THE GRASSES OE CALIEORNIA 

 By JASON R. SWALLEN 



In order to investigate at first hand the nielic grasses ( jMeHca ) , an 

 important genns on the Pacific coast, a field trip was made to CaH- 

 fornia during the summer of 1927. At the same time, critical notes 

 were made on other grasses which required detailed study. I first 

 undertook a four-day trip across the Coast Range west of King City. 

 At the lower altitudes the season was too far advanced for profitable 

 study, but toward the summit the grasses were in the best of condition. 

 Later I visited points of interest at San Luis Obispo, Santiago Peak 

 in the Santa Ana Mountains, San Jacinto Peak, San Antonio Moun- 

 tain, and Arrowhead Lake, the last in the San Bernardino Mountains. 

 An interesting feature of San Jacinto IMountain is the presence near 

 the summit of a small lake called Hidden Lake. Only a few steps 

 from the edge of the lake one can look down the almost vertical side 

 of the mountain upon Palm Springs and the Colorado Desert 10.000 

 feet below. Material of Mclica imperfecta was especially good and 

 abundant among the rocks on San Antonio Mountain. At Arrowhead 

 Lake I found an annual fescue (Fcsfitca eashcoodae), which is very 

 infrequent. 



In the early part of July. 10 days were spent in investigating the 

 grass flora of the King's River Canyon and the adjoining mountains. 

 This necessitated a camping trip, and Sequoia National Park served 

 as a starting point. I used a burro to carry camping equipment, which 

 proved to be much more convenient than carrying a pack myself. 

 Because of the beautiful scenery, this part of California has become 

 more and more popular with tourists and campers, even though it is 

 inaccessible except on foot or horseback. During the few days I spent 

 on this trip I passed several groups of as many as 30 campers, accom- 

 panied by large pack trains. 



On the floor of the canyon at this time of year it is quite hot 

 and dry. The ground cover, composed to a large extent of annual 

 grasses, was almost completely dried up except in a few low places 

 near the river. As higher altitudes were reached, conditions became 

 much better. On either side of the canyon the walls rise almost per- 

 pendicularly for thousands of feet, making a very impressive sight. 



