S^ Botanical Notices from Spain. 



as Frankenia thymifolia, Desf., which overgrows a great part of the 

 Sierra, two species of Salsola, a Statice, Artemisia campestris and^. 

 Barrelieri, &c. Paliurus australis, already mentioned, is also found 

 throughout the chain in great plenty. 



Through the centre of the province of Alraeria runs a broad, lofty 

 mountain- chain, the chief direction of which lies from N.W. to S.E., 

 separating the two wide valleys of the Rio de Almanzora and the 

 Rio de Almeria. The first of these rivers divides this mountain - 

 chain from those of Seron, Lucar, Oria, and the frontier chains of 

 Murcia ; the other, on the contrary, from the Sierra de Gador and 

 the eastern part of the Sierra Nevada. The chief portion of this 

 range is formed by the Sierra de Filabres, which consists of the same 

 gneiss that composes the lofty mountain-range of the Sierra Nevada, 

 and is separated by a high plain from the Sierra de Aljamilla, which 

 probably consists of limestone, and terminates in the immense por- 

 phyry rocks of the Cabo de Gata. I traversed the highest part of 

 the Sierra de Filabres on my way back from Cuevas to Granada, 

 after I had gone up the valley of the Almanzora as far as the little 

 town of Purchena, where Statice glohularicpfolia, Desf., occurs in 

 great plenty. The Sierra de Filabres, whose highest point is the 

 Teta de Vacares, rising nearly 7000 feet, forms broad, gently rounded 

 summits ; but it does not appear to be very rich in plants. It how- 

 ever possesses many plants which had hitherto only been met with 

 in the Sierra Nevada, as Adenocarpus decorticans, Boiss., Lavandula 

 lanata, Boiss., and others ; also Teucrium capitatum, L., Satureja mon- 

 tana, L., Thymus hirtus, W., Scabiosa tomentosa, Cav., Onopordon 

 acaule, L., Cirsium fiavispina, Boiss., Marrubium sericeum, Boiss., 

 Bupleurum spinosum, L., Berberis vulgaris var. australis, and on the 

 summits the common alpine shrubs, Ptilotrichum spinosum and An- 

 thyllis Erinacea. 



Between the valley of the Rio de Almeria and the Plain of Guadix 

 lies a gently sloped range of hills, which connects the Sierra Ne- 

 vada with the Sierra de Gor, and belongs to the district of El Mar- 

 quesado, by which name the plain along the north-eastern foot of the 

 Sierra Nevada is known. This broad ridge is almost destitute of 

 vegetation, but it has one rare plant, Eurotia ceratoides, C. A. M., 

 which occurs here in great plenty. 



After my return to Granada, I made the last excursion to the 

 Sierra Nevada, at the beginning of this month, in which I again pe- 

 netrated to the Corral de Veleta, and a second time ascended the 

 Picacho de Veleta. The visit to the Corral was, from the immense 

 masses of snow, under the icy covering of which the swollen alpine 

 streams poured down, accompanied with some danger, but it re- 

 paid the risk and toil. Beside a great number of the plants I had 

 gathered in the snow-region the previous year, I brought back from 

 these two excursions some also which I had not before found, as 

 for instance Dianthus lusitanicus, Brot., which occurs very plenti- 

 fully on the gneiss rocks of the Barranco de Gualnon, Aretia Vita- 

 liana, h., Senecio Boissieri, DC, Cirsium odontolepis, Boiss., Sedum 

 anglicum, L., var. rivulare, Boiss. ; and from the highest summit of the 



