BRAZIL— PROVINCE OF MINAS GEEAES. 255 



latto woman, and a dirty old man who calls himself a hermit. 

 Near this church tliere is a small garden, in which I observed a 

 few stunted peach-trees in blossom, some potatoes, and other 

 European vegetables. The greater part of the garden, as well 

 as part of the top of the serra, is overrun with the common wild 

 strawberry of Europe (^Fragaria vesca), which was then in 

 fruit. The conniion chickweed and Cerastium vulgatum were 

 also perfectly naturalized in places suited to their growth. The 

 height of this mountain is 5400 feet above the level of the sea, 

 and it is situated in nearly 20'' of south latitude, and 44° 40" of 

 west longitude. Notwithstanding the height of tliis mountain, 

 I neither found it so rich in species, nor the regions of vegeta- 

 tion so well marked, as on a much lower one called the Serra de 

 Curral del Rey, near Morro Velho. It is at least 2000 feet 

 lower than the Serra de Piedade. Four very distinct regions 

 may here be traced : the first or lowest resembles exactly the 

 low grassy hills which surround it, the vegetation consisting 

 chiefly of small 3Ielastomaceous shrubs, Lantanas, Lipjrias, 

 ditierent kinds of Baccharis and Vernonia, Laurus, Myrtacece, 

 &c. The second region is still grassy, but characterized by a 

 very different shrubby vegetation. Here are met witli two 

 species o^ Andromeda, one of them very abundant, and produc- 

 ing large panicles of crimson flowers, one or two fine plants of 

 which have been raised by Mr. Murray, of the Glasgow Botanic 

 Gardens, from seeds sent home by me ; and the other a small 

 tree about eight feet high, with white flowers ; two erect species 

 of Trixis, a purple-flowered Diplusodon, a dwarf Kielmeyera, 

 a small purple-flowered Jacaranda, an erect Bign07iia, with 

 yellow flowers, &c. The soil of the third region is of a coarse 

 stony ferruginous nature, entirely destitute of grass ; and is cha- 

 racterized by the following plants : — a Myrcia, a Loranthus, 

 with pale yellow sweet-smelling flowers, rooting in the earth, 

 but climbing among the bushes, being the only species of the 

 many I have met with in Brazil which is not parasitical, a 

 Lychnophora similar to tlie one found on the Serra de Piedade, 

 abundance of a dwarf kind of Vellozia, a yellow-flowered Bar- 

 hacenia, and tlie ground and rocks were covered with numerous 

 kinds of Orchidecp and Tillaiidsice, and a red-floM ered species of 

 Amaryllis. From the termination of this region to the top of 

 the serra, constituting the fourth region, the soil is again co- 

 vered with grass. Shrubs are less abundant, their place being 

 taken by two species of Vellozia, one of them about six feet 

 high, with a stem upwards of two feet in circumference, bear- 

 ing large purple flowers, the other much smaller. On the 

 stems and branches of the large one, I found several species of 

 Lichen, Moss, and two species of Bpidetidrwu. Among 



