SANTA CATALINA ISLAND. 143 



last summer. It was about twelve feet high; with yellow flowers; 

 leaves, thick, ovate, glaucous.^ 



Pentstemon cordifolius and Lathyrus vestitus grow among the 

 low trees on the ridges. Protected by other shrubs the fragrant 

 Artemisia Californica attains a height of ten and twelve feet and 

 the trunk becomes six inches in diameter. Among the cacti, on a 

 dry slope above the sea-cliffs, I came across, one day, a fine speci- 

 men of Malvastrum Thurberi. I have before collected in one 

 locality a shrubby sort with expanded and racemose inflorescence. 

 This I speak of now was, however, really tree-like in appearance, 

 about six inches in diameter at base, and ten feet high, with " wand- 

 like branches" six to eight feet long, on all sides from the base up, 

 given thereby a singularly orbicular form. Flowers "sessile in an 

 interrupted naked spike," densely crowded, by no means "small" 

 (Botany of California); the petals more than an inch long; nor 

 were the "calyx lobes short" (Botany of California), being from 

 three to four lines long. 



Just at the foot of one of our highest peaks, Eriodictyon 

 Traskise covers a large area; I have seen it in no other locality, 

 Pectocarya penicillata is abundant ; hill upon hill in the arid 

 uplands is carpeted with it. 



Nearly every little stream which continues to keep its head above 

 sand and rock the year round, is fringed with Mimulus cardinalis 

 and occasionally with M. luteus; M. floribundus is more rare. 

 M. glutinosus adorns "hill and dale" at all seasons, with its bright 

 red-and-salmon-colored flowers. 



In April, Calochortus Palmeri appears on all high, dry slopes 

 and hills ; and C. Catalinse, or as some would say, C. splendens, 

 follows a little later. It depends, as Mr. Brandegee says, " upon 

 whether this species is distinct from C. splendens."* Be this as it 

 may, the species in question is rarely found and one may tramp all 

 day without beholding a single bloom. 



About five years ago, Mr. Harry Policy discovered a solitary 

 Cornus. The tree is about twenty feet high, six to eight inches in 

 diameter, with long, "red-purple" osier-like branches. It has 



3 Probably N. glauca Graham, which is becoming extensively naturalized. 

 —Ed. 



*Zoe, I, 146. 



