524 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [1885. 



Chilopsis saligua, Don. (Desert Willow.) 



Small ornameutal tree of the Bignonia Order, with willow-like foliage 

 and handsome pink or purplish flowers. Common in all dry mountain 

 arroyos west of the Pecos. Often cultivated in gardens. Mexicans use 

 the flowers in fevers and as a stimulant in cardiac diseases. 



Berberis trifoliolata, Moric. (Three-foil Barberry.) 



Pretty shrub, 2 to 5 feet high, with stift", trifoliate, spinescent leaves, 

 on gravelly slopes and foot-hills ; common from the Gulf Coast to San 

 Antonio, and westward to the Limpio Mountains. 



Produces red berries as large as peas, in handsome clusters, ripening 

 in May ; they are acidulous, pleasantly flavored, and make excellent 

 jelly. 



Berberis Fremonti, Torr. 



Eare shrub in mountain canons, with yellow, very hard wood, and 

 dark-blue berries the size of currants. 



Pouquiera splendens, Eng. (Ocotillo; Jacob's Wand.) 



Very striking and ornamental plant, with long, prickly shoots, tipped 

 in summer with a cluster of scarlet flowers. Common on rocky mesas 

 from the Pecos to the Colorado. 



The cut stems, stuck into the ground, grow with remarkable facility, 

 and are much used by Mexicans who plant them close to one another, 

 forming tall, impenetrable barriers around yards. They are impregnated 

 with a resinous substance which makes them excellent fuel ; the small 

 scales, or chips, which can generally be detached from the base, are of 

 great service in starting a camp-fire. The leaves, chewed, are pleas- 

 antly acidulous. 



Sabal Palmetto, E. & S.? (Palmetto.) 



In sparse clumps froui the mouth of the Eio Grande up the river to 

 Edinburgh. Tree 20 to 30 feet high, apparently identical with the Pal- 

 metto of South Carolina. 



Arbutus Xalapenses, HBK.? (Madroua.) 



Shrub and small tree in the foot-hills of the Guadalupe, Limpio and 

 Chisos Mountans, with soft wood only fit for fuel. Yellowish-red ber- 

 ries, the size of currants, rather pleasant-tasted. 



Bumelia lycioides, Gsartn. 



Called Coma by the Mexicans on the Lower Eio Grande where it be- 

 comes a tr«e with stem a foot thick. Wood tough and compact, making 

 excellent ax-handles. The black berries are edible but not very pala- 

 table. 



Ribes viscosissimum, Purah. 



The only Gooseberry seen in Western Texas, growing sparingly in the 

 Guadalupe Mountains. 



