or THE QUITENIAN ANDES. 183 



with a black outer edge — a colour not unlike that of old walnuts ; 

 so that articles fabricated of this wood are curiously mottled. 

 Unfortunately the trunk never exceeds a few inches in diameter, 

 so that only small articles can be made of it. I have secured a 

 specimen of the wood, and of spoons made from it, for the Kew 

 Museum. 



One of the most frequent trees at Lucmas, and the most valu- 

 able for its hard wood (though the young branches are brittle), is 

 an Escalloniacea, called "Ignia." It grows to a good size; the 

 leaves are narrow-lanceolate and very long — the lower ones always 

 red, and the reddish flowers are borne in long pendulous racemes ; 

 so that the tree has a very pretty aspect. It abounds along the 

 western slope of the Cordillera, and grows at from 5000 to 9000 

 feet. It is accompanied by an Amyrideous tree, called " Alubilla,' ' 

 which the people hold in great dread, as they believe that to touch 

 it or pass beneath its shade is enough to cause the body to swell 

 all over. I had already, at Baiios, gathered flowers and fruit of it, 

 and stained my hands with the milk, to the great horror of those 

 who saw me, but without experiencing any ill effects ; and I believe 

 that the swelling attributed to it is owing more to sudden changes 

 of temperature, or to alternate scorchings and wettings, for I have 

 seen such an effect follow where there was no Alubilla. Be this 

 as it may, the young man I took as guide felt one of his eyes begin 

 to swell the day we left Lucmas for Guataxi, and in a few hours 

 he was swollen from head to foot. In two or three days he was 

 quite well again, but there are cases of the swelling lasting a month. 

 As might be supposed, the blame was laid on the Alubilla. 



Lucmas takes its name from the abundance of a species of 

 Liwvma, producing an edible fruit ; that name is applied to many 

 species oiLucuma and Acliras, all natives of warm or hot countries. 

 Another evidence of the approach to a hot climate was in the 

 existence of a species of JEchites, twining among the bushes, and 

 in an epiphytal Marcgraviacea, quite similar in its long scarlet 

 spikes to Norantea guianensis, though the bracts are small patellae, 

 not elongated sacs, as in that species. A very odoriferous Citrosma, 

 with large thin leaves, three together, is known by the name of 

 " Guayusa," and is often taken in infusion, like the Guaytisa of 

 Canelos, which, however, is a species of Ilex. 



There were a good many herbs, of species not seen elsewhere. 

 One Composita, with virgate stems 12 feet high, large alternate, 

 lobed leaves, and from each axil a small le^fy ramulus bearing at 

 its apex- a corymb of white radiate flowers, was very ornamental. 



