SAXIFRAOACEAE 



New Mexico. It has small black fruits and .extremely thorny stems. 

 In many places it forms thickets along dry washes- -and in regions 

 where this is already common it should be seriously Considered as 

 an erosion control plant. It is highly susceptible to pinon blis- 

 ter rust but since it is already common in the pinon territory of 

 southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, it can hardly add to the 

 blister rust menace. 



Ribes pinetorum is a gooseberry which is exceedingly abundant 

 in many of the higher mountains of southern New Mexico and central 

 and southern Arizona. It can readily be distinguished from other 

 gooseberries of the region by its large, prickly fruits. Vfherever 

 this gooseberry is common it is quite extensively used for jellies. 

 The bushes form thickets end are good erosion control plants but 

 they require cool, high altitudes. This like other Ribes, is sub- 

 ject to the blister rusts. 



Ribes me sea ler ium is a wild currant of the drier mountain 

 ranges of western Texas and southern Rev; Mexico. The fruits are 

 black and arc covered with, glandular hairs. They are not usually 

 considered palatable. This currant frequently forms very large, 

 widespreading bushes. It is noteworthy because of its size and 

 its abundance in certain pinon regions. 



There are other currants and gooseberries in the southwest 

 but they are all relatively rare and of no particular significance 

 as erosion control plants. Some, like Ribes incrme, are locally 

 considered good for their fruits. 



FLAT ABAC EAR 



Flat anus wrightii , our native sycamore, is one of the hand- 

 somest trees bordering our rocky streams in the foothills of the 

 southwest. Like some others it is probably too common to be .appre- 

 ciated. There can be no doubt of its value in holding stream banks 

 and the boulders in the washes. The largo roots are frecuentlv found 

 extending entirely across the washes, While the sycamore is fre- 

 quently planted as an ornamental and as a shade tree, it seems never 

 to be planted with a view to obstructing erosion, A small grove of 

 these trees was planted in a draw east of the Santa Rita Mountains, 

 fifteen or twenty years ago. After the trees had grown to be five 

 or six inches in diameter they were all cut down close to the ground. 

 The grove was, however, not so easily discouraged. All the stumps 

 sprouted and a very dense cover has resulted with roots so thick 

 a rat would have difficulty in digging there. This suggests that 

 these trees might be used to control erosion and to regulate the 

 channel of mountain streams which frequently reach flood proportions. 



-ev- 



