South Limits of Coast Range Trees.— I. 



! >y Willis L. Jepson. 



The greatesl development of foresi and woodland in Cali- 

 fornia occurs in the Mendocino and Humboldt areas. This 

 fact is not only true as to the number of individuals and the 

 size of individuals, but it is also true as to the number of 

 species composing the foresi in the north coasl district. Nearly 

 ;ill of the species composing this greal coasl forest are derived 

 from the north and have their south limits in Humboldt or 

 Mendocino counties, sometimes in Sonoma County. A few 

 others, as we definitely know, go as far south as .Marin or cross 

 the Golden Gate to the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains 



Going hack to our classical authority on the Botany of 

 California, viz., the volumes of the State Geological Survey. 

 we find a reference of still other species to Marin County, 

 Santa Cruz mountains and the Santa Lucia mountains as the 

 south limits, hut without indication of definite slat ions. These 

 various statements of south limits have since the days of the 

 Botany of California been so faithfully copied from one mono- 

 graph and text into another that the mere sense of literary 

 authority seems now to place them beyond challenge, and yet 

 many of these stations may well be brought under profitable 

 scrutiny and question af the present time. 



Tsuga heterophylla Sarg. The Coast Hemlock is attributed 

 1,. Marin County in the Botany of California, vol. 2, p. 121, 

 the reference io Ceo. R. Vasey resting (inferentially) upon 

 specimens collected by him. This species could not well grow 

 in Marin County, except on the western slope of the Bolinas 

 Ridge, between Muir woods and Tocaloma, a botanically well 

 explored region, where, although searched for. it has no1 been 

 located. Having never seen it myself. I have made inquiry 

 of many devotees of the Marin woods, hut always with nega- 

 tive results. The statement of Miss M . E. Parsons, who re- 

 sides at the base of Mt. Tamalpais, may he regarded as typical : 

 '•| have never seen the Coast Hemlock in Marin County. I 

 made inquiry of my friend. Roberl Menzies of San Rafael, who 

 immediately said that he and his friends had had frequent 

 discussions upon that point, and that they had come to the 

 conclusion that the supposed occurrence of tin tree in Marin 

 was a myth. Mr. Menzies is an ardent lover of trees, a keen 

 observer and a greal tramper, so i should give his experience 

 serious eonsideral ion." 



Taxus brevifolia Xult. The Western Yew is attributed to 



69 



