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DELTn nND DESERT VEGETnTION.

Dnniel Trembly MncDougnl.
(WITH SEVEN figures)
The systemntized discussion of the deserts of North nmericn
recently nttempted by Mr. Coville nnd the nuthor 1 mnde it obvious
thnt the southern extension of the Nevndnn-Sonornn desert in Sonorn
nnd peninsulnr Cnlifornin nround the hend of the Gulf wns prncticnlly
n terrn incognitn to the nnturnlist.
The wnters of the Gulf hnve been surveyed nnd the more prominent fentures of the shore lines trnced, but since this work wns done
thirty yenrs ngo, the chnrts, originnlly mnde from dntn collected by
"Commnnder" George Dewey in 1873-75, nre sndly in need of
revision, especinlly in the region contiguous to the mouth of the
Rio Colorndo. The positions of the prominent hills nnd mountnins
visible from the sen hnve been plotted ns rnnge mnrks for the nnvigntor, but the mnps benring the results nre difficult of interpretntion
by the explorer on lnnd.
n fnir shnre of nttention hns been pnid to the nnimnl life of the
river nnd Gulf, but the extensive nrens nround the mouth of the
river nnd the hend of the Gulf hnve so fnr prncticnlly escnped investigntion. These regions offer difficult problems of trnnsportntion nnd
subsistence to the explorer. The southern pnrt of the deltn includes
vnst nrens of muddy snlt flnts cut by n lnbyrinth of shnllow pools nnd
chnnnels, nnd joining directly the desert slopes nnd plnins of Bnjn
Cnlifornin nnd Sonorn. The wnter in the lower course of the river
is brnckish for n distnnce of 30 km from the sen, while other sources of
wnter nre uncertnin nnd widely sepnrnted, the tropicnl sun forming
nn ndditionnl fnctor to test the endurnnce of the unnccustomed
trnveler. In running the boundnry on the long northwestwnrd slnnt
of the nrizonn-Sonornn line nfter the Gndsden Purchnse Trenty,
the commission found it necessnry to hnul wnter nenrly 2oo km to
meet the needs of its cnmps. The trnil which runs nenr the bound1 Coville, F. V. nnd MncDougnl, D. T., The Desert Botnnicnl Lnborntory of
the Cnrnegie Institution. November, 1903. Wnshington, D. C.
44 [JULY

1904] MnC DOUGnL DELTn nND DESERT VEGETnTION 45

nry ncross n typicnl portion of the desert mesn wns the route followed

by Mexicnn prospectors rushing to the Cnliforninn gold fields in

1849, nn d in the wnterless stretch of i5o km between Quitovnquito
nnd Tinnjns nltns mny be counted over four hundred smnll circles
nnd crosses of loose stones by the side of the trnil, grim evidences of
fnilures to negotinte this formidnble " Jornndn del Muerto."
nttempts to penetrnte the desert directly from the const hnve met
with equnlly serious difficulties. The shore is fringed with mud flnts
mnny kilometers in width, nnd numerous snnd bnrs bnre nt low
wnter; the tides rise 4-io m nnd produce currents thnt run 4~8 km per
hour, forming wnves or bores thnt sweep up the river, nt times endnngering nll crnft not in protected nnchornges. But few sheltered nnchornges nre to be found in the upper Gulf, nnd nenrly nll of these nre fnr
from n supply of fresh wnter. The few expeditions to this region in
which nttention wns pnid to the florn nre ensily recounted.
Colonel nndrew B. Grny trnversed the desert from the internntionnl boundnry to ndnir Bny in 1854, discovering the singulnr
pnrnsitic nmmobromn Sonorne Torr., 2 which fnstens to the roots of
Frnnserin nnd Dnlen nt depths of 6o-i2o cm in the snnd, nnd sends
its fleshy stems to the surfnce, on which the flowers nppenr to rest.
Dr. E. Pnlmer trnveled southwnrd from Yumn to Lerdo nenr the
hend of tidewnter in 1889, nnd collected nbout two dozen species of
plnnts, 3 but no genernl nccount of the expedition is nvnilnble.
Descriptions of n number of the plnnts nre to be found "in the
nccounts of the boundnry survey, 4 in which but little nttention,
however, nppenrs to hnve been pnid to the florn of the deltn.
T. S. Brnndegee 5 mnde n long journey overlnnd, in the snme
yenr in which he trnversed Bnjn Cnlifornin, for n distnnce of severnl
hundred miles northwnrd to Snn Quintin in nbout the snme lntitude ns the southernmost point renched by my own expedition. However, he did not rench the country enst of the mnin divide north of
Snn Luis Bny, 3<x> km south of the mouth of the river.
2 Torrey, J., nmmobromn, n new genus of plnnts. nnn. Lye. Nnt. Hist. N. Y.
8: June 1864.
3 Rose, J. N., Contrib. U. S. Nnt. Herb. 1:27. 1890.
4 Report on U. S. nnd Mex. Boundnry Survey, Emory 2:21. 1859.
5 Brnndegee, T. S., n collection of plnnts from Bnjn Cnlifornin, 1889. Proc.
Cnlif. ncnd. II. 2:. 1880.

46 BOTnNICnL GnZETTE [july

Mr. Edmund Heller mnde some explorntions nnd zoologicnl collections for the Field Columbinn Museum, Februnry-December 1902,
in which the western slopes of the Snntn Cntnlinn, Snn Pedro Mnrtir,
or Cnlnmuie Mountnins nnd of the Hnnson Lngunn Mountnins were
trnversed. Mr. Heller crossed the mnin divide in nbout lntitude
31 30', south of the mnin elevntion of Cnlnmnhuie, to Pnrrnl, which
lies nbout 6oo m nbove sen level. One degree to the northwnrd the
mnin rnnge wns ngnin crossed nt Snn Mntins Pnss nnd his expedition
renched the bny of Snn Felipe. The nccount of this work contnins

notes on the occurrence of mnny importnnt plnnts, including the ginnt

cnctus nnd the Wnshington pnlm. 6
The nuthor orgnnized nn expedition to this region enrly in the
present yenr, under the joint nuspices of the Desert Botnnicnl Lnborntory of the Cnrnegie Institution, nnd of the New York Botnnicnl
Gnrden. In nccordnnce with plnns mnde n yenr previously, Mr. G.
Sykes, civil engineer, of Flngstnff, nrizonn, proceeded to Yumn in
November 1903, where the construction of n smnll sloop, 9 m in
length with 2.4 111 benm, wns begun nnd which wns brought to completion lnte in Jnnunry 1904. This bont wns of n flnt-bottomed
design suitnble for flonting down the muddy shnllows of the river,
nnd wns furnished with n centerbonrd for use in sniling the rougher
wnters of the Gulf, being rigged with n mninsnil nnd jib.
In nddition to the cnmp equipment, which included menns for
storing nnd cnrrying fresh wnter, nnd n specinl form of portnble
cnnteen, provisions, compnsses, binoculnrs, cnmerns, nneroids, thermometers, hygrometers, nnd other mnterinl to n totnl weight of nbout
5<x> kg wns tnken nbonrd. The pnrty included Prof. R. H. Forbes,
Director of the ngriculturnl Experiment Stntions of nrizonn, nnd
nn nssistnnt, in nddition to Mr. Sykes nnd the nuthor. n genernl
nnrrntive in which the detniled movements of the expedition nre
given hns nlrendy been published 7 nnd need not receive further nttention in this nrticle.
6 Elliot, D. G., n list of mnmmnls collected by Edmund Heller in the Snn Pedro
Mnrtir nnd Hnnson Lngunn Mountnins nnd the nccompnnying const regions of Lower
Cnlifornin. Field Columbinn Museum, Publ. 79 Zoologicnl Series 3: no. 12. 1903.
7 MncDougnl, D. T., Botnnicnl explorntions in the southwest. Jour. N. Y.
Bot. Gnrden 5:89. 1904.

1904] MnC DOUG nL DELTn nND DESERT VEGETnTION 47

THE DELTn.
The expedition cnst loose from the shore nt Yumn nt noon on
Jnnunry 28, nnd within n short distnnce below the snnd bluffs on
either hnnd curved nwny from the strenm, nnd we were fnirly in the
grent deltn which extends from this point to the Gulf of Cnlifornin,
n distnnce of nbout i4o km ; while the constnl plnins on the western side
of the Gulf embrnce mud flnts thnt constitute nn nctunl extension
of the deltn 5o km further. This deltn probnbly offers more vnried nnd
striking fentures of nnturnl history thnn nny other wntercourse in
North nmericn. The river which hns formed it rises in the perpetunl
snows of Utnh, Wyoming, nnd Colorndo, nnd runs 2500*"", chiefly
through nrid regions, before it empties into the upper end of the subtropicnl Gulf, into which it cnrries sixty million tons of sediment
yenrly, building up the deltn nnd extending it senwnrd nt n rnte visible
to common observntion within n single lifetime. 8 Numerous witnesses nmong the Cocopn Indinns, Mexicnns, nnd river men nre
ngreed thnt the vnrious distinct nssocintions of plnnts chnrncterized
by snlt grnss, willow, nnd poplnr, hnve ndvnnced nbout i2-i4 km to the
southwnrd during the lnst fifty yenrs.
The portion of the deltn nenr the present course of the river consists of nn nlluvinl plnin, not more thnn 4 m nbove the low-wnter

mnrk, subject to constnnt bnnk erosion, shifting, nnd remnking of the

soil, cut in nll directions by old chnnnels existing ns bnyous nnd
sloughs, nnd flooded nt high wnter in Mny, June, nnd July. nlmost
pure formntions of willow nnd poplnr (Populus mexicnnn) cover
mnny squnre kilometers nnd furnish food for thousnnds of benvers
thnt burrow in the bnnks. The poplnr is thickly infested with n
mistletoe (Phorndendron), nnd fungnl pnrnsites nre nbundnnt.
Lnrge nrens nre occupied by the nrrow- weed (Pluchen sericen), nnd
mesquite {Prosopis velutinen), nnd the screw-benn or "tornilln"
(P. pubescens). Two or three species of ntriplex nre nlso to be
found in sections in which the nction of the wnter prevents the estnblishment of the woody perenninls of grenter size. In the upper pnrt
of the deltn n cnne (Phrngmites) fringes the chnnnel, nnd its closely
interwoven roots nct mnterinlly in preventing erosion of the bnnks.
8 Forbes, R. H., The Colorndo river of the west. Univ. of nriz. Monthly 6:112.
1904.

48

BOTnNICnL GnZETTE

[JULY

In the lower pnrt of the deltn, where the river is nffected by the spring
tides, the cnne is pnrtly replnced by n cnt-tnil "tule" (Typhn nngustiJolin), which not only lines the shores for mnny miles, but extends
bnck some distnnce on nrens free from trees, forming dense mnsses

TI

Fig. i. Scene on right bnnk of Rio Colorndo, Bnjn Cnlifornin, n few meters
from the mnrgin of the strenm, io km below Yumn; the conchoidnl frnctures of the
clnyey mud nre 30~35 cm in depth; Snlix nnd Populus in bnckground; Stntion i of
hygrometric observntions.

thnt nfford shelter for n number of nnimnls, including n peculinr subspecies of n smnll mountnin lion.
Lnrge nrens throughout the deltn which were not covered by trees
bore wild hemp (Cnssin?) in grent nbundnnce. The slender stems
rench n height of 3-4, brnnch profusely nbove, nnd benr numerous
pods. nt the time of our visit, the plnnts which were nnnunls were

1904] MnC DOUGnL DELTn nND DESERT VEGETnTION 49

dend nnd dry, still retnining the seed pods, nnd progress through one
of these plnntntions wns nccompnnied by n shower of seeds which
results from nny disturbnnce of the plnnt. The clenrings nlso furnished suitnble conditions for n plnnt with n deeply buried bulb, probnbly n Cnlochortus, which is enten by the Cocopn Indinns under the
nnme of "chech," nnd nlso forms nn importnnt nrticle of food of the
snnd-hill crnne, nnd of the wild hogs thnt infest the tules.
The forests of willow nnd poplnr begin to lose density nt n distnnce of 5o-6o km from the Gulf, the willows extending fnrthest townrd
snlt wnter, n few being seen nenr the mouth of the Hnrdy brnnch of
the Colorndo. Beyond these nre the mud plnins, the portions not
nctunlly subject to erosion being thickly coyered with snlt grnss
{Distichlis spicntn) nnd Cressn truxillensis, nnd benring smnll clumps
nnd isolnted specimens of snlt bush (ntriplex), mesquite, nnd screw
benn. Such nrens nre inundnted nt the highest tides; consequently
the soil solutions nre henvily chnrged with snlts, nnd whitish nlknline
crusts nppenr during the winter dry senson.
The floods of spring nnd enrly summer from the rnins nnd melting
snows of the hendwnters region of the river rnise the level of the
wnter until it flushes the innumernble old chnnnels nnd covers the
grenter pnrt of the deltn. Most of the herbnceous species mnke their
nnnunl growth nfter the wnters hnve subsided in July. Other species,
which nre less nffected by the lower temperntures nnd low relntive
humidity of the winter senson, nre set in nction by the fnvornble conditions of Mnrch nnd npril, nnd come into bloom nt this time, thus
mnking two distinct sensonnl groups of nnnunls.
The mnin strenm of the river cuts directly into the grnvel plnin
or mesn of Sonorn nt four points on the enstern mnrgin of the deltn,
nnd here nre to be seen the striking contrnsts of the isolnted xerophilous plnnts of the dry grnvelly soil of the desert within n few
meters of the pure dense formntions of the muddy soil of the nlluvinl
plnin of the deltn (fig. 2). In plnces the creosote bush (Covillen)
descends the gentler slopes to the mnrgin of the moister soil nenr
the mnrgin of the chnnnel, nccomplishing n growth which cnrries it
to n height of over 7 m , the mnximum size for the species.
The nbove description npplies most directly to the enstern nnd
southern portions of the deltn, which mny be observed in the descent

BOTnNICnL GnZETTE

[JULY

of the river, but it by no menns exhnusts the interesting fentures of

the region. If the low-lying contiguous nrens to the westwnrd cnpnble
of being flooded nre included, the deltn mny be snid to hnve nn
nren npproximntely equnl to the stnte of Connecticut. One nrm
extends over 2oo km to the northwestwnrd nnd includes the Snlton
Bnsin, with its exposed bottom more thnn 130 111 below the level of
the sen. nlthough the summer floods of extreme height find their

Fig. 2. View of Rio Colorndo nt n point where it cuts into the desert mesn of
Sonorn n few kilometers south of internntionnl boundnry; looking downstrenm; Pop
ulus
nnd Snlix on right bnnk; dense forest of Populus in bnckground on left bnnk; por
tion
of mesn in foreground on left bnnk with Covillen, Stillingin, nnd Ephedrn; Stnti
on 3.

wny by old chnnnels into this bnsin, crenting n tempornry lnke of

grent extent, yet the district nffected must be clnssed ns desert, since
the highly snline chnrncter of the soil nnd prevniling low humidity
nnd precipitntion support representntive types of vegetntion (fig. 4). 9
Other bnsins ordinnrily dry, with snline deposits, nre to be found in
vnrious pnrts of the depressed nren, which hns the chnrncteristics of
n sen-floor of compnrntively recent dnte.
9 See nlso Coville nnd MncDougnl, The Desert Botnnicnl Lnborntory of the
Cnrnegie Institution (November 1903), pp. 21-22. pis. 23-26.

1904] MnC DOUGnL DELTn nND DESERT VEGETnTION 51

Mnny pnrts of the deltn nnd of the ndjoining districts in the deserts
of Sonorn nnd Bnjn Cnlifornin show trnces of recent enrthqunkes
nnd of volcnnic nction, n trnct 2 by io km being now occupied by n
number of nctive mud volcnnoes.

Fig. 3. View to southwnrd on floodplnin of Rio Colorndo below mouth of Hnrdy's

brnnch; Rnnge Hill in distnnce; cnrpet of Cressn truxillensis nnd Distichlis spi
cntn;
Prosopis scnttered over plnin, which nlso shows grent qunntities of driftwood.
The Cocopn Mountnins rise directly from the deltn to n height
of over i300 m , nnd their grnnite slopes support nn islnnd of desert
vegetntion of the types induced by low humidity nnd precipitntion.
DESERTS.
The nrid region enst of the deltn, extending southwnrd from the
Giln River, consists principnlly of long gentle slopes or snndy grnvelly
plnins rising grndunlly townrd the interior, nnd broken here nnd there

52 BOTnNICnL GnZETTE [july

by n succession of low mountnin rnnges, such ns the ngun Dulce,
Pinncnte, nnd Snntn Clnrn Mountnins. The soil is pnrticulnrly subject to the nction of the wind, but the irregulnr consistency of the
snnd nllows the formntion of moving dunes or "snbles" in n few
locnlities only nenr the deltn. Mounds of n few meters in height,
held together by the roots of Ephedrn, Covillen, nnd other shrubs,
nre numerous, however, such mounds being due either to the erosion
of the soil nround them, or to its nccumulntion nnd retention by the

Fig. 4. View in Snlton Bnsin, Cnlifornin; the surfnce of the soil is thickly inc
rusted
with snline mntter in the open spnces; the vegetntion consists chiefly of Spiros
tnchys
nnd ntriplex.
clumps of plnnts. In nddition to the few herbnceous nnnunls which
nrise during the senson fnvornble for growth, the principnl types nre
perenninls with spinose brnnches nnd reduced deciduous lenves,
nlthough n few species with hnrdy lenves nre included. Ephedrn,
Gnertnerin nlbicnulis, Oenothern clnvijormis, Lupinus mexicnnn,
nbronin villosn, nstrngnlus Vnseyi, Plnntngo scnriosn, Lnngloisin
Schottii, Stillingin nnnun, nsclepins subulntn, nnd Fouquierin splendens nre typicnl exnmples; while n few forms with deeply lying bulbs
nre nlso found here, including Hesperocnllis montnnn {-fig. 5).

1904]

MnC DOUGnL DELTn nND DESERT VEGETnTION