162 



RELATION BETWEEN CLIMATE AND VEGETATION 



of the beautiful Sicupira (Commilobium polygalifloruni), two 

 species of Qualea, a Salvertia, a Vochi/sia, two species of Pa- 

 nax, an Albertinia, a Lafoensia, two species of Cecropia, a Ce- 

 rasus, several Mimosas, and the Hancornia found at Duro. 

 Here, as at Duro and Natividade, the shrubs were very fine, 

 consisting of various species oi Diplusodon and Kielmeyera. One 

 of the latter is very handsome, being a bush only about two feet 

 high, covered with large rose-coloured blossoms. It is called by 

 tlie inhabitants " Rosa do Campo." Composites were perhaps 

 more common here than in any other part of the country I 

 visited, consisting of various species of Vernonia, Chresta, Eu- 

 patorium, Baccharis, Ooclinium, Mikania, Calea, Trixis, &c. 

 The campos were rich in Grasses, the mass of them, however, 

 belonging to the genus Atidropogon ; and the beautiful Lisian- 

 thus amplus. Mart., with its large purple flowers, was very com- 

 mon. Two elegant species of Callopisma, also belonging to the 

 Gentianece, were even in still greater abundance. One of them 

 grows from four to six feet high, very slender and unbranched, 

 and bears a large, lengthened, compact panicle of either pure 

 Avhite or pale rose-coloured blossoms. Its leaves are connate, 

 and tliis gives rise to its native name of Boca do Sapo (Frog's 

 mouth), the leaves themselves being rounded at their apices. It 

 is also called Centaurea maior, and, being a bitter, is occasion- 

 ally used as a tonic in infusion. In the month of April the fields 

 are full of it, and it is conspicuous above all the other herbaceous 

 vegetation from its graceful habit. The other species is much 

 .smaller, with flowers of a deeper colour. It is in all its parts 

 intensely bitter, and is very generally collected and used as a 

 tonic. It is in fact the Gentian of the inhabitants of tlie pro- 

 vince of Goyaz, and is called by them, from its smaller size, 

 Centaurea minor. In similar places I collected numerous spe- 

 cies of Hyptids, a beautiful dwarf Vellozia, a splendid scarlet- 

 flowered slirubby Ruellia, some fine Justicicc and Verbenaccce, a 

 few Jatrophce, Melastomacece, &c. Ferns were fewer here than at 

 Natividade ; two species of Acrostichum , a Pteris, an Adiau- 

 turn, a Hemionilis, a Trichomanes, aiifl the second species of my 

 new genus Coptophyllum (C. millefolium, Gardn.), being all 

 that I met with. In all, 300 species different from my former 

 collections were obtained in the neighbourhood of Arrayas. 



The proper season having at last arrived for travelling in 

 these countries, I became desirous to resume my expedition, so 

 as to reach Rio de Janeiro if possible before the setting in of the 

 next rains. Travelling as quickly as the nature of my pursuits 

 and the roads (if roads they can be called) would permit, ajourney 

 of a month brought us into that portion of the province of 

 Minas Geraes which lies to the west of the Rio de San Francisco. 



