414 NATURAL SCIENCE. June. 



A great many forest-trees have greenish-white or green flowers. 

 Tliese are, of course, very inconspicuous at all times, but they by no 

 means eclipse those with showy flowers. Rarely do even two or three 

 of a species come together, so that there will be 'always some of the 

 more conspicuous even in a small area. When we mention that the 

 predominant natural order is the Leguminosae, it will be seen at once 

 that there can be no scarcity of flowers. This family is a host in 

 itself, the various forms of Papilionaceae, Csesalpineae, and Mimosese 

 all combining to make an interesting and showy collection. Then 

 there are the monkey pots (Lecythideae), all of which have large and 

 highly-coloured blossoms ; but the most conspicuous tree is, un- 

 doubtedly, the etabally [Vochysia), which, during the season, is a 

 canopy of gold, the result of flocks of sulphur-coloured butterflies. 



It is unnecessary to give a list of the difi^erent families which 

 make up the forest flora. They are so numerous and varied, so 

 different from anything in the European woods, as to be most striking 

 to the ordinary observer, and a continual source of interest to the 

 botanist. It is, however, their beauty of foliage which compels atten- 

 tion at first ; the shapes and sizes of their leaves, their luxuriance, 

 and their continual struggle to occupy every little patch of sunlight 

 to the exclusion of all others, which prevents the forest from ever 

 becoming dull or monotonous. 



Book illustrations rarely give any adequate representation of 

 forest scenery. If they are not conventional they are generally 

 almost caricatures. Artists have attempted to picture some of the 

 most striking peculiarities, but even they only observe the superficial. 

 Appun's illustrations in " Unter den Tropen " (Jena, 1871) are among 

 the best, and as nearly true to life as a draughtsman can make them ; 

 but in the whole series there is hardly a flower, this proving that the 

 artist was impressed by the foliage almost to the exclusion of 

 everything else. 



In paddling up a creek the canopy of forest-trees is so far over- 

 head as to be out of the line of sight. Every bend brings into view 

 a new scene. Clumps of graceful palms, masses of gigantic creepers, 

 jungles of tree-ferns intermingled with the contrasted foliage of 

 marantas and heliconias, and great aroids which climb almost every 

 tree or perch on their branches, all combine to leave an impression 

 of rampant vegetation which eclipses the most gaudy assemblage of 

 flowers. 



But, with all this, flowers are not wanting. Great bunches of 

 yellow bignonias, dipladenias, allamandas, scarlet noranteas, com- 

 bretums and cacoucias, with spikes which glow like fire in the 

 sunlight, a hundred species, of various shades, from rosy crimson to 

 purple ; and last, but by no means least, the tubular Cinchonaceae 

 and other white flowering plants, the clusters of which often show up 

 quite prominently against the dark background of foliage. Some 

 of those with lurid flowers are by no means inconspicuous. The 



