PLANTS WITH HERMAPHRODITE FLOWERS.

(14, 8) (16) (12, 13, 8, 9, 10) (9, 11, 15) 19) (14, 6, 8, 6) (16, 12) (20, 23, 26) (18, 19) 14) (18, 17) (8) (7) (6)

(20, 18, 18, 16, (14, 25, 19, 23,

PLANTS WITH PISTILLATE FLOWERS.

(13, 14) (10, 9, 6, 10) (19, 16, 13, 22) (14, 13, 21, 16) (8, 7, 11) (3, 4) (8, 6, 5, 6, 3) (7, 9, 9) (9) (7, 9, 8) (3) (10, 6) (13, 5, 9, 11, 12) (13, 8, 10) (15, 16) (22, 20, 19, 17, 16, 17) (14, 18, 20)

These tables are interesting as showing the variable number of seeds ripening, and also that the two kinds of plants are equally variable in this respect.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE.

A. Perfect flower; a, honey gland; b, anther discharging pollen.

B. Pistillate flower; a, honey gland; b, anther discharging pollen.

C. Immature stigma.

D. Receptive stigma.
E. Sterile stamen.

F. Fertile anther.

BOTANICAL EXCURSION TO ANTELOPE VALLEY. By Dr. A. DAVIDSON.

On the first day of May my companion and I arrived at Lancaster, Los Angeles Co., on a botanical excursion, and early the following morning took our seats in the mail stage for Gorman Station, fifty miles westwards. The district traversed, commonly known as the Antelope Valley, is practically an immense, level, triangular plain bounded by the Tehachapai Mountains on the north and the Sierra

Madre on the south, and at the point of junction is Gorman, a few miles on this side of the summit of the pass that lies within thirty miles of Bakersfield. The soil immediately surrounding Lancaster, and for twenty miles west thereof, is little cultivated, but beyond that point the valley, in almost its whole extent, may be considered as land fertile and fruitful.

About midway on this journey is the Colony of Manzana where about three thousand acres of the land bordering the southern foothills is occupied by neatly cultivated and thriving orchards of almond trees. The remainder of the valley where cultivated is sown with wheat. This year, doubtless owing to the opportune rains of winter, the wild plants all over this section have not only been more abundant than I have ever seen them but the colored species are of a deeper, richer tint. The mind may picture, to some extent, perhaps, the gorgeous effects produced by the acres on acres of wheat fields and hillsides aglow with Eschscholtzias, their petals of burnished gold and crimson reflecting the rays of the noon-day sun, while here and there large and deep blue patches of Salvia carduacea and the purple of Orthocarpus purpurascens amidst the golden Eschscholtzia heightens the beauty of the scene. Amsinckia spectabilis, F. & M., known here by the rather appropriate name of "Woolly Breeches," is very abundant, and in the uncultivated or neglected fields it seems for a season or two, with Tropidocarpum scabriusculum, Hook., to monopolize the soil.

As we continued our journey, the valley gradually narrowed until the terminus was reached at Gorman, where it is but a narrow pass. There we arrived at six o'clock and made our quarters in the old hostelry. The next morning the stiff breeze of the day before had increased to a gale, so we turned our faces to the southern hills, and explored the sheltered valleys on that side.

As the object of this paper is to list the various plants of this district that are mostly unrecorded for the county, I shall omit all reference to the commoner species. The first

plant gathered, and of which we had seen specimens on the way, was Collinsia Davidsonii, Parish. It seems to be abundant all along the foothills from Lancaster. The type specimens from the latter place possessed a smooth calyx, while some of those here, and near Manzana, were more or less hirsute, nevertheless, it proves to be a good species. The beautifully colored Astragalus Purshii, Dougl., was abundant, growing with Senecio multilobatus, T. & G.; the latter, common enough on the coast hills at an altitude of four thousand feet, I have not found further east on this range, although it extends inland on the northern mountains as far as Tehachapai. A few plants, the only ones seen, of Balsamorrhiza deltoidea, Nutt., were noticed among the scrub oak, and Ribes leptanthum, Gray, Phacelia ciliata, Benth., Streptanthus acutirostris, and Galium Andrewsii, Gray, were all in flower. In a sheltered nook my first specimen of Bromus carinatus, Hook., was gathered, and on the margin of the marsh, near the station, appeared Microseris montana, Greene, and a variety of Vicia Americana with hirsute leaves.

In the afternoon we climbed the steep slopes of the hills on the northern side of the pass, which, on account of the trespassing sheep, were nearly devoid of underbrush but copiously covered with Lupinus formosus, var. Bridgesii, Greene, L. Chamissonis, Esch., var. longifolius, Wats., L. micranthus, Dougl., Layia heterotricha, H. & A., Gilia tenuiflora, Benth., and, more sparingly, G. inconspicua, Dougl., var. sinuata, Gray. In the shade of some live oaks Ellisia membranacea, Benth., was abundant. On the rocky ground grew Streptanthus heterophyllus, Nutt., Enothera gauræflora, T. & G., and a few plants of Astragalus Antiselli, Gray.

On the next day we took the stage back to Manzana, collecting on the way Madia elegans, Don, Troximon heterophyllum, Greene, Malacothrix Coulteri, Gray, and Mirabilis multiflora, Gray, var. pubescens, Wats., the last not yet in flower. For the next three days we made Manzana our headquarters in order to explore the hilly district adjoining.

About three miles from Manzana is a small sheet of water, Lake Catrina, the road to which is well defined and botanically very interesting. As we entered the foothills the first shrub encountered was the wild almond, Prunus fasciculata, Gray. Gilia Parryæ, Gray, and G. dichotoma, Benth., are here abundant. Throughout the day the latter can scarcely be observed, its convoluted tube being tightly closed, is inconspicuous; but at five in the afternoon all is changed. The plants of Gilia Parryæo, that all day sparkled like daisies in the sun, have closed, and in the space of ten or fifteen minutes, Gilia dichotoma has unrolled its petals and filled the air with sweet fragrance. With the appearance of the morning sun Gilia dichotoma goes to sleep again, and Gilia Parryæ opens. A few specimens of Collinsia Childsii, Parry, gathered here had such congested branches as to appear new to me, but Dr. Robinson of Harvard, who examined them, informs me that the same form was gathered by the Death Valley explorers. Peucedanum dasycarpum, T. & G., and P. Parishii, C. & R., were plentiful and in the shade of the pine trees, further on, Leptotaenia multifida, Nutt., was coming into flower. Chanactis Fremonti, Gray, C. stevioides, H. & A., C. Xantiana, Gray (the two latter rare), with Viola præmorsa, Dougl., and Arabis pulchra, M. Jones, were here observed.

On the heights near the shore of the lake Thermopsis Californica, Wats., was growing, while around the water were a number of willows which presented a curious appearance on account of the long rootlets hanging from their branches six feet up, the result of a long continued overflow of water about six years ago.

Entering a cañon south of this, and passing over a high ridge into King's Cañon, gave us an opportunity of seeing some new shrubs. In the bottom of the watercourses and in King's Cañon a few trees of Esculus Californica, Nutt., were found; doubtless they are to be found in all the moist cañons of the range. The pine trees here (alt. 3,500 ft.) are all Pinus Sabiniana, Dougl., while farther westwards P.