1^0 Picture of Vegetation on the Surface of the Globe, 



of" vegetables, especially the more beautiful, those of the palms 

 and bananas, the arborescent graminese and ferns, as well as the 

 mimosas, the fohage of which is so delicately divided, remain 

 for ever unknown to them. The sickly individuals which our 

 hot-houses contain, can present but a feeble image of the majes- 

 ty of vegetation in the torrid zone. 



" He who can embrace the whole of nature at one glance, with- 

 out dwelling upon local phenomena, sees how, from the pole to 

 the equator, in proportion as the vivifying heat increases, orga- 

 nic power and life also increase in a corresponding degree ; but 

 in the course of this increase, particular beauties are reserved 

 for each zone ; for the tropical climates, the diversity of forms 

 and pre-eminent size of vegetables ; for the climates of the north, 

 the pleasing prospect of meadows, and the periodical revelling of 

 nature upon the return of the first breezes of spring. Besides 

 the advantages which are peculiar to it, each zone has also a 

 character of its own. If, in every organized individual, we re- 

 cognize a determinate physiognomy, in like manner we can dis- 

 tinguish a certain natural physiognomy, which belongs exclu- 

 sively to each zone. Similar species of plants, such as pines and 

 oaks, equally crown the mountains of Sweden and those of the 

 most southern part of Mexico ; and yet, notwithstanding this 

 correspondence of forms, and this similarity of partial outlines, 

 the general picture of these countries presents an entirely diffe- 

 rent character. 



"' The size and the development of organs in plants, depend 

 upon the climate which favours them. In the impossibility of 

 presenting a complete picture of the plants of America, we shall 

 venture to trace the characters of the most prominent groups, 

 commencing with the palms. They have, of all vegetables, the 

 loftiest and most noble form, and to it the prize of beauty has 

 been adjudged by all. Their tall, slender, and channelled 

 stems, sometimes furnished with prickles, are terminated by a 

 shining foliage, which is sometimes pinnate, and sometimes 

 fan-shaped. Their smooth trunk often attains a height of 

 124 feet. The size and beauty of palms diminish in proportion 

 as they retire from the equator to approach the temperate zones. 

 A striking character, and one which very agreeably varies its 

 aspect, is the direction of the leaves. The very dense leaflets 



