48 Proceedings 
One bush we may be thankful to be without, though it 
looks innocent enough. I refer to the Poison Oak (Thus 
diversiloba). You might easily mistake it for a young maple. 
Its effect on many people is very serious. It causes swel- 
ling and irritation of the face and limbs, sometimes bring- 
ing on temporary blindness. It seems to be most poison- 
ous in the spring when its flowers are laden with pollen. 
At the time of my visit to Yosemite the white fragrant 
Azaleas (Rhododendron occidentale) were in full flower and 
formed a great part of the undergowth. One hardly dared 
to gather them at first. One could hardly believe they 
were really wild. 
Of forest trees a little more should be said. I have 
alluded already to the Redwood (Seguoia Sempervuens). It 
grows to about the same height as its kinsman, the Giant, 
and is perhaps the more graceful tree of the two. In one 
habit it differs from its congener, namely it throws out 
suckers from its roots, so that in the Redwood Groves you 
see a mighty tree surrounded by pillars of a lesser girth. 
It is sad to note that the Redwoods are for the most part 
unprotected by Government and many are daily falling to 
the axe of the lumberman. The wood is of splendid qual- 
ity and makes most handsome veneers with rich graining. 
In a few hours the growth of perhaps thirty centuries is cut 
off for ever. 
Another Conifer which is found wild only in a very small 
area on the coast near Monterey is Cupressus macrocarpa 
Hartw. It is grown in the most temperate regions of the 
World and is often used for fences and chipped into fan- 
tastic shapes like Yew. 
Another species, Pinus Torreyand, is restricted to Santa 
Cruz Island, off the coast opposite Santa Barbara,and one 
locality in San Diego County. 
The Nut Pine (Pinus monophylla) is but a small tree but 
it is of great importance to the Indians who yearly harvest 
its seeds, which to some tribes are the staff of life. In the 
early days of the settlement of white men in California, 
blood was often shed through their ignorantly destroying 
