JOHNSTON: FLORA OF MARGARITA ISLAND. 279 



tiny Cypselea humifusa, Euphorbia thymifolia, Ilysanthes riparia; 

 and small specimens of Mollugo verticiUata. 



Inland from these wastes are the plains covered with the melon 

 cactus, the flat-stemmed Opuntia, the symmetrical tree-like Pereskia, 

 and the candelabra-shaped, tall Cereus eburneus. All these are thorny 

 and more or less fleshy plants. In addition are the arborescent 

 acacias, and Capparis cynophallophora; the shrubby Croton jiavens, 

 Croton Milleri, Jatropha gossypifolia, and Jatropha urens, and the 

 small shrub Stylosanthes. 



The desolation of the plains is emphasized on the hills by the addi- 

 tion of great stretches of Agave and Aloe which make the regions 

 almost inaccessible. The high parts of the hills have dense growths 

 of bushes, as Cordia cylindristachya, C. globosa, Securidaca, Capparis 

 verrucosa, and Heteropteris laurifolia. Then scattered over the hills 

 are the small trees of Capparis cynophallophora, C. linearis, Bursera, 

 and Steriphoma. Along the hilltops are a few larger trees of INIori- 

 sonia and Clusia. These trees have leathery and very large leaves 

 in all cases except Bursera and Capparis linearis. The undergrowth 

 among the trees on the hills consists of the green-stemmed Pedi- 

 lanthus, the bushy Brunfelsia, and the bromeliaceous plants Aechmea 

 and Thecophyllum. Here are a few epiphytes as Oncidium, the cac- 

 tus Rhipsalis, a few Polypodiums, some of the Bromeliaceae, and 

 A nthurium scandens. 



The vegetation of the valleys, with the exception of Asuncion and 

 El Valle, is similar in general to that of the hills and the plains. 

 These two valleys have groves of coconut, mango, sapodilla, and orange 

 trees, and in consequence afford a good place for the growth of annual 

 plants. The river beds and arroyas are the most interesting places in 

 the valleys. The only large river bed on the island is that extending 

 from the mountain through El Valle to the sea at Porlamar. It is bor- 

 dered with such trees as Crataeva Tapia, Guajacum arboreurn, Loncho- 

 carpus, Pithecolobium, and Bombax, all with tall gray trunks. There 

 are many bushes, some half-climbers, Chiococca, Cestrum, Malpighia 

 purpurea, Solanum, Acacia, and Marsdenia. The arroyas or gullies 

 high up in the valleys have the small tree Tecoma, the shrub Cordia 

 globosa, and the vine Bignonia. 



The mountain furnishes varied situations and conditions for the 

 growth of plants. In general it is forested from 300 m. nearly to the 

 summit ; in the valleys the woods grow at a lower altitude also. The 



