338 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 
posite sides of the trunk, and so closely packed together as 
to form an immense flat fan on a colossal stem ? Yet, in all 
these plants the arrangement of leaves obeys the same law, 
which is illustrated with equal distinctness by each one. 
This mathematical disposition of leaves is thus shown to bo 
compatible with a great variety of essentially different struc- 
tures ; and though the law of Phyllotaxis prevails in all 
plants, being limited neither to class, orders, families, genera, 
nor species, but running in various combinations through 
the whole kingdom, I believe it can be studied to especial 
advantage in the group of palms, on account of the promi- 
nence of their few large leaves. The most abundant and 
characteristic palms of the Rio Negro are the Javari (Astro- 
carytim Javari), the Muru-Muru (Astrocaryum Murumuru), 
the Uauassu (Attalea speciosa), the Inaja (Maximiliana re- 
gia), the Baccaba (CEnocarpus Baccaba), the Paxiuba (Iri- 
artea exorhiza), the Carana (Mauritia Carana),the Caranai 
(Mauritia horrida), the Ubim (Geonoma), and the Curua 
(Attalea spectabilis) ; of these the two latter are the most 
useful. The remarkable Piassaba (Leopoldinia Piassaba) 
occurs only far above the junction of the Rio Negro and Rio 
Branco. We obtained, however, a specimen that had been 
planted at Itatiassu. The many small kinds of Ubim (Geo- 
noma), and Maraja (Bactris), and even the Jara (Leopol- 
dinia), are so completely overshadowed by the larger trees 
that they are only noticed where clustered along the river- 
banks. Bussus (Manicaria), Assais (Euterpe) Mucaja 
(Acrocomia), grow also on the Rio Negro, but it remains 
to be ascertained whether they are specifically identical with 
those of the Lower Amazons. So peculiar is the aspect of 
the different species of palms that, from the deck of the 
steamer, they can be singled out as easily as the live-oaks 
