PLANTS FROM BAJA CALIFORNIA. 121 



had become abundant and we had passed through several 

 " cardon" (Cereus Pringlei) forests. A fine large ash grew 

 here and at San Benito, a canon that would have well re- 

 paid a more careful search. From this place to San Ignacio, 

 forests of the tree yucca were the characteristic vegetation. 

 San Ignacio, an old mission, probably has a larger popula- 

 tion than that of Purisima, and looks like an oasis in a desert. 

 It is a forest of date palms, with gardens where the soil is 

 not too alkaline. In the distance could be seen the ex- 

 tensive saline flats about the San Ignacio lagoon, apparently 

 barren, but doubtless producing many interesting cheno- 

 pods, for which there was no time to make a '* side trip " 

 Some plants, lovers of alkaline soils, such as Wislizenia, 

 Hymenoclea, Atriplex. etc., were common about San Ignacio. 

 DilFerent Calif ornian genera appeared every day as we moved 

 northward over the high mesas; Pedocarya, Cliorizanthe, 

 Eriogonum, Allium and others, became abundant before 

 San Julio was reached. 



There is a canon at San Julio eight hundred feet deep and 

 apparently with nearly perpendicular walls. A day's " stop 

 over " enabled me to work my way in and out of it down the 

 cliffs among the cacti and around bushes and rocks. Very 

 many interesting plants w^ere found in the bottom of the 

 canon, but the most interesting of all was Prumis ilici/olius, 

 growing here — its most southern known habitat — in exactly 

 its Santa Cruz Island form. Many of them were more than 

 a foot in diameter and fifteen feet high, with rough bark 

 and lanceolate entire leaves. A few clays later our progress 

 brought us to plenty of it, growing in the usual bush form. 

 At San Pablo Veatchia re-appeared on the mountains, and 

 was afterwards often seen until we reached San Fernando. 



The trail from San Ignacio passed over high mesas, down 

 and up deep rocky caiions all the way to San Pablo, and 

 mostly over sandy plains from there to Calmalli. A great 

 change in the vegetation took place in this vicinity, and 

 many of the characteristic plants of the south, that were 



