﻿Vol. 
  XV. 
  No. 
  3.— 
  Botanical 
  Gazette.— 
  Mar., 
  1890 
  

  

  The 
  botany 
  of 
  Slover 
  monntam. 
  

  

  SAMUEL 
  B. 
  PARISH. 
  

  

  This 
  IS 
  not 
  a 
  large 
  mountain, 
  rising 
  hardly 
  500 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  mesas 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Bernardino 
  valley, 
  in 
  southern 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  situated. 
  One 
  can 
  ride 
  around 
  it 
  on 
  level 
  

   ground 
  in 
  a 
  circuit 
  of 
  some 
  two 
  miles, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  isolated 
  

   from 
  the 
  neighboring 
  range 
  of 
  hills. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  prevail- 
  

   ing 
  granitic 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  region, 
  while 
  Slover 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  

   very 
  few 
  protrusions 
  of 
  limestone, 
  affording 
  to 
  the 
  surround- 
  

   ing 
  towns 
  good 
  lime 
  and 
  a 
  fair 
  quality 
  of 
  marble. 
  To 
  these 
  

   economic 
  advantages 
  it 
  doubtless 
  owes 
  the 
  dignity 
  of 
  a 
  name 
  

   in 
  a 
  country 
  where 
  many 
  more 
  considerable 
  elevations 
  are 
  

  

  left 
  without 
  one. 
  

  

  Everywhere 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  steep, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  inaccessible. 
  

   Its 
  sides, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  are 
  of 
  bare 
  rock, 
  and 
  where 
  there 
  

   is 
  soil 
  it 
  is 
  thin 
  and 
  stony. 
  It 
  is 
  without 
  springs, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   only 
  moisture 
  it 
  obtains 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  scanty 
  rain 
  of 
  the 
  short 
  

  

  winter. 
  

  

  One 
  would 
  expect 
  the 
  plants 
  inhabiting 
  such 
  an 
  arid 
  rock 
  

  

  to 
  be 
  few 
  in 
  number 
  and 
  of 
  little 
  interest. 
  But 
  in 
  reality 
  

   it 
  possesses 
  a 
  vegetation 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  remarkable 
  character. 
  

   Not 
  onlv 
  is 
  it 
  w^ell 
  supplied 
  w^ith 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  01 
  

   the 
  commoner 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  sun*ounding 
  hills, 
  but 
  it 
  also 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  within 
  its 
  narrow 
  limits 
  a 
  half-dozen 
  species 
  not 
  found 
  

   elsewhere 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  over 
  100 
  miles. 
  And 
  

   it 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  species, 
  coming 
  from 
  

   several 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  compass, 
  find 
  here 
  a 
  common 
  limit 
  of 
  

  

  their 
  known 
  ranges. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  north 
  there 
  is 
  Cheilanthcs 
  Cb<?/^r<^ 
  Eaton, 
  else- 
  

   where 
  known 
  at 
  only 
  three 
  stations, 
  the 
  nearest 
  at 
  Santa 
  Bar- 
  

   bara; 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  abundant 
  here, 
  and 
  grows 
  mostly 
  in 
  deep 
  fis- 
  

   sures 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  on 
  the 
  southwestern 
  face, 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  

   plants 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  other 
  sheltered 
  spots. 
  Of 
  this 
  fern 
  

   Slover 
  is 
  the 
  southern 
  limit. 
  Several 
  species 
  come 
  in 
  from 
  

   the 
  deserts 
  that 
  lie 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  range. 
  

  

  Noiholmna 
  crctacea 
  Liebm,, 
  the 
  N. 
  Candida 
  of 
  the 
  Botany 
  

   of 
  California, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  seams 
  of 
  the 
  rocks, 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  blaze 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  Into 
  such 
  narrow 
  cracks 
  

   does 
  it 
  force 
  its 
  roots 
  that 
  actual 
  quarrying 
  is 
  often 
  necessary 
  

  

  