178 ME. 11. spkuoe's visit to the cinchona forests 



as we reached it, the sun shone forth, the clouds cleared away, and 

 the glaciers of Chimborazo stood out against the blue sky like cut 

 marble ; but the ground was still so sloppy that what I had for- 

 merly passed over in two hours now took me three. What is 

 called the "road" consists of I know not how many deep ruts, 

 crossing and anastomosing in a very bewildering way, and so 

 muddy and slippery that my horse preferred stumbling along among 

 the hassocks of paja hlanca (white grass) — a species of Stipa with 

 feather-like silvery panicles tinged with rose — which forms the 

 mass of the vegetation on the paramo. This grass aifords excel 

 lent thatch ; it is also extensively used in packing, and along all 

 the higher grounds it is almost the only material for fuel. Between 

 the hassocks, especially where there are slight declivities, there is 

 an interesting sub-alpine vegetation, — a dense grassy turf is ena- 

 melled with flowers, white, yellow, red, and purple, which seem to 

 spring direct from the ground. Three daisy-like Werner ice, all 

 stemless and solitary, of which W. nubigena with its large white 

 stars is the most conspicuous, grow along with a stemless Valeriana, 

 a small Castilleja, a Lupinus, a Oerastium, two species of Gentiana 

 and two of Azorella. The ca)spitose Wernerice are true alpines, 

 and grow at 2000 feet above the species just referred to. There 

 are many little lakes, frequently bordered by the swelling, glaucous, 

 sphagnum-like tufts of a Flantago, over which creep the silvery 

 threads of a minute Gnaphalium and an equally minute white- 

 flowered Gentiana. In such situations grow also a small Hanun- 

 culzis, bearing generally a single sessile flower and a pedunculate 

 head of follicles, a Stachys, and several other herbs of humble 

 growth. Heath-like tufts of Hedyotis ericoides, often accompanied 

 by a sufiruticose Valeriana of similar habit, and sometimes by a 

 Calceolaria, here and there diversify the landscape ; while the 

 hassocks shelter in their bosom purple Lycopodia and other plants. 



Having passed Sanancajas, we descend to the sandy plain of 

 E-iobamba, whose general character is the same as that of Ambato, 

 save that cactus-hedges often replace those of aloes. 



In E/iobamba I remained three days with my hospitable country- 

 man Dr. James Taylor, and then proceeded on my way, going the 

 first day only as far as Miraflores, a farm six leagues away from 

 Eiobamba, and near the village of Guamote. On the way we had 

 to climb over a small space of paramo, where we got the benefit of 

 a storm of hail and sleet. The vegetation was scanty, and 1 

 gathered only a minute TJmbellifer which was new to me. Mira- 

 flores is what is called a cold farm, consisting chiefly of pasture 



