32 THE PLANT WORIvD 



arriving- here and a few others who for lack of boats remained in the 

 stricken islands, decided to migrate. Many had perished in the flood 

 and others who had tried to save themselves by climbing trees were swept 

 away by huge waves." They said that after they had regained sufficient 

 strength some of their number wished to return to bring back all those 

 left behind. From the statements of these people the governor came to 

 the conclusion that the earthquake which had wrecked the islands of the 

 refugees was that of the 25th of the preceding January, which had caused 

 great damage to the island of Guam.]* 



[to be continued.] 



Notes on the Flora of Central Chile. 



By George T. Hastings. 



Northern Chile is a desert ; southern Chile a forest. Central Chile 

 has the cacti and thorny shrubs of the desert and many of the trees and 

 plants of the south. Irrigation is necessary if crops are to be grown, 

 since rain falls only in winter. The fields and lower mountain slopes, 

 which are green and covered with flowers in early spring, become dry and 

 gray when summer begins. 



With the exception of an acacia iA. Cavenia), a small tree rarely ex- 

 ceeding twenty feet in height, which grows in the desert soil, trees are 

 only found along the rivers. The trees of central Chile belong mostly to 

 orders not represented in the eastern United States — Monimiaceae, 

 Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, etc. The only amentiferous tree is a willow 

 (S. Humboldtiana) ; maples, elms, basswoods, and conifers are absent, 

 and the Rosaceae are represented by only two genera and three species 

 of dry-fruited trees, one of which, the quillai or soap-bark iQinllaJa 

 sapo7iaria) is probably the best known tree of the region. The bark of 

 this tree is used in large quantities for washing woolens and silk and as 

 a hair tonic, and it, or an extract of it, is exported in considerable 

 quantities. The wood is soft but durable, and is much used for the 

 heavy carved stirrups used in the country as well as in constructing carts, 

 houses, etc. 



The shrubs represent a great variety of orders, the greater number 

 being thorny. In fact the prevailing type of vegetation on the hills and 

 lower mountain slopes are thorny shrubs. Some of the Compositae are 

 of this class and many shrubby Umbelliferae have the leaves reduced to 

 pinnate thorns. 



Owing to the nature of the country — presenting in close proximity 



*The bracketed portion of text is an addition to the Journal made at a later date. — W. K. S. 



