58 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 06 
Beyond the stream banks the meadows extend for varying 
distances. They are characterized by numerous grasses, especially 
blue grama, and by many showy-flowered herbs which exhibit a 
wealth of color found only in mountains at high altitudes. Beyond 
the meadows on one side rise low sandstone mountains covered with 
cedar and pinyon, and with many characteristic southwestern plants, 
such as cacti, yuccas, and bear grass. On the other side of the valley 
rise high mountains of igneous origin, covered with typical Rocky 
Mountain forests of yellow, white, and foxtail pine, Douglas and 
other spruces, fir, and aspen. One of the common trees is the cork- 
bark fir (Abies arizonica), a comparatively little known tree, whose 
cf 
en. 
A. 
a 
Fic. 60—Ute Park, N. Mex. Cottonwood tree felled by beavers. The largest 
trunk felled in this manner was slightly over 2 feet in diameter. 
bark, instead of being thick and hard, as in most of the conifers of 
the region, is soft and thin. After the trees have been dead for 
some time the bark separates from the wood in great cork-like sheets. 
The highest mountain in the vicinity of Ute Park 1s Baldy Peak, 
which rises to 12,490 feet. Its top is well above timber line and 
supports an Arctic-Alpine vegetation. 
During the time spent in the region about 5,000 specimens were 
secured, representing 1,540 collection numbers. Among the flowering 
plants several genera new to the State were obtained, and many 
additional species. Special attention was devoted to the cryptogams, 
and the collection of these is by far the largest ever obtained in the 
