THE FLORA OF GUIANA AND TRINIDAD 19 



SOME IMPRESSIONS OF THE FLORA OF GUIANA 



AND TRINIDAD 



BY Pkofessob DOUGLASS HOUGHTON CAMPBELL 



STANFORD UNIVERSITY 



f MO most botanists in America a visit to the tropics is supposed to 

 -*- be a difficult and expensive undertaking, involving much special 

 preparation and also a good many risks. The fact is, a trip to the West 

 Indies is a very simple matter, and even a few weeks are sufficient to 

 give one an excellent idea of the main features of a most interesting 

 and characteristic tropical flora, and is no more expensive than a 

 journey of equal duration in Europe. If one extends the trip to 

 include the Isthmus of Panama and Trinidad, one sees to great advan- 

 tage the rich and beautiful flora characteristic of equatorial South 

 America, one of the most individual floral regions of the world. 



There are various ways of reaching the West Indies and northern 

 South America, especially since the great development of the fruit 

 industiy, which employs many vessels plying constantly between the 

 different ports of the Atlantic and Gulf States, and various ports of 

 the West Indies and Central America. In addition, the Royal Mail 

 (English), and the Dutch Royal Mail have steamers plying between 

 New York and Europe via the West Indies and South America. 



It may be mentioned, also, that a trip to the tropics in summer is 

 not at all the trying experience that many persons suppose. Of course, 

 it is hot, and in most parts of the West Indies rainy in summer; but 

 the heat never equals that sometimes experienced along our own 

 Atlantic coast, and, moreover, there are none of the sudden changes 

 that are so trying. The same clothing that is suitable for hot weather 

 in New York will be found quite appropriate for the tropics. 



With the great improvements in sanitation of late years there is 

 very little danger from the fevers which formerly gave this region such 

 a bad name. With ordinary precautions, there need be little appre- 

 hension on this score. 



Having a few weeks at his disposal, the writer decided to go to 

 Europe via the West Indies, instead of by the shorter, but infinitely less 

 interesting, route across the northern Atlantic. 



Wishing to see something of the South American mainland, it was 

 decided to go first to Paramaribo, the capital of Surinam (Dutch 

 Guiana), as it is possible to go there directly from New York, in about 



