84 NEW FIBRES FROM BRAZIL. 
a curious plant, Campanumea Javanica, a sort of climbing Campanula, 
with greenish flowers, veined like the Henbane, and black pulpy fruit ; 
it is a pretty plant. The enormous size of the leaves of the under- 
growth in these dells gives a most peculiar character. Gunnera, Cala- 
dium, and Musa occupy large spaces, and are eminently social plants. 
Thad this day the pleasure of seeing a Rhizantheous plant alive ; it 
is a species of Balanophora, and grows nearly underground on the 
root of a Cissus. ‘The thallus, or whatever you may call it, is slightly 
branched, fleshy, and glutinous, and is sought by the natives, who dry 
and burn it for torches.* Coming down, I had the pleasure of assisting 
in making the first plantation of Cinchona in Java, consisting of several 
hundred plants, which Bennendyk had come to plant half-way up the 
mountain. They are of the C. Calisaya, known to produce the “ Fellow- 
bark," the most precious of all the cinchonas.—J. M. 
On two Fibres from Brazil; by Tuomas C. AncnEn, Esq. ; with a Note 
by Str W. J. HOOKER. 
‘There has been imported, within the last few weeks, into Liverpool, 
from Bahia, two varieties of vegetable fibre which I believe are new 
to the commerce of this country. One of them is, commercially speak- 
ing, a species of flax, and is proposed to be used in the same way as 
that valuable material; it is in small hanks about twelve inches in 
length: the individual fibres are remarkably fine, and have a peculiar 
appearance, somewhat resembling a ‘/ong-staple’ sheep’s-wool. The 
colour is a pale green. This material was imported experimentally and 
was called ‘Tecum. I do not remember to have seen it mentioned in 
any works on Brazil. Upon comparing it with a specimen in the ‘ Col- 
lection of Liverpool Imports,’ I am led to imagine that it is the pro- 
duce of a Palm leaf; the specimen I refer to was a fine fibre, but 
coarsely prepared, from the leaves of the Carnahuba or Carnauba Palm 
(Corypha cerifera). The price stated in the foreign invoice is equiva- 
. lent to eighteen-pence per pound. 
** The other article is a very coarse red fibre of considerable length, 
* A European would as little expect such a property to exist in these plants as in 
our Lathrea squamaria or Montropa Hypopitys ; yet of another Balanophorous plant, 
.. án New Granada, candles are made, of which samples are deposited in our Museum of 
Economic Botany at Kew.—Ep. 
