12 CONTRIBUTIONS TO WESTERN Botany No. 17 
A SWING AROUND THE CIRCLE 
After completing the identification of my Texas plants collected in 
April, I had a month’s time on my hands, and decided to revisit the Little 
Colorado region that I explored in 1890, forty years ago. I knew that there 
is seldom any rain on the desert, and only then can one expect to get plants 
of interest. My experience in Texas had led me to think that I would find 
a fine flora on the Little Colorado. On June 10th I started for Flagstaff, 
Arizona. I drove east to Amboy and then north to the Providence mountains 
for a few day’s work, but the flora was too far gone to get much of interest. 
Then I passed through the Needles where the temperature was 115 degrees. 
Then up to Oatman where I found several interesting species, among them 
an apparently new Agave and Nolina Bigelovii in fine shape. Then on to 
ackberry, where I was most agreeably surprised to find Canotia in fine 
shape. A new locality for this rare genus. Then on to Flagstaff, finding 
interesting things along the way. Then north to Cameron and Tuba City, 
hoping to find the new species I got there forty years ago. But there had 
been no rain in that region for three years, and so my trip was in vain., Even 
on the Kaibab where there usually is ten feet of snow everything was bare. 
So I went on to Kanab, and then up the Vergin to the beautiful Hidden 
Lake where I found much vegetation. Then on to Panguitch and Salt Lake 
City. Everything was green and fresh on the way. 
Then after a day visiting at my old home I left for Elko, Nevada, and 
got the very rare Eremochloe Kingii Watson at Wendover. Then I drove 
north over very bad country roads to Owyhee and Mountain Home, getting 
interesting plants on the way. From there I went west along the Columbia 
highway over fine roads to Arlington, Oregon, where I ferried across the 
Columbia, and then drove up on the great plateau to Bickleton. Then back 
to La Grande, Oregon, and the Wallowa mountains at Wallowa lake, where 
I botanized two days. Then back to Baker City and south to Stein’s mount- 
ain, some 200 miles towards Winnemucca Then to Winnemucca, 
where I took a side trip to Battle Mountain to get Astragalus pterocarpus, the 
only known locality for it. It was obliterated in the type locality, but I found 
plenty of it a few miles away. Then back to Winnemucca and on to Lake 
T _ Then home through Sacramento to San Joaquin valley. None of 
the region was new to me except Elko-Owyhee, and the Baker City Winne- 
mucca trip. The roads in that region were very poor but passable, but the 
main highways were fine. 
My reason for visiting Stein mountain region was to get onto the 
flora where Cusick many years ago got some fine things, but I was too early 
for the high flora and too late for the low flora, but in spite of this I got 
many interesting things in this region which is so hard to reach. 
