ON THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS. 279^ 



feet of elevation to the verj-^ summit of the mountains, where, 

 indeed, in the shape of a stunted procumbent rooting plant, 

 growing in the cleft of a rock, it forms the most elevated flow- 

 ering form on the range, and produces its blossoms abundantly. 



The shrubs which are found in the virgin forests consist princi- 

 pally of numerous species of Cinchonads, Myrtle-blooms, Melasto- 

 mads, Gomphias, Palms, Arborescent Ferns, Francisca ramo- 

 sissima, Pohl., and the splendid F. hydrangeiformis, Pohl., of 

 which I succeeded in bringing home two plants alive, one of 

 which is now growing vigorously in the Royal Gardens at Kew ; 

 and Cybianthus angustifolius, Alph. D. C, which is very com- 

 mon. The herbaceous plants peculiar to the virgin forests are not 

 unfrequently very abundant in individuals, but not so much so 

 in species. They consist of a great profusion of Ferns, sufFru- 

 ticose and herbaceous species of Begonia, some of them with 

 very large foliage, and rising to the height of 12 and 15 feet. 

 The finest of these is the Begonia digitata, which rises very 

 high, has large digitate leaves, and large panicles of small white 

 flowers. This I have also introduced to England. In diy 

 rocky places Bromeliads, Orchids, and Dorstenias prevail, 

 mixed with sufFruticose and tuberous rooted species of Gesner- 

 ads. Epiphyllum truncatum is very common, growing on 

 rocks, but more frequently on the trunks of large trees. Many 

 of the finest of the ferns found in the virgin forests grow also 

 on the stems of trees ; this is the case with many species of 

 Acrostichum, Asplenium, Polypodium, Pleopeltis ; and some 

 small species of Asplenium, Polypodium, Trichomanes, and 

 Hymenophyllum, are never found but on the stems of tree-ferns. 

 Hippeastrum calyptratum and psittacinum are both common in 

 these woods. 



Such is a slight sketch of the vegetation of the Organ Moun- 

 tains at about an elevation of 3000 feet. What follows is the 

 result of several journeys which I made to the upper regions of 

 the range, the highest part of which, determined by the boiling 

 point of water, I found to be 6857 feet. Several botanists had 

 visited Mr. March's estate before me, such as Langsdorff", his 

 assistant Riedel, Burchell, and Lhotsky, but none of them re- 

 mained more than a week or two, and none of them botanized at 

 a greater elevation than Mr. March's house. This fact made 

 me the more anxious to spend a few days among the high peaks, 

 where I felt certain of meeting with quite a difl^erent kind of 

 vegetation. Before reaching the steeper part of the ascent, I 

 had to pass for several hours through the dense and sombre 

 virgin forest, where I met with many fine species of Ferns, Or- 

 chids, and Begonias. In crossing over a high hill, I found the 

 low trees on the top of it literally covered with various kinds of 



