1886. ] BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 213 
at the headwaters of the North Llano. All the neigboring hills 
are densely covered with mountain eedars (Juniperus occidentalis, 
var. conjungens). A few plants were collected a ong the roads, 
such as Rivina levis, Pentstemon Jamesii, and Nama Jamaicense, 
but nothing different from what we had found below. 
West of Fort Terrett we found ourselves ona vast table land, 
the divide between Devil’s river to the west and the Nueces to 
the south. This country is a perfect desert, with only temporary 
supplies of water in holes, plenty of grasses though not properly 
prairie, being covered with mesquit bush, clumps of post-oak, 
and thickets of cedars and live oaks, the home of the peccary, or 
Mexican hog. The cretaceous rocks crop out in every direction, 
and traveling in a wagon through such a country is nothing but 
punishment. Here the curly mesquit grass (Hilaria cenchroides) 
for the first time Hoffmanseggia brachycarpa, Thelypodium line- 
arifolium, Actinella odorata, one of the commonest plants on the 
plains of W. Texas, and Erodium cicutarium, but this last I am 
satisfied was introduced through the agency of transient sheep. 
e were detained a whole week at Mackenzie Well, on the 
head of South Llano. The country is the same as the divide, 
but I had more leisure for collecting. The following are some 
of the most interesting plants: on the rocky knolls, Erythrea 
' ealycosa, Abutilon holosericeum, Encelia calva, Zexmenia hispida, 
and two ferns, Pellea flexuosa and Notholena sinuata ; in lower 
places, Chamesaracha coronopus, Aristolochia brevi pes, Dalea 
rubescens, Abutilon Wrightii and parvula, Argythamnia Neo- 
Mexicana, and a new variety of Sporobolus asperifolius, called 
brevifolius by Dr. Vasey. On the banks of Mackenzie Lake was 
found Zapania cuneifolia, var. angustissima. : 
I collected there many other plants that occur in other west- 
ern localities, such as Siphonoglossa pillosella, Aristida Rever- 
choni, Passiflora tenuiloba, and Boerhaavia viscosa. _ 
At Mackenzie Well we were convinced of the futility of try-. 
ing to reach the San Pedro, or Devil’s river, or even the Nueces, 
by the divide, for the trails were nothing but piles of rocks, over 
which our wagon would not have lived three days. Reluctantly, 
erefore, we took a trail going back to Junction City by the 
uth Llano. We found along this river about the same vegeta- 
tion as before, but two remarkable plants of this region deserve 
Mention. One is Nolina Texana, whose long leaves are for 
thatching Mexican huts, the other the Sotol (Dasylirion Texanum), 
of which I will speak more hereafter. 
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