38 BOTANY OF SPAIN. {February, 



though one of its noblest species, a Gura-CistuSj C. laurifolius, 

 abounds where it was less to be looked for, on the sloping side of 

 the corresponding French valley, a short distance below Mont 

 Louis. The only Heliantheinum I saw was either H. vulgar e or 

 one of the plants which are sometimes reckoned varieties of it. 

 As might be expected, there were Reseda Phyteuma and fruticu- 

 losa and Polygala vulgaris. The Caryophyllece visible were Sapo- 

 naria ocymoides and vaccaria, the common Lychnis vespertina 

 and Agrosteinma Githago, Silene inffata, and the elegant S. saxi- 

 fraga, with its funnel-shaped flowers, so common in the mountain 

 valleys of the south of Europe. There were two splendid Linums, 

 L. narbonense and a smaller plant with paler flowers, which I 

 suppose to be decumbens, intermediate between tenuifolium and 

 suffruticosum. The Malvaceae were the common Malva rotundi- 

 folia and sylvestris. The Geraniacea were Erodium cicutarium, 

 Geranium Robertianum, sanguineum, and pyrenaicum. The name 

 of the last, mysterious to those to whom it is only known as a 

 plant of Surrey and Kent, is intelligible to those who have seen 

 its abundance in the Pyrenees. The Wild Vine {Vitis vinifera) 

 spread its climbing stems and grasping tendrils over the bushes. 



Of Calyciflorce, I begin with the Terebinth-tree, Pistacia Tere- 

 binthus. LeguminoscB were, as usual, one of the most abundant 

 of all the Orders. Along with the Genista Scorpius of the plains 

 there was G. sagittalis of the mountains, and G. pilosa of both ; 

 all plants which by their beauty do credit to this fine genus. Of 

 Cytisi, there was the beautiful C sessilifolius. The only Trefoils 

 I observed were T. pratense and repens ; but the prevailing Me- 

 dicago was a special plant of the Eastern Pyrenees, M. suffruti- 

 cosa. The Vicice were in number five : V. saliva, sejmtm, crassa, 

 a glorious dark-purple species ( V. onobrychioides) , and the duller- 

 coloured V. pannonica. Lotus corniculatus and Hippocrepis co- 

 mosa abound here as everywhere. I saw but one Astragalus, I 

 believe A. purpureus, a purple-flowered, erect, rather dwarfish 

 plant, approaching to A. Iiypoglottis. I conclude the Order with 

 the small decumbent Sainfoin of southern Europe, Onobrychis 

 supina. Of the Order Rosacea, there were Cratagus Oxyacantha, 

 Amelanchier vulgaris, and Poterium Sanguisorba ; but the genus 

 Rosa, above all, was in profusion. The town of Urgel is in the 

 midst of a sort of garden of wild Roses : every hedge and enclo- 

 sure is loaded with them in a quantity and of a size to which I 



