BOTANICAL OBSERVATIONS IN SOUTHERN UTAH. 



When exposed to the withering summer heat of 105° to 110° F. 

 in the valley of the Virgen, it was tantalizing to see within twenty 

 miles to the north the rugged slopes of Pine Mountain streaked 

 with patches of snow. Having secured most of the lowland and 

 desert plants, I was anxious to supplement my collection with the 

 alpine flora of the adjoining high mountain districts. Accordingly, 

 on the 8th of June, I undertook an excursion to Pine valley, occu- 

 pying an extensive basin on the northwest slope of Pine Moun- 

 tain, thirty miles by the travelled road from St. George. Our 

 route, which if practicable would have followed up the valley of 

 the Santa Clara to its extreme sources, mounted by a series of 

 very steep ascents to the abrupt sandstone ridges bounding the 

 valley on the left. Higher up the rugged features of the bald up- 

 lands are greatly exaggerated by a confused intermingling of 

 sedimentary and igneous rocks. Recent volcanic overflows had 

 partly filled up the denuded sandstone ravines, with floods of 

 black, scoriaceous lava. Some distance farther on the source of 

 these igneous products is brought to view in two distinct volcanic 

 cones, with clearly defined craters. The course of the Santa Clara 

 through this confused labyrinth of aqueous and igneous deposits, 

 is completely hid from view in inaccessible chasms. At a consid- 

 erate elevation towards the foot-hills of Pine Mountain, there is 

 a stretch of comparatively level country, scantily watered by irreg- 

 ular snow-fed streams, known as Daraaran Valley. Here the poly- 

 morphous evergreen shruh oak ( undulata Torr.) makes 

 its appearance associated with the still more spiny-leaved Bar- 

 berry (Herberts Fremontii Torr.). Occasionally in strongly im- 

 pregnated saline soil, was noticed a broad leaved Lycium, the 

 species of which, on account of the absence of flower or fruit, 



Frequent along the roadside was an old Californian acquaint- 



known east of the Sierra Nevada, ami ;is if to keep up the distant 



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