TWO NUTTALLIAN SPECIES OF OXALIS.
In the earlier part of this century Mr. Nuttall collected two species of Oxalis on the Pacific slope; the one he secured in Oregon, the other in California. The collector sent descriptions of his two new species to Torrey and Gray while they were pub lishing their Flora of North America. The descriptions were ac companied by specimens which are now preserved in the Her barium of Columbia University.
Torrey and Gray reduced both the species to Oxalis corniculaia* and printed Mr. Nuttall's descriptions in a foot-note and thus the two plants for many years, and one to the present time, remained without further recognition.
The first of the two species described was Oxalis pumila.t It was said to occur in "Forests of the Rocky Mountains and Ore gon." The original specimen I have to refer to is from Oregon, and consists of two plants, the one in flower the other in fruit. This form was later described by Professor Trelease as Oxalis Suks dorfii,r_ which name may stand on account of the earlier described Oxalis pumila,§ of D 'Urville. The ample supply of Oxalis Suks dovii which we now have from Oregon, agrees in all details with Mr. Nuttall's original specimens of Oxalis pumila. In addition to
our material from Oregon, I find two specimens from California ; they were collected many years ago and sent to Dr. Torrey. The record accompanying one is simply " California, Rev. A. Fitch,' while the other was collected by Dr. Parry when on the Mexican Boundary Survey, " between 32° and 36° N. Lat., and I14°-121° W. Long." Professor Trelease referred with some doubt, both the original specimens of Mr. Nuttall and the later ones from California to his Oxalis corniculata var. (?) which position, in the light of recent material and our present knowledge of geographic dis tribution, cannot be maintained. The species is beautifully dis tinct, and in addition to other characters, the pod is diagnostic, as Mr. Nuttall intimates,t differing from that of all other relatiVes in its short conic form. As descriptions of the plant are not easy of access I append the following :