COLLECTING GRASSES IN THE SOUTHWEST 

 By JASON R. SWALLEN, 



The grasses of the Southwest form an exceedingly interesting 

 element of the L-nited States grass flora. \\'ith a view to studying 

 certain species in localities which have heen little visited hy botanists, 

 I spent the past summer collecting in the states of Arkansas, Okla- 

 homa, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. 



In Oklahoma, a short visit was made to the Wichita Mountains, 

 the highest range in the state, although they are little more than high 

 hills. The area has been set aside as a national forest and game 

 preserve. afl:"ording refuge for bufl:'alo, elk, deer, and antelope. Around 

 a central plain which provides forage for numerous cattle, there are 

 rugged rocky slopes rather sparsely covered with small oaks and pines. 

 For the most part the flora is verv much the same as that of the 

 surrounding plains. 



As the season was a very dry one in western Texas, the collecting 

 was not especially good. However, I made a trip to the Chisos Moun- 

 tains about 60 miles south of Alpine. Some of the slopes are entirely 

 void of a ground cover, while others support a more or less dense 

 vegetation of grass, shrub, and in places small pine trees. Toward the 

 summit of the mountains I found a species of bluegrass {Poa iiwoluta 

 Hitchc.) which had been collected only once before, and is apparently 

 local and confined in distribution to this region. Short visits were 

 also made in Texas to Corpus Christi and Edinburg. 



The work in Colorado was almost entirely confined to high altitudes, 

 for the purpose of studying the species of the genus Poa. It was 

 also hoped to establish new localities for some rare alpine grasses, 

 but without success. Trips were made to Mount Wilson in the San 

 Miguel Mountains, Alt. Massive, Grays and Torreys Peaks, the Park 

 Range west of Steamboat Springs, and the Spanish Peaks. One of 

 the striking features of the flora of Colorado is the way in which 

 the desert vegetation extends far up the valleys at comparatively 

 high altitudes to the very base of the mountains, indicating that Colo- 

 rado is essentially an arid region. In many places these valleys are 

 irrigated, converting them into valuable and productive land. 



The scenery among the high peaks of the mountains and in the deep 

 gorges of the rivers is often magnificent, but it must be admitted that 



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