DE. E. SPRUCE ON* EQUATOUIAL- AMEBIC A.N PALMS. 83 



height, and that, except on the river-banks, they are often quite 

 hidden from yiew until closely approached. Prom some of the 

 naked-topped granite hills of the Eio Negro and Orinoco, and 

 from the ascent of the eastern side of the Andes, I have looked 

 over perfect oceans of forest, and am able to assert that very 

 rarely do palms domineer over all other trees — so rarely, indeed, 

 that I believe I have only noted it twice, and that on a very 

 limited area, during the whole course of my travels. On the con- 

 trary, the foliage of a grove of gregarious palms, such as the 

 Piassaba and the great Carana, is usually depressed below the top 

 of the surroimding forest. 



In faithfully recording my own experience, I have no thought 

 of impugning the testimony of other, and no doubt equally con- 

 scientious observers. Humboldt and Bonpland assure us that they 

 saw AVax-palms {Geroxylon andicold) 180 feet high in the cool 

 forests of the Andes of New Granada, and therefore no doubt 

 surpassing every other tree in their neighbourhood. Dampier, in 

 his graphic account of Campeacliy, says, '^ As the [Silk] Cotton is 

 the biggest tree in the woods, so the Cabbage-tree [or palm] is 

 the tallest ; the body is not very big, but very high' and straight. 

 I have measured one in the Bay of Campcachy 120 feet long as it 



lay on the ground; and there are some much higher Those 



trees appear very pleasant, and they beautify the whole wood, 

 spreading their green hranches over all ofJicr trees "*. Here he 

 plainly speaks of the appearance of the forest from the sea ; and 

 his testimony does not contradict my own ; for I concede that the 

 low forest, such as usually grows at the swampy heads of bays 

 and along inundated river-margins, is overtopped by Cocos, Mau- 

 ritias, and other maritime and riparial palms. 



It only remains to adduce the measurements on which the fore- 

 going conclusions depend. The loftiest forest-trees of the Amazon 

 valley do not exceed 200 feet in height. The tallest tree from 

 which I ever gathered flowers was about 140 feet ; but I have 

 measured a prostrate tree that was 157 feet long ; and having pre- 

 viously lost the top, that would have made the entire length 10 

 to 20 feet more, or, say, 170 feet. But I have trustworthy testi- 

 mony from the late Messrs. Campbell, of Para, and others, that 

 Silk Cotton-trees (Eriodendron SamamjiayMavt,) and Para-nut trees 

 {Bertholletia excelsa, H., B., K.) have been cut down measuring 

 full 200 feet, which is, indeed, very credible from the height to 



* Travelfi, vol. i. p. 165. 



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