226 Flora of the Cape Fegion. [ ZOE 
form a large part of the vegetation. The sands of the sea shore from 
Todos Santos to San José abound in Euphorbia leucophylla,and [po- 
mea Pes-capre; Rhachidospermum and Martynia are usually in com- 
pany with them; the fences and hedges about the fields and gardens 
are the home of the tall climbing Asclepiads; the lagoons near La 
Paz are filled with mangrove (Rhizophora Mangle), and the saline 
flats of their vicinity produce most of¢the chenopods of the flora. 
The high mountain flora consists mostly of one species of pine 
(Pinus cembroides), oaks, madrofio and Nolina, with some cotton- 
woods and willows along the streams, and with smaller plants, such 
_as Lopezia, Heterotoma, Lobelia, Dysodia, Eupatorium, Sphacele, 
Gilia, ferns, etc., growing amongst them. 
Although most of the vegetation, especially that of the lower 
elevations, blooms during the rainy season, there are some notable 
exceptions. Some plants are in flower during the whole year, but 
produce a greater abundance either in spring or the ‘‘ rainy sea- 
son.’’ The scarlet flowers of Justicia, Beloperone and Calliandra, 
can be found at any time, but are most common in March and 
April. Rubus, Heterotoma, Sphacele, of the high mountains, and 
Eucnide, most of the Daleas, Tephrosia, Fouquieria, Viguiera, 
Perityle crassifolia of the lower elevations, are examples of plants 
that are in flower the whole year, but their blossoms are most abun- 
dant during the rainy season. ; 
The following plants belonging to the flora of the mountain tops 
blossom only during the first months of the year, in the ‘dry sea- 
son:” Thalictrum, Ranunculus, Stellaria, Sagina, Hypericum, Nas- 
turtium, Geranium, Trifolium, Hosackia, Prunus, F ragaria, Hete- 
romeles, Ribes, Epilobium, Rumfordia, Perezia, Lobelia, Arbutus, 
Gilia, Erythreea, Mimulus, Sibthorpia, Brunella, Polygonum, Popu- 
lus, Salix, Epipactis, Sisyrinchium, Juncus, Carex, Tripsacum, Fes- 
tuca. All these genera, with two or three exceptions, belong to a 
temperate climate and are found within the tropics only on high 
mountains. The fact that they retain the habit of blooming in the 
spring contrary to that of the mass of vegetation of the region isa 
most interesting one. With the advent of the rains comes a great 
_ crowd of flowers such as Desmodiums, CEnothera, Lopezia, Cy- 
clanthera, Begonia, Mitracarpus, Valeriana, Stevia, Viguiera, Car- 
-Mminatia, Baccharis, Verbesina, Heterospermum, Bidens, Dysodia, 
Tagetes, Buchnera, Clevelandia, Dicliptera, Mirabilis, and most of 
