Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 4, Pt. 3

BOTANY.
Garretero, and other sub-tribes of the great Apacherian race, resort here for the purpose of
collecting the fruit of this pine. It probably forms one of the most important articles of their
subsistence. In an economical view of this country, it should not be forgotten or overlooked.
Immediately on our entrance into this valley, (November 19th,) we found and collected a new
species of Opuntia, with prostrate, nearly terete joints, entirely devoid of woody fibre; and at
Zuni, soon after, another, with a woody stem, low and prostrate, clearly distinct from O. arborescens, to which it somewhat approaches in its reticulated woody axis. Its fruit, seeds, spines,
and general habit, however, separate it from that well-known and widely disseminated species.
Very pretty specimens in fruit were obtained, but none in flower, which is much to be regretted.
As this tribe of interesting plants was almost the only one we could find and study, at this late
season of the year, our party rivalled each other in daily bringing some of them into camp that
had not been before seen or collected. Sometimes one would come in ahead of the others but
more frequently several would arrive at the same time with new specimens, and then a great
shout would ensue, in deciding upon the claims of priority. Lieutenant Whipple discovered
the first specimen of our new Cactodendron, as we were pleased to call it, to distinguish it from
the O. arborescens. We saw this same species afterwards growing six to eight feet high,
retaining all its peculiar characteristics, with the exception of not being prostrate. While on
the banks of the Colorado Chiquito, and only in that vicinity, we found a new Echinocactus,
the first of this genus met with on our route, but it was neither in flower nor fruit. It is quite
limited in its range, having been found only along the bottom lands of the Rio Colorado Chiquito.
In the rocky ravines, soon after leaving the river bottoms, we discovered a densely aggregated
Cereus, growing in large oval masses, which contained hundreds of low, ovate, fleshy stems, from
one root. Our highly esteemed friend, Dr. Engelmann, has made several species of such forms
of cerei, which are difficult to identify in the absence of flowers or fruit, on account of the great
variety in the number, size, and color of spines in the same species. The spines in the plant just
mentioned are angular, like those of Dr. Engelmann's Cer. enneacanthus; but they also very much
resemble those of his Cer. polyacanthus. The cactacee can only be well characterized by
their inflorescence, fruit, and general habit. Opuntia fragilis is very common in this valley,
offering many varieties of shape, size, and color of the spines. Nearly all cactacewe assume a red,
shrivelled, drooping appearance at this season of the year, very different from what they exhibit
when in vigorous growth. Cereus Fendleri, which is very common about the Pecos and Rio
Grande, has nearly its western limit here, soon to be replaced by Cer. Chloranthus, an unpublished
species of Dr. Engelmann. Among the shrubs peculiar to this part of the country is the beautiful and very aromatic Cowania Stansburiana. In Capt. Sitgreaves' reports, Dr. Woodhouse
mentions having seen an aromatic Fallugia paradoxa in this region, which must be a mistake.
It was this plant; for, although the fallugia and cowania somewhat resemble each other, the
former is never aromatic and balsamic, like the latter. The cowania grows on much more elevated positions than the fallugia, and is considered by the Mexicans as a most valuable medicine; often selling at the rate of half a dollar an ounce, under the name of alouseme. It is
highly esteemed as a styptic, and astringent in hemorrhagic discharges. A beautiful blueberried barberry (Berberis pinnata) is very common here, called by the Mexicans lena amorilla.
This shrub is very different from the one at the Copper Mines, (Santa Rita del Cobre,) collected
when I was on the Mexican boundary commission. The berries are very pleasant to the taste,
being saccharine with a slight acidity. Fallugia, cercocarpus, and another thornless rosaceous
shrub, probably a crmtagus, is common along the arroyos and rough low places. The Obione
canescens, and other species of the same genus, though not peculiar to this region, are met with
here in great abundance. The former is called by Mexicans chamizo, and by our people greasewood. It belongs to the tribe of chenopods, and we noticed that our sheep were very fond of
browsing upon it, choosing it in preference to grass. It is an unsightly weed, with a subshrubby stem, but withal very useful when we could get no better material for fuel.
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