STUDY OF A SECTION OF THE OREGON COAST FLORA 



MORTON E. PECK 



The following paper is the result of a somewhat detailed study 

 of the flora of a small section of the Oregon coast in Lincoln 

 county, namely, that lying between Yaquina Head and the mouth 

 of Yachats river. These two points are distant from each other 

 in a straight line about twenty-five miles ; by the beach, striking 

 across the mouths of the bays, the distant is perhaps twenty-eight 

 miles. The flora in the neighborhood of Seal Rocks, about mid- 

 way between the two points, received the most attention, though 

 the whole ground was gone over rather carefully. This section is 

 fairly representative of the entire coast of the state, except the 

 extreme southern part. 



Yaquina Head is a high, narrow headland, at the extremity of 

 which is a lighthouse. From its landward end southward to the 

 town of Newport there is a nearly straight coast line of about four 

 miles, with a narrow beach. A mile above Newport, over a high 

 bluff, is Nye Beach, a popular resort. Newport touches the north 

 side of the mouth of Yaquina bay, a narrow, winding indentation 

 some twelve miles in length. From the southern shore of the bay 

 mouth to Alsea bay there is again a nearly straight coast line of 

 thirteen miles, with an almost uninterrupted beach, which in places 

 is quite wide. Much the same conditions hold from the mouth of 

 Alsea bay to the mouth of Yachats river. 



On the shoreward side of the beach we find a variety of con- 

 ditions. Yaquina Head has no beach, but high, perpendicular 

 sea-clififs, rising to the eastward into bold, rounded blufifs. South- 

 ward to Nye Beach the shore face has a steep ascent, sometimes 

 almost perpendicular above the narrow beach, to a height of per- 

 haps twenty to forty feet. At Nye Beach the shore face is cut 

 away and sand dunes have developed. On the southward side of 

 Yaquina bay there is quite an extensive beach with a gradual rise 

 to the landward, but a little farther to the south the steep shore 

 blufifs begin again and continue with slight interruptions some dis- 

 tance below^ Seal Rocks. The latter are a group of picturesque 

 rocks, mostly islanded by erosion of the shore. A mile below Seal 



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