152 DR. F. WELWITSCH ON THE VEGETATION 
interesting fact in geographical botany, which has come to my 
notice, is that a pendent parasitical Rhipsalis, often 6 feet to 8 
feet long, occurs here, growing abundantly in the elevated woods 
of this country, particularly luxuriating on Adansonia and Ster- 
culia, which consequently proves that Cacti are not restricted to 
America, as has hitherto been asserted. I will send living speci- 
mens also of this Rhipsalis, which I call Rh. Æthiopica, to you and 
Sir William Hooker. 
In the whole, I believe I have collected in this wood-region 2000 
species of plants, of which I have tried to describe the most re- 
markable genera, chiefly from living specimens. Farewell. 
Dr. Frieprico WELWITSCH. 
A Polygalea occurs as a climber 20 feet to 50 feet high, 2 foot 
in diameter. I believe it to be a Lophostylis, Hochst. 
S. Paulo de Loanda, 10th Feb. 1858. 
HIGHLY ESTEEMED SIR AND FERrEND,— When I was about to 
communicate to you last September a preliminary report on some 
of the results of my journey in the interior of Equinoctial Africa, 
I was prevented by a long illness from completing my letter, but 
send it now with these lines, as it contains something important 
about the vegetation of Golungo Alto and the adjacent moun- 
tain district. As I now feel rather better, I take the liberty of > 
continuing today the letter I had then commenced. In the first 
place, I beg to remark that I have penetrated, in a direct line, 
about 250 geographical miles into the interior; and I divide the 
territories I have visited into three regions :—1. Littoral and lower 
mountain region; 2. Region of the primeval dense forest woods 
(Regio montoso-sylvatica) ; and, lastly, 8. The flat woody region 
(Regio plano-sylvatica). The first region rises to about 1000 feet, 
the second to about 2500, the third about 3300 feet. I have 
taken the measurement of the heights of these regions, but have 
not yet made an exact computation of the results, and therefore 
note the heights as given above only as temporary. These three 
regions extend from west to east in such a way that the first 
stretches towards the east as far as 80 geographical miles, the 
second to about 160, and the third to somewhere about 250. 
Regarding the vegetation of the littoral region, which is almost 
the same from Sierra Leone to the mouth of the Cuanza, there 
have been many important facts already published in the ‘ Niger 
Flora’ of Sir W. Hooker. With regard to the second region, 
