,
black; the embryo two-thirds the length of the albumen. We need more complete specimens
in order to determine whether the species is described.
CAMASS[A ESCULENTA, Li?ndl. Bot. gag. t. 1486; Kunth, Enum. 4, p. 347. Phalangium Quamash, Pursh,'FT. 1, p. 226. Marshes, Punta de los Reyes, California; April 17. The Scilla
esculenta, Gawl. tn Bot. Slag. t. 1574, (Phalangium esculentum, Nutt.) is certainly a congener
of this plant, and not a Scilla. In our specimens of the C. esclulenta, Lindl., we do not find
the five upper sepals ascending, and the lowest one deflexed; but it is difficult to decide on such
characters in dried specimens. In other respects the Northwest Coast species is so near the
eastern one that they can be distinguished only by the considerably larger flowers, usually
broader leaves, and more numerous ovules of the former. We find from 16-to 18 ovules in each
cell of the ovary of C. esculenta, while in the other, which may be called C. Fraseri, the cells
are only 8-ovaled. The genus Scilla has the sepals one-nerved, somewhat campanulate-con
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