198 BULLETIN DE L'HERBIER BOISSIER. (2) 



portion being mountainous, while the greater number are characleristic 

 of dry lands and high plateaus. Quite close to Colorado Springs are the 

 entrances to various canons, which traverse red sandstone, then granité, 

 into which we made a number of excursions, lhat were, however, not 

 very productive. From the small town of Manitou, celebraled for ils 

 minerai Springs and beautiful situation, we made the ascent of Pike's 

 Peak (14,150 ft.), which was very interesting from the botanical point of 

 view. The path follows the mountain torrent, at first in a hot ravine with 

 luxuriant végétation, and later enters the granité région, where an 

 Alpine flora begins to appear. At 10,000 feet (Half-way House) this flora 

 is entirely mountainous ; at 12,000 feet the pine forest reaches ils 

 extreme limit and gives place to meadows, on which numerous alpine 

 species grow. The summit of Pike's Peak is rocky, yet some plants grow 

 there among the stones. At the time of our visit (end of June, 1891) 

 the top was covered with snow. 



However, the majority of the species which we have collected come 

 from the neighborhood of Boulder, a small, thriving town which is the 

 seat of the State University of Colorado. 1t lies just at the foot of the 

 mountains, about 30 miles northwest of Denver. At Boulder itself 

 (4500 ft.) the flora is still that of a warm climate; but very little above it, 

 the types become mountainous. Among the numerous excursions which 

 we made around Boulder, may be mentioned that to the burning rocks of 

 Flagstaff Hill (6500 ft.?), then to North Boulder Peak (8000 ft.?) and 

 South Boulder Peak (8500 ft.?), whose summits of red sandstone, rising 

 vertically above the granité on which they rest, are encircled by lonely 

 forests. Finally we reached Caribou (10,000 ft.), a small mining village 

 surrounded by high peaks, of which the principal is Arapahoe (about 

 14,000 ft.), a black, preeipitous rock on which snow could scarcely find a 

 resting place. During the few days that we camped near Caribou, at the 

 upper edge of the pine forest, we took quite a number of walks, that 

 were unfortunately often disturbed by rain, and once by snow. The 

 surrounding summits are very rieh in species characteristic of high 

 mountains. This is especially true of Bald Mountain (about 13,000 ft.), 

 from which the view extends toward the east over the immense prairie, 

 always warm and sunny, and toward the west, over numerous bare and 

 lofty peaks, that are as yet but little known. Hère, we imagine, there is 

 ;i field for excursions, equally interesting and picturesque, but which, 

 unfortunately, it was impossible for us to explore. 



Geneva (Switzerland), October 17. 1893. I) 1 ' Eugène Penard. 



