with Remarks on their Vegetation. 1G9 



tions of this part of the country. In the following short 

 sketch I shall merely mention what are the most common 

 plants, which are peculiar to a few well-marked situations. 



1st. Marshes. — The shrubby vegetation of marshes consists 

 chiefly of Melastomacea, some of which are beautiful large- 

 flowered species of Lasiandra, which rival the Rhododendrons 

 in the richness of their colours. Among these are also to be 

 seen a few species of Myrtacece, and several fruticose and sub- 

 fruticose species of Vernonia. The herbaceous plants consist 

 of Composite, the most common one of which is a large white- 

 flowered species ; several Utricularice ; a Drosera ; different 

 species of ferns, one of them a fine Osmunda ; many species 

 of Begonia, Cyperacece, Graminece, and terrestrial Orchidece. 



2nd. Pastures. — The turf of these consists of different spe- 

 cies of Graminece, principally of the genus Clitoris, but it is 

 with labour that pastures can be kept from running into a 

 mass of shrubs and underwood, from the rapidity with which 

 plants of these characters usurp the soil. Hence all the pas- 

 tures which exist on the Organ Mountains are artificial, not 

 natural. The shrubs which spring up most commonly are 

 various species of Melastomacea, Myrtacece, Croton, Rubia- 

 cecs, Leguminosce, Solarium, Myrsinece, Samydece, Vismia Bra- 

 siliensis, Lantana, Malvacece, &c. The suffmticose and her- 

 baceous plants which are met with in greatest abundance in 

 pasture lands, consist of numerous kinds of Compositce, em- 

 bracing species of Vernonia, Eupatorium, Baccharis, &c. ; a 

 few of Hyptis, Rubiacece and ferns. Of the latter, Pteris cau- 

 data is by far the most troublesome. 



3rd. Cultivated lands. — The plants of these places are a spe- 

 cies of Phytolacca, Sonchus oleraceus, Tagetes minuta, Capsi- 

 cum, Ageratum conyzoid.es ; a repent species of Polygonum, 

 ChenopodecE, Richardsonia scabra, and Stellaria media. 



4th. Bushy places. (Capoera). — The plants belonging to 

 this division are what have sprung up in land which many 

 years had been under cultivation. They consist principally of 

 small trees and shrubs, of various sizes, and are always very 

 different from what constituted its original vegetation. Here 

 may be observed several species of Lasiandra and other shrubs 

 belonging to the natural order Melastomace<jc ; an arboreous 



