DAVENPORT ACADEMY < >F NATURAL SCIEM 



a few days in the latter part of this season (1889), just forty years from 

 his first acquaintance with this locality, in the modern San Diego, 

 climbing leisurely over the then verdant hills, and threading his way 

 amid the same maze of shrubbery through which Nuttall had struggled 

 over fiftv years ago, bringing first to the notice of Eastern botanists the 

 floral features of this far Pacific coast, in the volume of the North' 

 American Flora. The genus Ceanot/11/s. which he thA enriched with 

 so many peculiar West-American species, was here represented mainly 

 by Ceanothus verrucosus. Nutt, which, though at the time of his short 

 visit in April and May was past flowering, yet revealed to his practised 

 eye its peculiar specific qualities. Though at the time of my visit the 

 flowers had mainly disappeared, yet having previously observed it in 

 all its stages of growth, it was unmistakable, being especially distin- 

 guished from the nearest related C. rigidus in its more supple, often 

 somewhat pendent branches, its white or faintly tinged blue flowers, its 

 alternate leaves, and the more strongly marked protuberances on the 

 lower branches left by the fallen leaves, and persistent stipular bases. 

 The figure. PI. IX. in Mex. Bdy. Survey, referred to C. rigidus, is, as 

 suggested by Professor Trelease, undoubtedly C. verrucosus, Nutt., 

 which, by a misplacement of labels, is credited to "Monterey, Parry." 

 As far as no.v known, this species is confined in its geographical range 

 to San Diego, extending southward into Lower California. It can in 

 no way be confounded with the widely spread C. cuneatus, Nutt, the 

 points of distinction being clearly laid down in the original description. 



Reversing the order of Nuttall's journey from north to south in 1836, 

 the writer spent the first week of April in the picturesque Ojai Valley, 

 near Santa Barbara, probably covering the same time of year as Nuttall 

 fifty-three years before. Previously I had received from General John 

 Bidwell and wife, then wintering at this sanitary retreat, some intimation 

 of the floral features of this locality. It was, therefore, a rare treat to 

 avail myself of their extended observations in driving over the adjoin- 

 ing country as their guest. Though rather late to see in its perfection 

 the full development of inflorescence of the different species of 

 Ceanothus there represented, it was particularly pleasant to think that 

 Nuttall had made his observations of these plants about the same time 

 of year, in a closely adjoining district. 



Foremost of these to attract attention was the luxuriant C. spinosus, 

 Nutt., here attaining the size of a small tree, 15 to 20 feet in height, and 

 with trunks not infrequently 8 inches in diameter. Though low- 

 branched and usually of scrubby growth, it is here sufficiently abundant 



