122 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



abundant even on the sandy plains about Cardon Grande, 

 had now disappeared, and thenceforward, until we reached 

 the gulf coast at the soda springs of Calamujuet, the flora 

 resembled that so familiar to us in southern California. 



At CsLlamuj-aet,Daleaspmosa, Olneya Tesota,Chilopsis salig- 

 om and other Arizona plants formed a large part of the 

 vegetation, although the most conspicuous of all was 

 Veatcliia, which now^ having lost its leaves, was coming into 

 flower— the trees covered with pink blossoms, forming a 

 perfect blaze of color which could be plainly seen miles 

 away. 



Leaving Calamujuet and Santa Maria, it soon became 

 evident that the flora of the Gulf coast did not continue far 

 westward, the plants of San Diego becoming more and more 

 abundant to the end of our ride at San Quintin, which 

 place, our point of embarkation, after a toilsome journey of 

 two months, we reached May 22d, rejoiced to find ourselves 

 and collections in safety. 



Very little has heretofore been known concerning the 

 botany of southern Lower California. The small collection 

 made by Mr. Hinds, of H. M. S. Sulphur, at Cape San 

 Lucas, and more especially at Magdalena Bay, in November, 

 1839. and that of Mr. Xantus from the Cape in 1860, afforded 

 nearly all that was known concerning its vegetation until 

 last year Walter E. Bryant, the ornithologist, made a small 

 but valuable collection from Magdalena and Santa Marga- 

 rita Islands and Comondu, and Dr. Palmer visited Los 

 Angeles Bay and Muleje, and this year Lagoon Head. All 

 these collections abound in rare and interesting plants. 



The distribution of a flora depends somewhat upon the 

 topographical features, and it may be necessary to briefly 

 explain them here. The Peninsula is a long strip of land, 

 in places not more than sixty miles wide, consisting of a 

 mountain range, with its backbone and peaks often two to 

 four thousand feet high, near to the Gulf shore, thence 

 sloping more or less gradually to the Pacific. West of San 



