8 BOTANY OF THE DEATH VALLEY EXPEDITION. 



Jane 19, having completed the packing of specimens and the 

 preparations for the coming journey, a party composed of Dr. Merriam, 

 Mr, Palmer, and myself, started from Lone Pine for Port Tcj on. We 

 camped that night at Walker's ranch, near Olancha; on the 20th at a 

 point a few miles south of Little Owens Lake; and on the 21st at Cane- 

 brake Ranch, on the western slope of Walker Pass. It is here that the 

 desert vegetation changes to the chaparral of interior California. 

 Several characteristic desert species were found to occur on the west 

 slope of Walker Pass, some of them at as low an altitude as 2,800 feet. 

 Among these plants are the following: 



Aplopappua interior. Opuniia basilaris, 



Artemisia trideutata. Opuntia eckinocarpa. 



Atriplex canescens. Prunus anderaonii. 



Enoelia frutesccns. Prun us fasviculata. 



Ephedra ncvadensis. Salvia carnosa. 



Hymenoclea salsola. Tctradymia spinosa. 



Lyoium undersoniL Yucca arborescens. 

 Lycium cooperi. 



Five species of desert plants did not occur on the west side of the 

 pass, Larreatridentata, Franseria dumosa, Atriplex confertifolia, and 

 A. polycarpa; but these species belong to the Lower Sonoran, a zone 

 not represented in the valley of the South Pork of Kern Kiver. It may 

 be considered, therefore, that the whole desert flora, so tar as the alti- 

 tude of the region permits, has overrun Walker Pass and extends down 

 as far as the junction of Canebrake Creek with the South Pork of Kern 

 Elver. 



Continuing on our route, we touched at Kernville and, passing through 

 Havilah, Walker Basin, Caliente, Tehachapi Valley, and Tehachapi 

 Canon, reached Mohave June 2G. From that point we proceeded across 

 the desert by way of Willow Spring, Liebre Ranch, and Gorman Station, 

 down the Canada de las Uvas to Fort Tejon. Here we camped from 

 June 28 to July 10. Excursions were made to various points in the 

 adjacent mountains, including one trip to the summit of Frazier 

 Mountain. 



July 11 we broke camp at Fort Tejon and went to Tejon Ranch. 

 From this point Mr. Palmer and I, on the following day, rode to the 

 summit of one of the higher divides in the southern Sierra Nevada. 

 Near the mouth of the canon through which we passed, the common 

 trees are oaks, 1 sycamore, 2 and poplars, 3 with a few individuals of Cali- 

 fornia post cedar. 4 At about 3,000 feet the gray-leaf pine ;> begins, 

 intermixed with a few Nevada nut pines. 6 Next above these come 

 the yellow pine 7 and the white fir", while at the summit of the di- 



1 Quercus lobata and Q. wisUscni. ^ Pin us sabiniana. 



'Plantahus raccmosa. 6 p nuis )lw „ op j,„na. 



*Populun monilij era and P. trichocarpa. 7 Pinus ponderosa. 



*Libocedrus decurrens. * Abies concolor. 



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