GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 749 



tremely monotonous, as a few species exhaust the number, and you can 

 observe but an endless display of individuals. As justly remarked by 

 C. C. Parry, in his "Botany of the Mexican Boundary," "the peculiari- 

 ties of the scenery of a country depend upon its vegetable productions." 

 Thus one who has ever traveled across these sand deserts will not fail 

 to i^icture them in his memory, connected with the universally i^revalent 

 gray or dull olive color of the herbage. Hence, owing to the immense 

 number of individuals represented by only a few species, the scenery of 

 the countrj' has an unpleasant sameness. The extensive plains exhibit 

 a monotonous succession of the same forms, and the botanist, knowing 

 exactly what to expect, loses the zeal he would possess in a more varied 

 region. Occasionally, where a stream has made a richer soil, there is a 

 change from desert to valley flora, and the more brilliant hues of the 

 vegetation, from the delicately tinted petals to the rich green leaves, is 

 a wonderful rest to the eyes and awakens new zeal. 



On all these plains an entire absence of trees is noted, except a few of 

 stunted growth along the larger streams ; while the mountain-ranges 

 are sparingly timbered with Conifercv from base to summit, intermixed 

 along some of the foot-hills with "bitter cotton wood." Upon the plains 

 around Ogdeu a variation in the flora is noted as we near Great Salt 

 Lake. The higher types seem unable to exist in the strongly alkaline 

 soil, and give place to the Clienoijodiacece. This family is well represented 

 here, as is common along all bodies of salt water, not so much by 

 the number of species as by the immense display of individuals. Small 

 Polygonums and EupliorMas also mat the ground in jilaces, but are by 

 no means so abundant as the Cheuopods, chiefly represented by the 

 genus Obione. Wherever the soil is largely charged with alkali the 

 '■^ gTeaiie-^\^oo([^^ {Sarcohatus vermicidatus) in very abundant. In almost 

 the same situations were always found the Halostachys occidentaUs, Sali- 

 cornia herbacea, and Eurotia lanata, as well as numerous other cheno- 

 podiaceous plants. 



Farther back, toward the mountains, the higher types appear again, 

 and with a greater richness of color than seems possible in such soil. 

 Of course the Artemesias are common everywhere, and especially A. 

 tridentata, completely covering the plains and far up the mountain 

 slopes. Among the shrubby Artemisias can be seen the beautiful Calo- 

 diortus S'lCttallii, the "Sego" of the Mormons, numerous P/iZod?e,s and 

 Gilias, brilliant-flowered Cacti, several species of Eriogonum, chiefly E. 

 ovalifoliwn, E. lieracleoides, and E. iimhellatum, several species of (Eno- 

 tJiercij Astragalus, Fhacelia, and many others equally important that 

 might be mentioned. Along the water-courses may be seen two bright 

 Mimuli, M. Lewisii and 31. luteus, several labiate plants, two species 

 of rose, B. fraxinifolia and B. blanda, many Bammmdacew, the two 

 brilliant Gapjjaridacece, Clcome aurea and Cleome integrifolia, several 

 Onagracece, &c. 



All of these orders are far surpassed by the Compositcc, both in the 

 great variety of species and the immense display of individuals. Se- 

 reno Watson estimates that they comprise one-seventh of western col- 

 lections, and he b}^ no means overestimates them. 



II. The flora of the mountain-ranges. The plants collected from the 

 Wahsatch Mountains, near Ogden, are, for the most part, sub-alpine, and 

 almost identical with those collected at equal altitudes on the Teton 

 Eange, and seem to be identical with those common to every range in 

 the ]S^orthwest. But the Tetons rise so much higher, and are exposed 

 constantly to such severe cold from snow and winds, that, above 10,000 

 feet, 1 gathered a flora such as I saw nowhere else on the trip. Appar- 



