Viscainoa geniculata (Kell.) Greene

Viscainoa geniculata (Kellogg) Greene, Pittonia 1 : 163. 1888.
Staphylea geniculata Kellogg, Proc. Calif. Acad. 2: 22. 1859.
A low cinereous-pubescent shrub with stoutish, rigid and crooked branches ; leaves alternate, simple (or pinnately 3-5-foliolate, according to Brandegee); blades or leaflets cuneate-obcordate, or obovate or oval, 2-5 cm. long, 1-3 cm. broad, obtuse, apiculate or retuse, coriaceous, reticulate-veiny, minutely pubescent on both surfaces, yellowish-green, the margins entire ; stipules subulate, caducous or persistent ; peduncles 2.5-5 cm. long or more, tomentulose, 1-5-fiowered ; pedicels about 15 mm. long, slender, pubescent ; sepals oblong, 8-9 mm. long, acutish, pubescent ; petals obovate, obtuse, short-unguiculate, ochroleucous ; filaments short, subulate ; anthers 4 mm. long ; ovary short-stipitate, orbicular in outline, 2 mm. long, 4-angled, densely pubescent ; style thick, sulcate, lobed at the apex, the free lobes stigmatose on the margins ; capsule 2-3 cm. long, pendulous on a geniculate pedicel, obovoid in outline, 3-5-lobed, usually 4-lobed, acute at each end, reticulate-veiny, tomentulose; seeds 6-7 mm. long, oblong-ovoid or ellipsoid, nearly black, shiny, covered with a thin, dull-brown, sticky aril ; endosperm thick and bony; cotyledons oblong, 2-3 mm. long, yellow.
Type locality : Near shore of Bay of San Sebastian Viscaino, Lower California.
Distribution : Lower California and Sonora.