NOTES ON THE NATURALIZED PLANTS OF SOUTH- 

 ERN CALIFORNIA. VIL 



BY S. B. PARISH. 



The Pacific Lavateras occupy a peculiar position, not only 



as the sole American representatives of an old world genus, but in 

 their habitat, which is restricted 'to the very western fringe of the 

 continent. One species is occasionally seen on the continent itself, 

 but always either in cultivation or in places where its presence is 

 evidently due to the hand of man. Otherwise the four species* 

 which have been described are found only on a few rocky islets. 

 Three of the four occupy each a separate island, while the remain- 

 ing and most northern one has been found upon four other islands; 

 but in no case do any two species grow together. Thus peculiarly 

 situated the genus has been a prominent factor in the various theories 

 that have been propounded concerning the insular flora. 



The resemblance of at least one of the species to older European 

 types has not been unnoticed by botanists, but their validity has 

 been undisputed, and has been accepted by Baker in his recent 

 monograph.f A tradition of the Spanish mission has, however, 

 been brought to light in a, late number of this magazine,^ the ac- 

 ceptance of which deprives those plants of their physiographic im- 

 portance as endemic species and reduces them to mere escapes from 

 cultivation. It is said, in effect, that the Franciscan friars, about 

 the middle of the last century, imported from Spain a certain 

 '* Malva rosa," which is identified with Lavatcra assurgentiflora. 



This easy disposal of a genus anomalous in American botany is 

 not in itself undesirable. Unfortunately the evidence adduced is 

 by no means clear or satisfactory, and is offset by an older tradition 

 that the seed was first brought from Anacapa Island. Moreover, the 

 behavior of the plant on the islands and on the mainland indicates 

 that it is native to the one and introduced on the other. About the 

 old Spanish Mission s and Presidios it has entirely failed to become 



*Z. assurgetitiflom Kellogg, Proc. Cal. Acad., i. lo; San Jliguel, Santa Rosa, San 

 Clementeand Santa Catalina. Z. occidentalh Wats., Proc. Am. Acad., xi, 124; Gua- 

 dalupe. L. inmlarh Wats. 1. c, xii, 249; Coronados. Z. venosa Wats., 1. c; San 

 Benito. 



t Baker, E. G., Synop. Genera and Spec. MalvEC. 

 tZoe, i, 188. 



