152 DR. r. WELWITSCH ON THE VEGETATION 



interesting fact in geographical botany, which has come to my 

 notice, is that a pendent parasitical Bhipsalis, often 6 feet to 8 

 feet long, occurs here, growing abundantly in the elevated woods 

 of this country, particularly luxuriating on Adansonia and Ster- 

 culia, which consequently proves that Cacti are not restricted to 

 America, as has hitherto been asserted. 1 will send living speci- 

 mens also of this Hhipsalis, which I call Hh. JEthiopica, to you and 

 Sir William Hooker. 



In the whole, I believe I have collected in this wood-region 2000 

 species of plants, of which I have tried to describe the most re- 

 markable genera, chiefly from living specimens. Farewell. 



De. Feiedeich "Welwitsch. 



A Folygalea occurs as a climber 20 feet to 50 feet high, f foot 

 in diameter. I believe it to be a Lophostylis, Hochst. 



S. Paulo de Loanda, 10th Feb. 1858. 



Highly esteemed Sie and Feiend, — "When I was about to 

 communicate to you last September a preliminary report on some 

 of the results of my journey in the interior of Equinoctial Africa, 

 I was prevented by a long illness from completing my letter, but 

 send it now with these lines, as it contains something important 

 about the vegetation of Grolungo Alto and the adjacent moun- 

 tain district. As I now feel rather better, I take the liberty of 

 continuing today the letter I had then commenced. In the first 

 place, I beg to remark that I have penetrated, in a direct line, 

 about 250 geographical miles into the interior ; and I divide the 

 territories I have visited into three regions v — 1. Littoral and lower 

 mountain region ; 2. Eegion of the primeval dense forest woods 

 {Begio montosO'Sylvaticd) ; and, lastly, 3. The flat woody region 

 {Begio plano-sylvatica) . The first region rises to about 1000 feet, 

 the second to about 2500, the third about 3300 feet. I have 

 taken the measurement of the heights of these regions, but have 

 not yet made an exact computation of the results, and therefore 

 note the heights as given above only as temporary. These three 

 regions extend from west to east in such a way that the first 

 stretches towards the east as far as 80 geographical miles, the 

 second to about 160, and the third to somewhere about 250. 

 Eegarding the vegetation of the littoral region, which is almost 

 the same from Sierra Leone to the mouth of the Cuanza, there 

 have been many important facts already published in the ' Niger 

 Flora' of Sir W. Hooker. With regard to the second region, 



