STEEP TRAILS 



tains there is a live oak (Q. chrysolepis) , wide-' 

 spreading and very picturesque in form, but 

 not very common. It extends southward along 

 the western flank of the Sierra and is there 

 more abundant and much larger than in Ore- 

 gon, oftentimes five to eight feet in diameter. 



The maples are the same as those in Wash- 

 ington, already described, but I have not seen 

 any maple groves here equal in extent or in 

 the size of the trees to those on the Snoqual- 

 mie River. 



The Oregon ash is now rare along the stream- 

 banks of western Oregon, and it grows to a 

 good size and furnishes lumber that is for 

 some purposes equal to the white ash of the 

 Western States. 



Nuttall's flowering dogwood makes a brave 

 display with its wealth of showy involucres 

 in the spring along cool streams. Specimens 

 of the flowers may be found measuring eight 

 inches in diameter. 



The wild cherry (Prunus emarginata, var. 

 mollis) is a small, handsome tree seldom more 

 than a foot in diameter at the base. It makes 

 valuable lumber and its black, astringent 

 fruit furnishes a rich resource as food for 

 the birds. A smaller form is common in the 

 Sierra, the fruit of which is eagerly eaten by 

 the Indians and hunters in time of need. 



308 



