HIGHLIGHTS OF BOTANICAL EXPLORATION IN THE NEW WORLD 229 



Pittier and his successsor, Tobias Lasser, and their various colleagues, Felix 

 Cardona, Leandro S. Aristeguieta, L. Schnee, Zoraida Luces de Febres, V. 

 Badillo, and Vareschi, have continued with vigorous field investigation. 



During 1901 and again in 1903, visits were made to the Island of Margarita 

 by J. R. Johnston. Between 3000 and 4000 collection numbers were obtained 

 on each visit, the first sets of which are deposited at the Gray Herbarium. 

 Johnston's studies were published in the "Flora of the Islands of Margarita 

 and Coche, Venezuela" {Contr. Gray Herb. n.s. 37, 1909). Alfredo Jahn, 

 1887-1922, collected widely in Venezuela along the Alto Orinoco and the 

 Rio Negro, in the Andes of Trujillo, Merida, and Tachira and in the states 

 of Lara and Zulia, and finally around the Lake of Maracaibo. His collections 

 of more than 1300 numbers are deposited at Caracas and Washington. In 

 1917, Hugh M. Curran collected in the coastal regions of Venezuela, and in 

 recent years, attached to the Forestal, he has collected widely in the forest 

 areas throughout the country. Most of his specimens are at Caracas and New 

 York. 



In more recent years, North American botanists have contributed mate- 

 rially to exploration in Venezuela. Llewelyn Williams from February to 

 May, 1939, on behalf of the Servicio Botanico conducted a botanical explora- 

 tion of the lower and middle Caura River in the state of Bolivar. His exten- 

 sive collections are at Caracas, Chicago, and elsewhere. Later he collected 

 in the region of the Rios Atabapo, Guainia, Casiquiare, and Alto Orinoco in 

 Amazonian Venezuela. 



Perhaps the most significant of all the recent field work done generally in 

 Venezuela is that of Julian A. Steyermark, where from December, 1943, to 

 September, 1944, he explored portions of the Venezuelan Andes, the coastal 

 range, Cerro Duida, and Mount Roraima for the United States government 

 in connection with the Cinchona Survey. From October to December of 1944 

 he made the initial exploration of Ptari-tepui and its outlying regions under 

 the auspices of the Chicago Natural History Museum. And from February 

 to June, 1945, sponsored by the Servicio Botanico, he explored certain areas 

 in the states of Sucre, Anzoategui, and Monagas. Altogether he assembled 

 the large total of 8550 collection numbers divided as follows: the Andes, 

 2048; eastern part of the Cordillera de la Costa, in the states of Sucre, 

 Anzoategui, and Monagas, 1947; western and central part of the Cordillera 

 de la Costa, 1261; Ptari-tepui and vicinity, 1644; Roraima and vicinity, 841; 

 Duida and vicinity, 809. The first sets are at Chicago; duplicate sets are at 

 Caracas, New York, Washington, and elsewhere. Botanical reports on the 

 collections of these explorations are to be found in Contributions to the Flora 

 of Venezuela, Fieldiana, Vol. 28, Parts 1-4, 1951-1957. 



King Leopold of Belgium in 1951 collected in the Alto Orinoco region. 

 His plants are at this time being studied at New York. 



In the Guayana Highland since 1925 The New York Botanical Garden 



