Botanical Notices from Spain. 189 



Sierra de la Nieve *, which is joined in a western direction by seve- 

 ral parallel chains of less height, at whose western foot lies the town 

 of Ronda. Toward the west the Sierra de Yunquera gradually de- 

 scends to form a spacious high table-land, in which are several small 

 villages, and the western limit of which is bounded by a mountain- 

 chain stretching from the mountains of Ronda along the left bank 

 of the Guadiaro as far as the sea — the Sierra de Gaucin. In a south- 

 eastern direction a mountain-chain proceeds from the high moun- 

 tains of Yunquera, constituting the Sierra de Tolox and Montes de 

 Pereyla, and terminates on the dolomite mountains of the Sierra de 

 Mijas, nearly 6000 feet high, which extends to the sea and the 

 mouth of the Guadalhorce. Between these dolomite mountains and 

 the mouth of the Guadiaro runs a chain of mountains along the coast 

 of considerable height, forming the southern boundary of the central 

 high plains and the whole Serrania, and whose different parts take, 

 from the valleys of several coast rivers, the names of Sierra de Este- 

 pona. Sierra de Marbella and Sierra de Bermejaf- Along this 

 mountain-chain the coast forms a strip of from one to four miles in 

 width, which, as far as the country of the town of Marbella, is com- 

 paratively level and covered for the most part with shrubs of various 

 Cistinece, pistachios and dwarf palms ; from Marbella onwards, on 

 the contrary, where the mountain recedes further from the coast, 

 this plain passes over into a gradually ascending hilly land. 



A number of leguminous plants of the genera Trifolium, Medicago, 

 Lotus, Lathy rus, Astragalus, Vicia, Hippocrepis, Ornithopus, &c., in 

 company with various Plantagines, CistinecB, Silene and grasses, were 

 now in flower along the coast in great profusion. In marshy spots 

 on the Guadiaro I found Ranunculus trilohus, Desf., plentiful, and on 

 dry grass-plots along the river, Lithospermum apulum, Vahl. Along 

 the coast occurred Erythraa maritima, P., Stachys hirta, L., and on 

 isolated spots the small and tender Lotus parviflorus, Desf. Under 

 the bushes, from Estepona onwards. Genista hirsuta, Vahl., grows 

 plentifully, and on the hills of Marbella G. umbellata, L. In the 

 drift-sand of the coast occur Medicago marina and littoralis, a small 

 Umbellate, Plantago Coronopus, L., various grasses, and between 

 Marbella and Fuengirola a beautiful Senecio. On the firmer sand- 

 hills blossomed the beautiful Statice sinuata, L., in plenty. In the 

 sunny clefts of limestone rocks around Estepona I found Lotus edu- 

 lis, L., with Asteriscus maritimus, Monch., and Valeriana Calcitrapa, 

 L., which is also very common on the thatched roofs in Estepona. 



* Boissier in his Voyage confounds the Sierra de Yunquera with the S. 

 de la Nieve, and comprises both chains under the name of Sierra de la 

 Nieve. The inhabitants of the Serrania however distinguish exclusively 

 the lower mountain chain lying to the north of Yunquera by this name. 



t The Sierra de Estepona bears also, among the people, the name of 

 Sierra Bermeja, and Boissier, in his Voyage, understands constantly the 

 Sierra de Estepona under the last name. But as he sometimes indicates 

 this chain also by its true name Sierra de Estepona, 1 think the Sierra Ber- 

 meja of Boissier so rich in plants is that indicated by this name on all maps, 

 lying west of the Sierra de Mijas, and saw subsequently, to my great disap- 

 pointment, that I had been deceived. 



