IN VAllIOUS PARTS OF THE GLOBK. 



163 



Our route was a very unfrequented one, lying partly along the 

 western base of the Serra Geral, and partly on the table-land of 

 the serra itself, through the south-west portion of the province 

 of Pernambuco. The country through which we passed before 

 ascending the serra was a beautiful undulating one, consisting of 

 open grassy campos, sometimes studded with large wide-spreading 

 trees, reminding us of tlie fields of our own distant isle, inter- 

 sected by small streams from the mountains, the banks of which 

 were generally lined with a narrow stripe of small trees and 

 bushes, above which were often seen to rise the graceful shafts of 

 the tall Buriti Palm, crowned with its noble head of fan-sliaped 

 leaves. Splendid collections were again made on this journey. 

 The trees which were met with in flower were tlie following : — 

 a fine large Bomhax, Chorisia crispiflora, H. B. et K., a Cojxii- 

 fera, a Hymencea, a few species of Vochysia, Strychnos pseudo- 

 cJiina, St. Hil., the bark of which is very bitter, and used by the 

 inhabitants in the cure of ague, various species of *SVy/«a-, Luhea., 

 Laurus, Myrtacete, a Zizyphus, and a few fine large wild Fig- 

 trees. Some time after leaving Arrayas we passed through a 

 very dense forest, about a league in breadth, and of much greater 

 length. In it I found a few Orchideous plants, the finest that 

 was in flower being an Oncidium ( O. macropetalum, Lindl.). 

 If more time could liave been spared, I have no doubt that many 

 fine Epiphytes might have been found here. As it was now the 

 season in which the greater part of tlie shrubs in the campos 

 flower, I obtained specimens of an immense number. They con- 

 sisted chiefly of Diplusodotis, some of which were most beautiful 

 little shrubs, Gomphias, Melastomacece, Myrtacece, Malpiyhia- 

 cece, a few shrubby species of Oxalis, Ruhiacece, Verno/iias, and 

 other Compositce, the most beautiful of which are two kinds of 

 Chresta ( C. sphcerocephala et C. exsncca), both of which bear 

 large lieads of pale purple flowers, Flotovias, and numerous spe- 

 cies of Saccharis, One little hill we passed over was covered with 

 a very handsome and curious shrub, the Antonia ovata, Pohl. It 

 belongs to the natural order LoganiacetE, and produces large 

 corymbs of white, very sweet-smelling flowers, thecalyces of which 

 are much imbricated. Zeyheria montana, Mart., \\as also com- 

 mon, as were likewise several species of Heliotr opium , Virgularia, 

 Lippia, Stachytarpheta, &c. CompositcB were the most abundant 

 part of the herbaceous vegetation, in the form of various species 

 of Vernonia, Elephantopus, Ooclinium, Stevia, Eujxitorium, Bi- 

 dens^ Galea, Poropkylium, Trixis, &c. I also met with several 

 species of Lisianthus, Schultesia, Gallopisma, Amaranthace(e, 

 iflyptids, anAngelotiia, and numerous Grami/iece and Ei^ioca ft fons. 

 Tiie only Ferns were a Lomaria and a Parkeria. On the table- 

 land of the serra the general aspect of the country was somewhat 



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