228 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 



Other times fringed with hushes, while the meadows which 

 stretch between the elevations are covered with gray and 

 green tall-growing grass. The traveller lingers in the simple 

 pastoral scenery, akin to the dispositions of the inhabitants, 

 and admires the various productions of the soil, and the fine 

 climbing Cucurhitaceous plants and Passionflowers, which 

 twine round the trees, and the fresh gushing springs that 

 bubble here and there out of the rocks. In the various 

 mineral productions of this country we also found much in- 

 terest, and would gladly have remained some time in Oeiras, 

 especially to visit the Fazenda Real de Caxe, ten leagues dis- 

 tant, where sulphur is said to exist in great abundance. But 

 the state of our health forbade our examining this interesting 

 fossil in its native place; for we both had daily attacks of 

 slight fever, which would have effectually stopped our travels 

 if it had gone on increasing. So, faithful to the maxim 

 which enjoins that the stranger shall quit Oeiras at once, 

 if he finds the place to disagree with him, we prepared to 

 depart without the least delay, and to proceed immediately 

 to Aldeas, forty leagues distant — the goal of a journey, oi 

 which the fatigues began to be disproportioned to our stock 

 of strength. 



In the provinces of Bahia, Pernambuco, and Piauhy, are 

 many plants employed as remedies and for several economi- 

 cal purposes, which are equally so used at San Paulo and 

 Minus Geriies. I may here also describe two, of peculiar 

 value in this respect, and with which we became acquainted 

 when travelling through Bahia. A species of Dorstenia, 

 whose root possesses many stimulating and sudorific proper- 

 ties, and is used in the same way as D. opifera. It is called 

 in the country Contrayerva, and may be thus characterized, 

 — Dorstenia, radice tuberosa, placentis oblongo-ovaiis sinu 

 profunde cordato-dentatis, receptaculis orbicularibus superne 

 planis in feme convexis denticulatis. 



A second plant is called Sebipira or Sipopira by the people 

 of Bahia and Pernambuco ; it grows to be a large tree, and 

 belongs to the LeguminoscB. The bark, in which the medi- 

 cinal virtues reside, is of a brifrht ochrev-reddish colour, 



