Botanical Notices from Spain, 421 



finally took leave of Granada, and on the 20th of August set out on 

 my journey to the kingdom of Jaen and the Sierra Morena. From 

 the advanced season, the vegetation, especially in the lowlands, was 

 for the most part already dried up, and the harvest was consequently 

 much less than in the previous months. But I scarcely think, if at 

 least I can judge from the remains of the spring flora, that this portion 

 of Andalusia presents any very rich or rare vegetation. Only a small 

 part of the province of Jaen belongs to Upper Andalusia ; the larger 

 portion consists of a lowland watered by the Guadalquivir, and bears 

 throughout the character of Lower Andalusia. The most southern 

 part of the province of Jaen is covered with a limestone range, whose 

 loftiest chain forms a concave half-circle to the north, which stretches 

 out from Jaen in an eastward direction as far as the frontiers of 

 the kingdom of Murcia, and is intersected by the deep valley of the 

 Guadiana Menor, which is formed by the rivers of Huescar, Guadix 

 and Baza, and is the first important tributary stream which the Gua- 

 dalquivir receives, as well as by the Rio de Jaen which issues from 

 the most northern part of the Montes de Granada. By these two 

 rivers the above-described circle of mountain-chains is divided into 

 three parts ; the central one of which appears to be the highest, and 

 is called the Sierra de Huelma ; the western one on the contrary 

 forms the Sierra de Jaen, and the eastern one the Sierra de Cazorla. 

 This district of steep mountains, whose greatest height can scarcely 

 exceed 6000 feet, forms the southern limit of the immense, broad, 

 and flat valley of the Guadalquivir, which runs from east to west 

 through the centre of the province of Jaen. On the north this wide 

 valley is bounded by the Sierra Morena. 



As soon as the Rio Cubillas has been crossed, the traveller quits 

 the charming road to Granada, and passing through a copse- wood of 

 Quercus Ilex, soon comes to the valley of the Rio de Benalua, which 

 divides the Sierra del Annar, where it rises from the Sierra del Mor- 

 ron, — two mountains of inconsiderable height, for the most part co- 

 vered with Lavandula Spica, which lie between the mountain-chains 

 of Jaen and the Montes de Granada. On grassy spots of the above- 

 mentioned oak-wood flowered Stellera Passerina, L., in profusion, 

 and also Achillea Ageratum, L., Cleonia lusitanica, L., Echium pus- 

 tulatum, Sibth., and in the valley of the Kio de Benalua the gigantic 

 Echium Lagascce, Boiss., which I had already met with in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Granada at the foot of the Sierra de Alfacar, and which 

 occurs in all the watered valleys of the kingdom of Jaen, as well as 

 in the plains of the Guadalquivir and the lowest valleys of the 

 Sierra Morena in tolerable abundance. Between the villages of 

 Calomera and Benalua I remarked Cynara alba, Boiss., and Mentha 

 Pulegium, L., which is extremely common on moist spots of the 

 mountain-region throughout the whole kingdom, and especially in 

 the Sierra Morena. Soon after passing the village of Benalua you 

 enter the kingdom of Jaen, and after crossing a mountain-ridge ar- 

 rive at the village of Campillos de Arenas, which lies at the foot of 

 the irregular Sierra de Arenas, which is partly wooded with pines, 

 and is a branch of the above-described mountain-chain of Jaen. On 



