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California Art & Nature 



148 



several of the genus Ephedra. "They 

 are popular remedies among Mexicans 

 and frontiersmen in the treatment of 

 syphilis and gonorrhot^a, especially the 

 latter. The decoction or infusion of 

 the stems has an acid reaction and an 

 astringent taste resembling that of 

 tannin. It is used as an injection and 

 internally; some caution should be ob- 

 served as it has been known to cause 

 strangury." (Dr. V. Havard, vide 

 Prcc. U. S. Nat. Mus. VIII. 504.) The 

 species Dr. Havard refers to are E. 

 antisyphilitica C. A. Meyer and E. 

 trifurca Torrey, but the same remarks 

 seem to apply equally well to our Cal- 

 iiornian species. It is often used as a 

 substitute for tea, and is scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable in taste, except for an 

 after-flavor, not unpleasant, reminding 

 one slightly of catnip tea. It is in 

 ^reat reiio-.vn as a blood purifier and 

 many -have volunteered to me their 

 opinion that it was "better than sar- 

 .'laparilla" and without an equal. I have 

 never heard of unpleasant effects fol- 

 lowing its use. It is a valuable seda- 

 tive. Experiments and analyses prove 

 it to be not superior to E. antisyphilit- 

 ica — which already has a place among 

 American drues. 



EPHEDRA NEVADENSIS S. Watson. 

 EPHEDRA OX\OARPA Engelm. 

 EPHEDRA TRIFURCA Torr. 



CO^TIFSBAE. 



Genns jrXIPEPVS I.? una ens. 



JUNIPERUS CALIFORNICUS Carr. 

 Genns LliiOCEDRUS Endl. 



].. df ciirreds Torrey. Or 251 d 



Gems PIXl'S Tournefort. 



i'lNUS J'iUniCATA Don. 



A small pine, growing near San Isi- 

 dro, in Lower Califoi-nia, not known 

 from San Diego county, is found, only 

 near the coast, as far north as Mendo- 

 cino — where it grows 50 to 80 or 120 feet 

 high. At San Isidro trees only 3 feet 

 high were perfecting cones, which are 

 said to persist over 30 years on the tree, 

 '^he leaves are in pairs. The cones are 

 sessile, ovate, about 3 inches long, with 

 Ftout prickles on the outside. The 

 cones occurring in whoils around the 

 stem, and remaining closed for many 

 years, are one of the curiosities of Cal- 

 ifornia botany. 

 1 INUS COULTER! Don. 



The big cone pine is a tree l-2i^ feet 

 in diameter and 50 or more feet high, 

 occurring above 5,000 feet usually, 

 from Mount Diablo to the Catalina 

 mountain and on the mountains north- 

 east of Ensenada in Dower California. 

 The cones are long, oval pointed, 10-14 

 inches long and 4 or 5 inches in diame- 

 ter, yellowish brown, persistent for 

 many years on the tree, the scales with 

 a very stout, long incurved point (some- 

 times 2 inches long.) 



PINUS PONDEROSA Dougl. 



The yellow pine is a noble tree, one of 

 the largest known, 2CO-300 feet high and 

 12-15 feet in diameter at times, with 

 leaves in threes. 5 to even 11 inches 

 long. "Throughout the San Bernardino 

 range, the San Jacinto and Cuyamaca 

 mountains, forming the greater part of 

 the coniferous forest," says Parish 

 (Zoe., 4:351.) 

 PINUS JEFFREYI Murr. 



The Jeffrey or black pine is a tree 75 

 feet high, trunk 3 feet in diameter, usu- 

 ally found in the mountain valleys near 

 small streams, extending into Lower 

 California. Credited to the Cuyamaca 

 mountain. 



PINUS LAMBERTIANA Lam. 



The sugar pine attains at times a 

 height of 300 feet and a diameter of 8 

 to 20 feet, with light brown smoothish 

 bark, splitting in small sections. The 

 bright brown cylindrical cones are 1 

 to 1% feet long, 3-4 inches wide, on pe- 

 duncles 3 inches in length, containing 

 smooth, black seeds % inch long. "The 

 exundation from the partially burned 

 tree loses its resinous qualities and ac- 

 quires a sweetness similar to that of 

 sugar or manna, for which it is some- 

 times used, whence the name of sugar 

 pine." (Watson, Botany of California, 

 2:123). The sugar which I have col- 

 lected from trees in the Cuyamaca 

 mountains was very sweet, fine grained 

 and white as snow. 

 PINUS MONOPHYLLA T. & G. 

 PINUS PARRYANA Engelm. 



The pinone tree, peculiar to South- 

 ern and Lower California, but most 

 abundant on the table lands near the 

 international boundary, is a very 

 graceful and symmetrical tree, 20-?.0 

 feet high, 10-18 inches in diameter, dis- 

 tinguished by the 3-5 (mostly 4) leaves 

 in a sheath, 1%-1% inches long. The 

 oval seeds, 5-8 lines long, with a thin 



