OF THE AMAZON. 15 



PLATE V. 



Leopoldinia major, n. sp. 

 Jara assu, Lingoa Geral. 



The Jara assu or " greater Jara" closely resembles the 

 last species, but it is considerably larger. The stem is 

 four inches in diameter and reaches thirty feet in height. 

 It is often much thicker at the bottom than in the upper 

 part, and has a greater proportion of the stem bare. 

 The leaves are very similar, but the spadices are larger, 

 and the fruit is also larger and much more abundant. 



This tree occurs plentifully on the lakes and inlets of 

 the upper Rio Negro, but is not found at the mouth of 

 the river like the last species. It grows too at a lower 

 level, being often found with a part of the stem under 

 water. 



The Indians collect the fruit in large quantities, and 

 by burning and washing extract a floury substance, 

 which they use as a substitute for salt when they cannot 

 procure that article. They assert positively that the 

 smaller species of Jara will not yield the same product ; 

 but perhaps this may be only because the fruit is less 

 abundant, and they do not take the trouble to collect it. 



Coarse Portugal salt is used in the Rio Negro, and 

 among the Indians in the upper part of the river serves 

 as a circulating medium, about a pound of it being 

 reckoned equivalent to a day's work. The supply how- 

 ever is very uncertain, and there are many distant 



