, Botanical Notices from Spain. l9^ 



of the Sierra de la Nieve, which has a number of interesting plants. 

 From a third of the way up was seen the pretty Senecio minutus, DC. 

 {Cineraria, Cav.), in great abundance; higher up in the rock-clefts 

 Narcissus Jonquilla, L., and the beautiful Ranunculus blepharicarpus, 

 Boiss., as well as a very minute Saxifraga and -S. granulatm L. 

 affin.; and on dry grass-plots on the summit Arahis auriculata, Lam., 

 A. verna, R. Br., Draba verna, L., Lepidium petrtseum, L., Sisymbrium 

 rigidulum, Lag., Erysimum canescens, Rth., various grasses, &c. 

 From hence I returned to Yunquera, crossing many ridges and val- 

 leys of the mountain-chain, on whose steep rocky walls grows the 

 pretty Galium pulvinatum, Boiss., in thick beds, which however was 

 not yet in flower ; I gathered also on the way a very narrow-leaved 

 form of Pinus halepensis. Mill., in fruit and flower, which is frequent 

 throughout the whole Serrania. 



The two following days I devoted to a visit to the high mountain- 

 chain of Yunquera. Accompanied by an experienced guide, I left 

 Yunquera on the morning of the 27th of April, and soon entered the 

 Barranco Bacamon, a narrow rocky valley, through which the mule- 

 path ascends to the upper parts of the mountains, and where, amongst 

 other rare plants, Linaria trisiis occurs, but is very rare. The 

 whole Sierra, as well as probably a great part of the entire Serrania, 

 was formerly thickly covered with forests of Abies Pinsapo, Boiss. 

 But these have been so destroyed that trees of this pine are now 

 almost exclusively met with only in the higher mountain and alpine 

 regions. At a height of about 3000 feet the acclivities of the valleys 

 are seen covered with low pinsapo bushes. I remarked everywhere 

 in plenty, Scilla campanulata, Ait., Echium albicans, Lag., various 

 Helianthema, &c. After ascending for some hours we came to a 

 wide, cauldron-shaped valley, open toward the east, called El Caucon, 

 whose borders reached up to the alpine region. In the clefts of the 

 rocks Saxifraga biternata Boiss., occurs in luxuriant beds, a species 

 diffused over the whole of the upper portion of the mountain, also 

 S. granulates L. aflf., and upon moist boulders Veronica prcecox. All., 

 Caj'damine hirsuta, L., Arabis verna, A. auriculata, Viola tricolor, var. 

 arvensis, and V. Demetria, ProL, first found here by Prolongo, a 

 pretty little species with yellow flowers, which is met with in abun- 

 dance throughout the whole of the alpine region of this chain. The 

 south border of the Cauc6n terminates at its east end in an immense 

 piled-up mass of rock, called Tajo de la Caina, which is somewhat 

 dangerous to explore. This rock is the only habitat at present 

 known of Centaurea Clementei, Boiss. ; it w^as just beginning to un- 

 fold its leaves, which are on both sides thickly covered with dazzling 

 white wool. Between this rock, the Caucon and a second more 

 eastern valley called Caiiada la Perra, is a broad rocky ridge, on 

 which, among other plants, occur in plenty Taraxacum obovatum, 

 DC, T. lesvigatum, DC, Gagea polymorpha, Boiss., Narcissus Jon- 

 quilla, L., and the pretty and very viscous Saxifraga Arundana, Boiss. 

 In the upper parts of the Canada la Perra commence the trees of 

 Abies Pinsapo, which were densely hung with red male cones, and 

 also Quercus alpestris, Boiss., which however were now entirely leaf- 



Ann.^ Mag. N. Hist. Volwn. P 



