42 



visit been made two months later, I was assured that not a flower 

 would have been in sight. 



The sandy slopes around Caldera, especially where the soil 

 was shaded by rocks, bore quite a number of species, the most 

 common of which was a dusty-looking composite {Encelia tomen- 

 tosa, Walp.) with pale yellow ligulate flowers, known popularly 

 as Corona de fraile, so-called from the convex mass of disk 

 flowers which remind one of the shaven crown of a priest's head. 

 Several other species of Compositae also occur in this vicinity, 

 such 2& Polyachyr7is fusciis, Walp., a tomentose plant with much 

 dissected leaves and showy, oblong, close-flowered heads of 

 purple florets, Clmquiraga acicularis, Don., a half shrubby, 

 bushy, and very forbidding plant, which has crowded spine- 

 tipped leaves, and small heads with yellow spinescent scales, and 

 a Closia, the flowers and odor of which put one in mind of our 

 Chamomile. Two delicate Cuscutas twined about small plants 

 on the open sand, on^ of them with silk-like stems and white 

 flowers, and the other with masses of purple blossoms. Both of 

 these are popularly named ''Cabellos de angel,'' Angel's hair. 

 Lying close against the sides of rocks was a queer Asclepiadace- 

 ous. shrub known as Cynoctonum viride, Phil. The stock which 

 manages to survive the summer is short and stumpy, with a thick 

 head like an old pollard willow, from which it sends out new greep 

 shoots whenever the winter rain falls. Out upon the open sand 

 one frequently meets with Frankenia aspera, Ph., throwing its 

 dark colored branches over the ground, Scilla triflora, Ph., a 

 bulbous plant with erect stems and racemes of pretty white flowers, 

 and Oenothera Coqnimbensis, Spach., one of the species noticeable 

 for commencing to flower when not much larger than a needle, 

 and continuing the process till it is two feet in height. Here too 

 I collected several species of Eritrichinm, Heliotropiuni, Ostcocar- 

 pus, Tctragonia, and other plants which there is no room to 

 mention. 



After rambling over the Caldera sands till my feet grew weary, 

 I made a number of expeditions on horseback and by rail to more 

 distant points. One of these was to a gorge among the hills 

 seven or eight miles north of Caldera, known to the people as the 

 ''Quebrada (ravine) d^ los leotiesy \ was informed that the name 



