MR. SPRUCE^S VOYAGE ON THE RIO NEGRO. 333 



rather short and thick branches, very papillose, and almost plumose on 

 the inner side, and emarginate at the extremity, whilst in the two other 

 genera the divisions of the style are long, slender, acute, and entire. 



I know of but one species of Aparhilmmm, which has evidently a 

 wide geographical range, and varies much in the degree of pubescence. 

 The young leaves are densely tomentose in Sello's specimens, and but 

 slightly so in most of the North Brazilian and Guiana ones, but I can 

 find* no other difference, at least in the males, for I have not the females 

 of Sello's plant. I have some doubt as to its being identical with the 

 original A, cordatum^ a species not described it is true, but the leaves 

 of ours are scarcely such as to justify the name of cordatttm; I have 

 therefore adopted that of macrophyllum^ given to it by Martius and 

 Klotzsch. It is a small tree. The leaves are large, as much as 10 

 inches by 6, ovate, acuminate, rounded or broadly but slightly cordate 

 at the base, more or less pubescent when young, nearly glabrous when 

 old. The flowering spikes are simple and axillary, the males 6-10 

 inches long, with the flowers nearly sessile, and many together in small 

 bunches ; the females singly pedicellate in racemes from 4 to 6 inches 

 long. It is the n, 883 of Schomburgk^s first Guiana collection, and 

 was referred by Klotzsch (Lond. Journ. Bot. vol. ii. p. 46), by mistake, 

 to the AlcJiornea latifolia^ Hayne, but is not Swartz's plant of that 

 name. It is also in Martius' Cayenne collection, in Blanchet's Bahia 

 collection, n. 2318, and has been distributed among Sello's plants by 

 the Berlin Herbarium, under the name of Conceveiba macrophylla^ Kl. 

 It appears to be also the AlcJiornea macropliylla^ Mart., in Flora 1841, 

 vol. ii. Beibl. p. 31. Mr. Spruce gathered it near Barra do Eio Negro 

 and in the Capoeiras, near San Gabriel. 



{To he continued^ 



Extract of a Letter relating to Vegetable Oils, etc.; from Eichard 

 Spruce, Esq.; dated San Carlos del Eio Negro, Venezuela, 19th 

 March, 1854, 



Vegetables yielding oil abound in this region, but with the present 

 scanty population, and their listless, lazy habits, it is exceedingly diffi- 



r 



cult to get together even a small quantity of the oils, resins, etc., which 

 in Europe would be so highly esteemed. Nearly all the palm-fruits 



