Russian Natural Historij Expeditioti in Brazil, 4-01 



very tops of the most elevated trees. In the campos he 

 found a singular Melastomacea, certainly of a new genus ; 

 some Qudlece, Calystegiae, Malpighi^, Anonce, Turner*^, and 

 many of the Gramineae and Cyper^c^<^. On the banks of 

 the Guapore he noticed an /lex n. sp., which produces the 

 matte tea in the same manner as /^lex Congonha, and /. 

 paraguaiensis (or, as it ought to be, /. paraquaiensis). In the' 

 current of the river he gathered many Ponteder2>, Heter- 

 antherae, Tonlna, and a very curious Jussieu«, something like, 

 our Trapa natans, which entirely covers the stagnant pools. 



In April, 1828, our traveller embarked upon the Guapore! 

 at Matto-Grosso, and arrived in a fortnight's time at the 

 fortress Do Prinzipe Imperiale (Fortalezza do Prinzipe da 

 Beira), being carried there very quickly by the rapid current of 

 that river. Shortly afterwards he came upon the river Ma- 

 more, and reached, in three days' voyage, the river Madeira ; 

 down which, on account of the dangerous navigation, he 

 could proceed but very slowly. The woods bordering this 

 river were yet for the most part inundated, and consisted prin- 

 cipally of [Theobromata?] Cacdos, Berthollet/fl, Caesalpini«, 

 Coparfera, Carolinecr, Cedrela, 6^p6ndias, Arouna, Bioca, and 

 Crat9eV<2. Arrived at the great cataract of Salto do Ribairao, 

 he fell ill of a putrid fever ; and, although cured in a short time 

 of that dreadful illness, he was shortly afterwards confined by 

 an intermittent fever, with which he was afflicted continually 

 and very severely for about five months. Notwithstanding his 

 ill health, he made small excursions into the very extended 

 and lofty native woods of the Madeira. The different palms 

 exceeded in height the rest of the forest trees, and seemed to 

 reign, with their grand and beautifully formed leaves, over all 

 the rest. He noticed amongst them particularly the gigantic 

 Astroc^ryum Murumiiru Mart., Mauriti« aculeata, several 

 Bactres and Geonomae ; various kinds of Heliconiae, Ma-r 

 rdntae, and Costi grow in the dark shade below these lofty 

 trees ; but the tree ferns, as M. Riedel observed, seemed not 

 to like that place. A new and most splendid kind o( Ravendla 

 (Urania) attracted his attention at a great distance; on closer 

 examination, he found it of an immense height, and at the 

 same time in seed. Some seeds and specimens of it he after- 

 wards forwarded to St. Petersburgh ; but, unfortunately, the 

 seeds, which were of a bright red colour, had, by the period of 

 their arrival at the garden, lost entirely the power of vegetation.* 



* There being a good quantity of seeds, I tried them in different modes-; 

 but my exertions were, to my great sorrow, in vain : therefore, it is to bq 

 feared that this plant will be, for some years, one of the beautiful deside^ 



Vol. IV. — No. 21. u d 



