18G ME. E. spelce's yisit to the cincitoxa forests 



most esteemed on the Rio Negro lias a triangular stem thickly 

 beset with prickles. 



Let me now say a word about the other plants accompanying 

 the Cascarilla, and first of the Ivory-palm, which is known through- 

 out the Ecuador by the name of " Cadi." In Maynas two species 

 of Phytelephas were tolerably abundant, the one a slender species 

 called "Yarina," and the other much stouter, called "Polo-ponto."* 

 Both were usually stemless, though ancient specimens had a 

 short inclined stem. Neither of them seems to coincide with 

 the PhyteJepJias described by Seemann. But the Cadi seems di- 

 stinct from all the preceding : it has a stout erect trunk of 15 or 

 20 feet ; the fronds are 30 feet long, and the jpinncB are fastigiate hy 

 threes or fours (as in several Bactrides and Astrocaryd), while in 

 the other species they are equidistant ; lastly, the male flowers are 

 racemed on a long pendulous spadix. The nuts are much the same 

 as in the other species, only rather larger ; they are extensively 

 used in the Sierra for making heads of dolls, saints, and Malking- 

 sticks. The Cadi produces a very excellent "cabbage," but the 

 Indian and other inhabitants are fonder of a large maggot, called 

 " Majon," which is bred in its trunk. I have seen the Indians of 

 the E-io Negro and of Canelos roast and eat the larva of a beetle 

 extracted from the trunk of the Popunha palm ( Guilielma speciosa) . 



A species of Carludovica with pinnate aculeate fronds was also 

 frequent. Triplaris surinamensis, with its large bunches of tri- 

 quetrous red fruits, was quite as abundant as on the Amazon ; and 

 Lasionema roseum, a tree closely allied to the Cinchona, grew side 

 by side with the Triplaris at Puma-cocha, just as it used to do at 

 Tarapoto. 



In general the arborescent vegetation seemed scanty in species 

 and uninteresting. One of the most striking trees was an 

 Erythrina with a slender tortuous (almost twining) trunk, from 

 which sprang long spikes of scarlet flowers, and few branches 

 bearing each a coma of ternate leaves, whereof the leaflets were 

 sometimes 18 inches across. There were also a few figs, and on 

 the steep declivities there were patches of low forest, consisting 

 chiefly of Clusi(B, Thibaudice and Melastomacece. Two small 

 Trichomanes crept along the branches of shrubs, but terrestrial 

 ferns were all but absent. 



On returning that evening to our hut, I consulted M^th Bermeo 

 about our ulterior movements. He told me that if I would go 



* Most likely "Piilu-puntu" is the original Quichua, as the letter "o" does 

 not exist in that langiiage. 



