156 



RELATIOX BETWEEN CLIMATE AND VEGETATION 



tends from east to west over eleven degrees of longitude. This 

 district separates the provinces of Piauhy and Minas Geraes 

 from each other, and is bounded on tlie west by that of Goyaz, 

 to which it was now my intention to proceed. The country here 

 is of considerable height, being the continuation of the Serra 

 which we crossed on passing from Ceara into Piauhy. Our 

 course was now directly westward, and the journey was of the 

 most fatiguing description, being through an uninhabited coun- 

 try ; it was also attended with nmch danger, owing to a tribe of 

 Indians from the Rio Tocantins, wiiose hordes had been infesting 

 the neighbourhood of Santa Maria some time before our arrival 

 there. Both myself and my men m ere, however, well armed ; 

 but fortunately during this painful journey of about ten days, 

 which brought us to an Indian mission called Duro, we did not 

 need to make use of them. Our route was principally along 

 the banks of the Rio Preto, sometimes leading througli dense 

 woods, sometimes through open moist Buriti palm swamps, 

 and sometimes over dry sandy bushy tracts, nearly destitute of 

 herbaceous vegetafion. In this district I made some splendid 

 collections. Among the trees I may mention a tine Terminalia, 

 a very large species of Qiialen, tiie unbranciied stem being more 

 than one hundred feet high, Xylojna grcmdiflora, St. Ilil. ; a 

 Bomhax, two Vochi/sias, a tree-fer?i, tlie only one met with till 

 I reached the Diamond country ; a Mo7iosis, a Mouriria, and 

 several Mijrtacece and Leguminosa:. But by far my richest har- 

 vest was among the flowering slirubs, which consisted of nume- 

 rous beautiful species of Mela stoma cecc, 3Iijrtacea;, Compositee, 

 Vellozias ; several fine DaviUas, Anonaceo', Polygalas, Mal- 

 pighiacecE, Gornphias ; many Beg umifiosce, together with several 

 species of Viscum, a Vaccinium, mJacaranda, a Krameria, &c. 

 In the moist campos, and along the banks of the river, many 

 ' herbaceous plants also presented themselves, such as about a 

 dozen and a half of curious Eriocaulons, one of them a splendid 

 branched species, about six feet high ; a Bobelia, a Gesnera, 

 Conobea aquatica, Aubl. ; numerous suflVuticose kinds of 

 ffi/ptis, a variety of Grasses and Cgperacetz;, and a few Jems . 



liefore leaving the mission of Duro we had to cross an ele- 

 vated table-land about forty miles in breadth, perfectly level, 

 entirely destitute of water— one of the greatest luxuries in a tro- 

 pical climate — and for several leagues destitute of either arbo- 

 reous or shrubby vegetation. At the base of this table-land I 

 met with a few fine 3Ie fas torn accce, a very small-leaved Callis- 

 thene, and, in a marsh by the side of the river, I collected fine 

 specimens of an Isoetes, which does not seem to differ from 1. 

 lacustris, Linn. On the ascent grew one or two fine species of 

 Kielmeyera, beautiful shrubs belonging to the natural order 



