FLORA OF HONEY LAKE VALLEY. 



The absence of Allenrolfea occidentalis, the so-called "Grease- 

 wood" of wet alkali soils in the San Joaquin, and here replaced by 

 true Greasewood, Sarcobatus, is of interest. It can not be caused by 

 difference in altitude, for Mr. Jones finds it at an elevation of nearly 

 6,000 feet in eastern Nevada; nor does it seem that the relative 

 moisture of soil is the affecting cause, for there are moist places in 

 the Tule Confederacy and on the north shore of Honey Lake, 

 where Sarcobatus grows luxuriantly, but no Allenrolfea is found. 

 It seems probable that differences in the chemical composition of the 

 soil may account for the relative distribution of these two plants, 

 and an effort will be made to determine this point, by analysis, at a 

 later date. 



Mr. Jones informs me that Sarcobatus vermiculatus grows at an 

 altitude of 5,000 feet in Sierra Valley, and up to 8,000 feet in 

 Utah, "at any elevation where soil is a little alkaline." It is not 

 recorded, as far as I am aware, from west of the Sierra. Super- 

 ficially, it would appear that Sarcobatus grows both in alkali and 

 alkali-free soils, provided the physical conditions are the same; 

 Professor Hilgard has proven, however, that where no efflorescence 

 occurs, the roots of this shrub descend until they reach the alkali 

 hard-pan; in one instance, he reports, the roots were traced to a 

 depth of four feet without nearly reaching their tips. The opinion 

 that this plant always indicates the presence of alkali is shared by 

 the inhabitants of the valley, who say that wherever "Greasewood" 

 is found exclusively one may know that the soil is worthless for 

 agricultural purposes. The abruptness with which the Sarcobatus 

 belt ends, as one ascends from the lake-shore to the foothills, and 

 that of Airi'plex confertifolia begins, is more marked than is usual in 

 zones or belts of vegetation, but whether this is due to the chemical 

 or to the physical conditions of the soil, or to both combined, is not 

 clear at present. 



Sarcobatus is the prevalent plant over fully 25,000 acres of this 

 valley, occupying the lowest alkali soils adjacent to the lake. 



Atriplex confertifolia forms the succeeding belt of vegetation to 

 that of Sarcobatus, in passing from the lake shore to the higher and 

 the less alkaline soils. It here forms a bush about two feet high, 

 and often occupies large areas almost exclusively. From the slope 

 of the hills its presence can be instantly detected by its color, which 



