KEW GARDEN MUSEUM. 249 
153. Iriartea ventricosa, Mart. (Paviúda barriguda, or big-bellied 
Paxiüba of the Brazilians). (Branches of spadix with fruit, young 
spathes, and pinnz of fronds.) Serra de São Gabriel. Frequent on 
the Upper Rio Negro, and ascending high into the mountains. Height 
(including cone of roots, 5 feet 6 inches) 63 feet to insertion of fronds. 
Trunk 8 inches in diameter, from base to middle, where it begins to 
swell out; reaches its greatest thickness (20 inches) at 10 feet 6 
inches from the apex; thence tapers again to insertion of fronds. 
Fronds few (about 7), 19 feet long; sheaths scarcely any. Spadices 
22 inches long (including peduncle, 10 inches); branches simple or 
forked from very near the base, pendulous, subcontiguous by their di- 
lated bases. : : 
184. Astrocaryum sp.—lgarapé in falls of São Gabriel. These 
fruits were brought me under the name of Tucúm, but they can hardly 
belong to Astrocaryum vulgare, which is not described to have leproso- 
tomentose fruits, like these. 
155. Pinne of the young fronds of Tucúm (Astrocaryum sp.), from 
which maqueira-cord is made. The cuticle of the outer (upper) sur- 
face is the part used. To obtain it the leaflet, when fresh, is split 
along the midrib into two parts, and each of these is doubled down 
near the base by a sudden motion, which causes it to break across, 
with the exception of the cuticle, which being more tough, remains 
unbroken, and is then laid hold of and stripped off in a piece. 
156. Maqueira (hammock) of Murití.—The cord from which this is 
woven is made from the cuticle of the fronds of the Murití Palm, which 
is stripped off in the same manner as that of the Tucám. Hammocks 
of Murití are softer, but less durable than those of Tucüm. 
157. Petiole of Caraná-assú (Copernicia sp.) with the skin stripped 
off, in which state it is used on the Rio Negro for corks, bird-cages, 
ete. a 
158. Shells of some fruit strung together, and tied round the right : 
ankle in the Dabocurís (dances) of the Barré Indians, producing a loud © : 
rattling noise with every movement of the wearer. They come from = 
the Rio Icanna, and are possibly the stone of some drupe. 
159. Pod of the Zugá-péua (i.e. flat Inga). Planted in sitios near | * 
São Gabriel, but I have not yet seen fruit dioe 
.160. Salsa-parilha do Rio Negro.—Stem, pavos, ; 
plant brought from the Rio dos Caburís. This is the true sarsaparilla 
2K 
VOL. VII. 
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