OF THE MATTO GROSSO EXPEDITION, 1891-92. 267 
Calystegia sepium, Soc. The large, handsome, upright Jpomea fistulosa, Mart., is also a 
prominent feature in the landscape, and the Lepacho tree ( Tabebuia Avellaneda, Lorentz), 
leafless, and covered, at this season, with a cloud of pink blossom, affords a fine spectacle 
to the traveller. 
We steamed into Corumbá early in the morning of the 7th. Here it is necessary to 
tranship into a smaller vessel, and as this had not yet arrived at Corumbá on its down- 
ward journey, we were detained a day at that place, the fiscal capital of the province, and, 
as such, a town of some importance. Advantage was taken of this delay, and we went 
for a ramble through the woods, but with disappointing results, as, owing to its being the 
middle of the dry season, but few flowers were to be seen and most of the trees and 
shrubs were denuded of their leaves. A Stephanophysum * was common, and a lovely 
purple-flowered Ruellia; I also noted a Waltheria (probably W. viscosissima, A. St.-Hil.), 
a small Croton, Momordica Charantia, Linn., and the fine shrub Cordia insignis, Cham., 
then in full flower, while by the inundated bank of the river were Hichornea azurea, 
Kunth, and Jpomea fistulosa, Mart., accompanied in places where the current was not 
felt by Azolla americana in plenty. 
Next morning our boat left for Cuyabá, which city was reached on the 13th. While 
taking in wood at the various log-cutting settlements en route a few small specimens 
were hastily gathered; of these some have proved to belong to new species. An 
exceedingly common feature of the riverside flora is the prevalence of the willow-like 
Alchornea castanoplia, A. Juss., which forms a close fringe to the banks for a long 
distance. 
On the 21st, favourable chances having been meanwhile seized of collecting in the 
neighbourhood of the city, a small expedition set off, under the charge of Mr. Arthur 
Whitehorn, a gentleman then resident in Paraguay, for the Chapada plateau, lying several 
leagues to the east of Cuyaba, and the westernmost extension of the great plateau of Matto 
Grosso. The country round Cuyabá consists of gently rolling land, fairly well timbered, 
and with abundance of shrubby vegetation. ‘The subsoil is a red argillaceous earth, 
during the dry season baked as hard as a brick; this rests upon a platform of ancient 
slates, well exposed on the sides of deep watercourses which are dry at this time of the 
year. The traveller is struck by the curious appearance of the ground hereabout; this 
is due to the fact that, for miles around the city, the red earth has been turned over 
by gold-seekers, large quantities of the precious metal having been extracted here 
during the latter half of last century. As we passed, the woodlands were rather desolate, 
much of the vegetation being parched by the drought. Among the trees was seen a 
Cochlospermum (probably C. insigne, A. St.-Hil.), leafless now, but adorned with yellow 
blossom and cottony capsule; a Bignoniacea, most likely Tabebuia aurea, Benth. & Hook. 
f., bearing masses of golden flowers, and the Vochysiaceous Salvertia convallariodora, 
A. St.-Hil., its coarse ragged branches crowned with large woody fruits. Of shrubs one 
may mention the very common Bauhinia obtusata, Vog., with thick leaves, white petals, 
and lanky pods; Composites such as Vernonia obovata, Less., and Y. scabra, Less. ; 
Malpighiacee (Heteropteris nudicaulis, 8. Moore; Tetrapteris precor, S. Moore; 
* My presses being packed up, no specimens were collected during this ramble. 
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