Botanical Notices from Spain, 269 



Guajar Faragult, and Guajar Alto. From the valley of the Guadalfeo 

 the road ascends to the Sierra de las Almijarras over the Cuesta de 

 Lacebada, a steep rocky slope, on which I found among other plants 

 Thymus longijlorus, Bo'iss., Allium Ampeloprasum, L., and Haplophyl- 

 lum linifolium ? Juss. In the valley dividing the two mountain-chains, 

 which narrows into a deep rocky defile between the villages of Gua- 

 jar Faraguit and Guajar Alto, occurred in tolerable plenty upon the 

 drift-sand a pretty Helianthemum and a viscous Silene, and also 

 among a'variegated and thick shrubby vegetation Rhamnus velutinus, 

 Boiss., and near the village of Guajar Alto the splendid Salvia Cart' 

 delahrum, Boiss., in full flower, although very rare. It forms shrubs 

 from four to six feet high. Above the village of Guajar Alto grew 

 luxuriantly the beautiful Ononis speciosa, Lag., in the greatest plenty ; 

 and in the broad rocky mountain-chain through which my path from 

 hence led me, occurred ^rasseca humilis,DC., Dianthus brachyanthus, 

 Boiss., Ant hy His tejedensis, Boiss., the very rare Reseda Gay ana, 

 Boiss., Campanula mollis, L., C. Lbfflingii, Bert., Helianthemum atri- 

 plicifolium, W., Cistus ladaniferus, L. &c. On the hilly, stony and 

 barren high table-land between the Sierra de las Almijarras, the 

 Sierra Nevada and the plain of Granada, Cleonia lusitanica, L., blos- 

 somed in immense quantities, covering large tracts of ground, and in 

 the corn-fields Turgenia latifolia, DC, in company v^'ith. Roemeria hy- 

 brida, DC, Saponaria Vaccaria, L., Agrostemma Githago, L., and 

 other plants. 



The environs of Granada were still clothed in the most luxuriant 

 green of spring and formed a magical contrast with the Sierra Ne- 

 vada, which was still deeply covered with snow. Whilst on the 

 coast the harvest had already begun, the young corn was here still 

 green, and the hills, which in the summer are arid and brown, now 

 appeared clothed with Thymus tenuiflorus, Boiss., Th. Mastichina, h., 

 and other aromatic plants in bloom, diffusing a balsamic perfume 

 far around. At present, although little more than a fortnight later, 

 the Veya and the whole environs have already another appearance, 

 and the beautiful green is limited to a few moist tracts. The Sierra 

 Nevada on the other hand is still in its winter's garb, and it is as yet 

 impossible to ascend to its higher part, for in the memory of man 

 such a great fall of snow has never been known as in the past winter ; 

 Granada even and Veya were buried two feet deep in the snow ! 



The grassy declivities of the valley of the Darro are clothed at this 

 season with a variegated carpet of flowers. Helianthemum marifolium, 

 P., H. guttatum, P., and other species of this numerous genus ; a 

 pretty white^rmma, common throughout the hilly land and the lower 

 part of the Sierra Nevada, as well as in the mountains east of the 

 town ; a Dianthus, various Linarice, Antirrhinum molle, L., and others 

 occur in the same localities in plenty, whilst on the banks of shady 

 ditches, especially along the aqueduct of the Alhambra (rich in 

 plants), flower Colutea media, L., Ononis speciosa. Lag., Tamus com- 

 munis, L., Agrimonia Eupatorium, L., Lythrum Salicaria, L., Lapsana 

 communis, L., Iris foetidissima, L., Medicago Helix, L., Med. lupulina 

 var. Willdenovii, Merat, Spartium junceum, and many other plants. 



