﻿SALVADOR 
  — 
  STANDLEY. 
  319 
  

  

  difference 
  in 
  rainfall. 
  The 
  Atlantic 
  slope 
  is 
  very 
  wet, 
  while 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  slope 
  is 
  comparatively, 
  and 
  often 
  absolutely, 
  dry. 
  All 
  of 
  

   Salvador 
  lies 
  within 
  this 
  dry 
  region, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  here 
  

   the 
  heavy 
  rain 
  forests 
  that 
  characterize 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  slope, 
  especially 
  

   on 
  its 
  higher 
  mountains. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  dense 
  

   Salvadorean 
  forests 
  of 
  great 
  extent, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  there 
  never 
  were 
  

   any. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  there 
  are 
  primeval 
  

   forests, 
  composed 
  of 
  large 
  trees, 
  but 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  

   closely 
  spaced 
  as 
  in 
  regions 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  heavier 
  rains. 
  Upon 
  

   the 
  slopes 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  there 
  still 
  remain 
  forested 
  

   areas, 
  but 
  seldom 
  of 
  great 
  extent. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  forest 
  tracts 
  

   still 
  remaining 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  de 
  Apaneca, 
  near 
  the 
  Guate- 
  

   malan 
  border, 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  being 
  rapidly 
  destroyed 
  to 
  make 
  way 
  

   for 
  coffee, 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  areas 
  of 
  virgin 
  forest 
  remaining 
  on 
  the 
  Vol- 
  

   cano 
  of 
  San 
  Vicente 
  are 
  meeting 
  a 
  similar 
  fate. 
  Upon 
  the 
  Volcano 
  

   of 
  San 
  Salvador 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  big 
  trees 
  have 
  been 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  

   even 
  the 
  small 
  ones 
  are 
  burned 
  for 
  charcoal, 
  leaving 
  only 
  brush 
  in 
  

   the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  unfit 
  for 
  cultivation. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  brief 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   Salvadorean 
  vegetation, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  changes 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  

   wrought 
  by 
  man. 
  The 
  coastal 
  region, 
  which 
  includes 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  varying 
  width 
  extending 
  all 
  along 
  

   the 
  coast, 
  and 
  up 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  streams, 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  a 
  

   rather 
  thin 
  forest 
  which 
  consists 
  largely 
  of 
  species 
  which 
  lose 
  their 
  

   leaves 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  so 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  the 
  

   forest 
  is 
  little 
  greener 
  than 
  a 
  deciduous 
  forest 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Temper- 
  

   ate 
  Zone. 
  Many 
  shrubs 
  are 
  interspersed 
  among 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  form 
  dense 
  thickets, 
  although 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  conditions 
  are 
  

   not 
  favorable 
  for 
  their 
  growth 
  the 
  plant 
  covering 
  is 
  sparse. 
  Trees 
  

   and 
  shrubs 
  that 
  bear 
  spines 
  are 
  particularly 
  common, 
  and 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  plain 
  of 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  Mexico, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Sinaloa. 
  Along 
  the 
  beach 
  are 
  

   found 
  the 
  plants 
  that 
  are 
  characteristic 
  of 
  such 
  locations 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  American 
  tropics, 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  species 
  of 
  wide 
  distribution, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  mangrove 
  (Rhizophora 
  mangle), 
  the 
  black 
  mangrove 
  

   (Avicennia 
  nitida), 
  and 
  manchineel 
  (Hippomane 
  mancinella) 
  . 
  The 
  

   mesquite 
  (Prosopis 
  julifl&ra) 
  is 
  rather 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  coastal 
  plain, 
  

   but 
  is 
  rare 
  or 
  wanting 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Salvador. 
  

  

  At 
  middle 
  elevations 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  trees 
  have 
  been 
  removed, 
  

   except 
  some 
  left 
  for 
  shade 
  because 
  their 
  wood 
  is 
  useless, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  

   seen 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  sterile 
  areas 
  thickets 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  wide 
  

   variety 
  of 
  shrubs. 
  The 
  best 
  place 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  find 
  plants 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  hedges, 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  prominent 
  a 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  

   Salvadorean 
  countryside. 
  Fences 
  of 
  wire 
  are 
  not 
  often 
  seen, 
  but 
  the 
  

  

  