62 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



CLASS VI. SAND-HILL VEGETATION. 



Sand-hills are found more or less throughout the State, 

 usually near rivers, and in such cases represent an old river 

 bed at a time when a much greater quantity of water passed 

 through the valley than at present. Frequently these sand- 

 hills have the character of shifting dunes. A well-marked 

 range of sand-hills extends along the Arkansas river on the 

 south side. At Garden City these hills are eight miles across 

 the dunes. At Hartland there are several miles of shifting 

 dunes known as the bald hills. The dunes are probably fifty 

 feet high from base to summit, and entirely devoid of vege- 

 tation except around the base. They slope gradually toward 

 the southwest from which direction come the prevailing 

 winds, while on the opposite side the inclination is the great- 

 est possible for loose sand. Only four species of plants were 

 observed on these hills, two binding grasses, Ammophila 

 longifolia and Redfieldia Jlexuosa, which extend up the side 

 a short distance, and occasionally Asclepias arenaria and 

 Physalis lanceolata pumila. The inhabitants of the region 

 informed me that the bald hills are less extensive than 

 formerly. 



Sand-hills occur south of the Cimarron river, extensively 

 through Stafford, Reno, and Rice Counties. Much of the 

 soil through Harper, Barber, Kingman and Pratt Counties is 

 sandy, though sand-hills do not occur so frequently. The 

 following is a list of characteristic plants: Polanisia trachy- 

 sperma, Psoralen, lanceolata, Desmodium sessilifolium, Les- 

 pedeza capitata, 8trop>hostyles pauciforus, Cassia chamae- 

 crista, Liatris squamosa, Heterotheca Lamarckii, Chrysopsis 

 villosa, Aplopappus divaricafus, Gnaphalium polycephalum, 

 Helianthus petiolaris, Artemisia caudata, TAthospermum 

 angust folium, Ipomoea leptophylla, Peutstemon grandiflora, 

 Monarda punctata, Amaranthus Torreyi, Froelichia Flori- 

 dana, F. gracilis, Cycloloma platyphyllum, Euphorbia 

 hexagona, Cyperus Schiveinitzii, C. filicuhnis, Paspalum 

 setaceum, Cenchrus tribuloides, Sporobolus asper, 8. cryptan- 

 drus, Ammophila longifolia, Triodia cuprea, Fragrostis 

 tenuis, F. pectinacea, F. capillaris. 



