50 PALM TREES 



The Miriti is a social palm, covering large tracts of 

 tide-flooded lands on the Lower Amazon. In these 

 places there is no underwood to break the view among 

 interminable ranges of huge columnar stems rising un- 

 disturbed by branch or leaf to the height of eighty or a 

 hundred feet, — a vast natural temple which does not 

 yield in grandeur and sublimity to those of Palmyra or 

 Athens. 



Of the age of these noble trees we have no know- 

 ledge, but it is remarkable how uniform they appear in 

 size, there often being not a single young tree over 

 a considerable extent of ground, particularly in places 

 now flooded daily by the tide. One would therefore 

 imagine that the present trees sprung up when the 

 ground was more elevated than at present, and that it 

 has since gradually sunk (or the waters risen) till the 

 conditions have become unfavourable for the growth of 

 young plants, though not hurtful to those which had 

 already attained a certain age. Whether such is the 

 true explanation of the phenomenon can only be 

 decided by continued observation on the spot. 



Besides this species which is mentioned by Martius 

 as occurring at Para, my friend Mr. Spruce ascer- 

 tained that another closely allied palm, the Mauritia 

 vinifera, also occurs there. On the Upper Amazon and 

 Rio Negro a palm is found supposed to be the M. 

 flexuosa, but it is not so lofty a tree, which may per- 

 haps be accounted for by its growing on annually in- 

 stead of diurnally flooded lands. It is believed to be 

 the same species which Humboldt observed on the 



