210 Some Useful Plants of Southern California. 



soil on our liills and mesas, and in shaq) contrast with the dark, 

 olive-green foliage of the eonimon Rhus, with which it is often asso- 

 ciated. It rarely attains a height of fifteen feet, with a trunk diam- 

 eter of four or five inches. Sometimes one standing alone forms a 

 very symmetricalh' shaped tree, but it usually forms an oval mass 

 with its dense foliage. The Simmondsia, as an ornamental shrub, is 

 likely to meet with i)opular favor. Growing in fertile valleys and 

 on barren hills, along exposed sea-cliffs and on the brink of the 

 great Colorado desert, and equally tenacious of life whether in a 

 situation of perpetual summer or where exposed to the snows of 

 winter, it may be presumed that it will prove both hardy and easy 

 of cultivation. The Simmondsia is a prolific bearer of an edible nut 

 resembling an acorn both in size and shape. The resemblance is 

 still further inci-eased by the persistent calyx which forms a cup for 

 the fi-uit. When ripe the outer envelope splits open and liberates the 

 nut or nuts enclosed. The\' have a pleasant nutty flavor, and I 

 have frequently enjo^-ed eating them without any injurious efi"ects. 

 I am not aware that they were eaten by the Indians, but probably 

 they formed an important article of food with them. 



Prunus ilicifolia. — The Oak-leaf cherry is one of the character- 

 istic shrubs of San Diego county, and might, with nearly equal 

 appropriateness, be termed the Holly-leaved cherry-, as the foliage is 

 somewhat between that of our shrub oaks and the holly. It is not 

 rai-e both near the sea coast and on the higher mountains bordering 

 the sterile Colorado basin, and some seasons it proves to be a ver\^ 

 prolific bearer. Near the coast, I think it is oftener barren than in 

 the interior, but it grows rather more kixurianth- in some of the 

 sheltered and fertile canyons near the ocean. As an ornamental 

 shrub it is highly appreciated, especially for hedges, and is exten- 

 sivelv planted for that purpose near Los Angeles, I am informed. 

 The glossv, dark evergreen foliage is alwa^'S pleasing, and its dense, 

 pricklv character is an excellent feature. The fruit is of a dull crim- 

 son when matvire, oval in shape, often rather blunt at the ends, and 

 an inch in length. A bush loaded with the fruit is a tempting sight, 

 but it is rather aggravating to find the pulp scarce an eighth of an 

 inch thick. The stone forms the larger part of the fruit; but it is 

 still worthy of notice, and finds its champions among our countrj^ 

 people, w'ho calmly state that the}- prefer it to the gi-ape ! A basket- 

 ful may be quickly gathered at the proper time (September and 

 early October) if the season has been favorable, and possibh' were 

 not other fruits so abundant it might become of use for the table. 

 I think I have seen it stated that the experiment of grafting culti- 

 vated cheiries on to this species has proved a success. If true, it 



