with Remarks on their Vegetation. 173 



nearly due west. Two years ago an English merchant for 

 mere curiosity ascended to within a few hundred feet of the 

 summit of the highest peak, guided by the same old black who 

 accompanied me. For the first few miles we were able to 

 keep on the path which he had made, but from the rapid 

 growth of the bamboos and underwood through which it had 

 been cut, it was as difficult to force our way through it as if 

 no path had ever been made. Our progress was but slow, 

 one of the blacks requiring to go before in order to cut a way. 

 Some of the bamboos are of immense size ; I measured several 

 more than four inches in diameter, and their height could not 

 be less than sixty or seventy feet. The internodes are always 

 half filled with water, obviously secreted by the plant itself. 

 Prince Maximilian in his travels speaks of this fluid as form- 

 ing a most refreshing beverage to hunters and others in the 

 woods. I have frequently tasted it, but always found it so 

 nauseous that the most urgent thirst alone would compel me 

 to drink it. 



Near the entrance of the wood we passed a large species of 

 Copaifera, the lower part of the stem of which had been 

 pierced for the purpose of obtaining the balsam which exudes 

 from it. For several miles our route lay nearly parallel with 

 a small river, along the banks of which greAV some very large 

 trees, among which I observed a large species of Laurus and 

 another of Lasiandra, both in flower. The underwood con- 

 sisted of great variety of shrubby Melastomacece, Myrtacece, 

 Rubiacece, and suffruticose species of Begonia. Beautiful ferns 

 and handsome flowered Begonice were trod down at every 

 footstep. The stems of the large trees were covered with 

 Bromelice, Tillandsice, Orchidece, ferns, and climbing species of 

 Begonia. Occasionally a large plant of Cereus [Cactus] trun- 

 catus was to be seen hanging from the stem of some large 

 tree covered with hundreds of beautiful pink blossoms. Among 

 the shrubs I found Cybianthus cuneifolius (Mart.), and col- 

 lected specimens both in flower and in fruit. The latter not 

 having been found by Martius I have been enabled to note 

 its structure, respecting which the only fact worthy of being 

 noticed in this place is the circumstance of its embryo having 

 four cotyledons : as none of the species of the order are men- 



