46 



attaining a foot in height and five or six inches in diameter, and 

 called Car don de la Cordillera. Its colour is of an Indian red, 

 with the rigid bracteas completely covering and concealing the 

 flowers, even in their most perfect state ; it is common on the 

 summit of the range in moist places. I also detected another 

 singular plant, allied to Balanophora, but a perfectly distinct 

 genus, of which I have only three specimens not yet dry. 



A showy species of Salvia was found and a beautiful Begonia, 

 so much like a Fuchsia, both in habit and inflorescence, that I 

 at first took it for one, some of the best kinds of which it rivals 

 in splendour, and has the great advantage of being reported to bear 

 flower all the year round ; plants, and a few seeds of it are sent, 

 with two species of Achimenes, new to me ; one of them was in 

 flower, of dwarf habit with showy white flowers ; you will receive 

 roots of both. Of OrchidecB I have but few, as may be expected 

 in so open a country as I have passed through. Nos. 1 and 2 

 are fine and highly fragrant. 



Having received intelligence of the things I had sent up the 

 river (to save land-carriage), to the Puerto Maconal de Ocana, three 

 days journey from this and on the banks of the Magdalena, I 

 proceeded, carrying what plants I had collected, in order to secure 

 growing specimens, seeds &c, of the celebrated Phytelephas, which 

 I ascertained to abound on the other side of the range facing the 

 Magdalena. On my road to that place, one day's journey from 

 hence, I reached La Lagunata, a small settlement, where in the 

 evening I beheld some plants of the Tagua. On enquiring of my 

 host I found that I was in a good locality for procuring this re- 

 markable plant and accodingly remained some days. 



The P/igtelep/ias is a dioecious Palm, not robust, never forming 

 a Caudexf, and has generally from fifteen to twenty pinnated 



The genus is probably not really distinct from LopJiopkytum, Schott and Endlicher, 

 Meletr. t. 1, Of the Peruvian species the author remarks, that it is called " Mays 

 del Monte " by the Indians, and that it is cooked and eaten as Fungi are ; that, 

 after showers, it springs up at the roots of trees with wonderful rapidity ; but 

 that it soon, by continued rains, becomes corrupted or is destroyed by innumerable 

 minute insects. A second and smaller species is also noticed,' but not described, 

 by Poeppig. 



t This account is a little at variance with that of Kuiz and Pavon, who de- 

 scribe the Phytelephaz macrocarpa as having a short caudex, which they make 

 the only distinguishing specific distinction between it and their Phyt. microcarpa. 

 Hut the size of fruits in our plant forbid the idea of its being the P. microcarpa. 

 In the ' Voyage de la Bonite, Botanique ' I am informed that some recent livrai- 

 sons contain figures of several supposed species of Phytelephas, chiefly determined 

 by the fruits or nuts ; and it is possible that this may form one of the new 

 species ; but I have not that portion of Freycinet's work at hand to compare 



