THE FLORA OF GUIANA AND TRINIDAD 25 



a constant feature of the brackish and fresh-water swamps, form dense 

 thickets, the crowded bare stems forming a close palisade fringing the 

 margins of the rivers. With the decrease in the salinity of the water, 

 also, palms of various kinds begin to appear, and these constitute quite 

 the most striking growths of the forest along the fresh-water streams. 

 They occur in immense numbers and great variety, and some of them 

 are extremely beautiful. First in abundance — and perhaps also in 

 beauty — is Euterpe oleracea, whose slender stems and graceful crowns 

 of feathery leaves occur by thousands. Other conspicuous palms are 

 species of Attalea, Maximiliana, Astrocaryum, Manicaria, and others. 

 Several small palms, especially species of Bactris, occur in great num- 

 bers as an undergrowth in these swampy forests. Another striking 

 palm is a Desmoncos, whose flexible thorny stems and graceful pinnate 

 leaves, armed with savage hooked thorns, were festooned from tree to 

 tree. This palm closely resembles the rattan palms of the old world. 

 Its large clusters of scarlet berries were conspicuous, and often attracted 

 attention as the boat skirted the dense mass of vegetation along the 

 shore. 



In addition to the many native palms, a number of exotic species 

 are cultivated. Among these are the African oil-palm (Elceis gui- 

 nensis), the royal palm and the cocoanut. The last, however, does 

 not thrive, due perhaps to the excessive moisture in the soil. 



A very common and wide-spread member of the tropical American 

 flora is the genus Cecropia, whose slender branches and big palmate 

 leaves occur everywhere. 



As might be expected, the development of climbing plants is 

 extremely luxuriant in these wet forests, and in many cases the lower 

 trees and bushes were almost smothered by the dense curtain of creepers 

 of various kinds with which they were draped. These creepers belong 

 to very diverse families — Convolvulacese, Passifloracege, Apocynacese, 

 Melastomaceas, etc., and many of them have flowers of extraordinary 

 beauty, which add much to the attractiveness of these rich forests. 



Very different from the wet forests are the " savannas," one of 

 which was visited. These savannas are in many respects like the moor- 

 lands of more northern regions. The soil of the one visited was a 

 coarse sand covered with a sparse growth of coarse grasses and sedges, 

 with scattered clumps of low shrubs, among which were growing a 

 number of orchids. Only one of these, a Catasetum with large 

 greenish flowers, was found in bloom. There were here and there 

 shallow pools, in which were growing tiny yellow Utrieularias and 

 minute Eriocaulacese and Xyridacese. Under the clumps of shrubs 

 were noticed small patches of Sphagnum, and a small species of 

 Drosera closely resembling in form the common D. rotundifolia of 



