eres 
ee, 
MUHLENBERGIA | 
és A. A. HELLER, Editor as 
Los Gatos, CALIFORNIA, DECEMBER 7, 1907 
LIBRA 
| _- NOTES ON THE FLORA OF PALM SPRINGS — NAW ¥ 
; Ni 
= By > §. B. PARISH ~~ . GARDE 
ms Palm Springs is situated on the western rim of the Colorado 
desert, in a little arm of it which is sheltered under the rugged 
flank of San Jacinto peak. It is thus protected, to a great ex- 
, tent, from the harsh winds, and the violent sand-storms, which 
so frequently rage over the open desert, and which have piled 
up the mighty sand hills glittering in the distance. The accliv- 
ities of the encircling mountains are of scorched and naked rock, 
wholly destitute of soil. The floor of the valley itself is mostly 
of coarse sand and gravel, the detritus of the surrounding moun- 
tains. In the spring the melting snows of San Jacinto fill the 
natrow canyons with abundant streams of clear, cold water, 
which soon sinks in the thirsty sands of the desert. A warm 
sulphur spring rises in the plain, and still retains with the white 
inhabitants the reputation for healing virtues which, in former 
times, drew the desert Indians to its waters. The valley has an 
altitude of only 500 feet above sea level, and its dry, pure air, 
throughout the winter months, is singularly soft, yet invigorat- 
~ ing. The summer heat is excessive, and obliges most of the in- 
Ss habitants, white and Indian, to seek a cooler climate. 
aa Five families constitute the permanent inhabitants of the 
ri palm shaded village; and: the Indians, whose reservation occu- 
“© pies the best part of the valley, have dwindled to but twenty-five 
cy ; (121) 
