Journal of Travel and Natural History 309 



ON THE VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS OF 

 AB YSSINIA. 



By W. B. Hemsley, formerly Assistant in the Herbarium of the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew. 



AT a time when so much interest is still concentrated upon 

 Abyssinia, a few words on its vegetable productions may 

 be acceptable. In the following notes I have endeavoured to con- 

 dense as much information as possible in a few sentences, so I shall 

 not apologise for the disjointed character of their composition. It is 

 now nearly a century since Bruce returned from Abyssinia, after an 

 absence of about six years, and enlightened the world considerably 

 on the history, geography, and zoology, and, to a certain extent, 

 on the botany also, of that part of the world ; but his imperfect 

 knowledge of the art of describing plants renders his descriptions 

 useless, except those accompanied by plates. The plates, however, 

 are excellent for the period. Since then, numerous English, 

 French, and German travellers have visited that country, and, 

 thanks to their exertions, we are now tolerably well acquainted 

 with its botany. The flora of tropical Africa generally, is not of 

 that profusely abundant and luxuriant character prevalent in most 

 tropical countries. In the mountainous regions, however, on both 

 the eastern and western coasts, forests of considerable extent, and 

 grassy uplands, exist where vegetable life is rich and varied. 

 Trees of surprising magnitude, and flowers unsurpassed in brilliancy, 

 are met with ; and vegetable anomalies and curiosities are nowhere 

 more abundant. The vast sandy plains intervening, are here and 

 there enlivened by the presence of clumps of strange looking, 

 gouty-stemmed dwarf trees, bulbous-rooted and succulent plants, 

 which are peculiarly adapted to the ever-shifting soil. In this they 

 are sometimes deeply buried, and lie dormant for several years, 

 when the winds come and denude them as suddenly as they 

 previously overwhelmed them ; and they recommence growing, 

 and produce their flowers as if nothing particular had happened to 

 them. The flora of Abyssinia, and of the eastern coast generally, 

 is, perhaps, less diversified than that of the western coast ; but it 

 is, nevertheless, on account of the great height to which the 

 mountains rise, exceedingly interesting and very comjDrehensive in 



