986 Botanical Notes from Tucson. [ December, 
cosa. Another is the Antirrhinum maurandioides, a pretty climb- 
ing plant, with large blue flowers and sagittate leaves. It is very 
common, and climbs over all plants within its reach. The Cws- 
cuta californica grows in such profusion as to completely over- 
whelm many other plants, and gives a peculiar yellowish appear- 
ance to all, while Convolvulus occidentals, with large white flow- 
ers, covers large patches of ground with its trailing stems. Cas- 
tilleta linariefolia is very common in patches, and is tall and slen- 
der, with bright red flowers and linear leaves. 
Almost the only other locality in the neighborhood of Tucson 
favorable for the growth of plants, is along the Santa Cruz river, 
a small stream which rises to the south of the city, flows past it, 
sinks into the ground some ten miles on the other side, rises 
again to the surface, and finally empties into the Gila river. For 
some distance along its banks the Mexican women use it as a 
wash tub, and along a special part of it can be seen, at all times, 
numbers of women washing clothes. They beat them on the 
stones and wear out the clothes as much as take out the dirt. 
Near the stream, climbing extensively over the bushes, grows 
Clematis drummondii, with three-parted leaves and large clusters 
of white flowers. Here also is found the Philabertia cynanchoides, 
one of the Asclepiadacee. It has extensively twining stems, 
arrow-shaped leaves and small clusters of greenish yellow flow- 
ers. A mile further up the stream we come to where it has been 
run into a sort of canal to run a mill, and along the side of the 
mountain, below the canal, where the ground is always moist, 15 
a good growth of vegetation. Here is found Aster pauciflorus, 
with long linear leaves, and flowers with blue rays in branched 
corymbs. The larger growth consists principally of willows and 
poplars, Populus fremonti, var. Wislizeni, being the most com 
mon. The Zessaria borealis is another tree with the aspect of a 
Baccharis and a willow. It has small, linear, silky leaves and 
rose-colored flowers in dense clusters. The down of the seeds 15 
used extensively by the birds for lining their nests. : 
Along the banks of the stream is a little Hydrocotyle, - Li- : 
a Susticum, Eleocharis palustris and other plants loving damp ocali- Poe 
tes, and in the water Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton 
, Hatans and P. pectinatus. At the other side of the city, but ee 
_ Within the influence of the river, grows Tribulus grandiflorus, 
? 
S of the Zygop a llacez. It has large, beautiful, orange-colored 
