Cuap. II. CEDRELA WOOD. 43 
The tree producing this wood, which is named cedar on account of the 
similarity of its aroma to that of the true cedars, is not, of course, a 
coniferous tree, as no member of that class is found in equatorial 
America, at least in the Amazons regions. It is, according to Von 
Martius, the Cedrela odorata, an exogen belonging to the same order as 
the mahogany tree. The wood is light, and the tree is therefore, on 
falling into the water, floated down with the river currents. It must 
grow in great quantities somewhere in the interior, to judge from the 
number of uprooted trees annually carried to the sea; and as the wood 
is much esteemed for cabinet work and canoe-building, it is of some 
importance to learn where a regular supply can be obtained. We were 
glad of course to arrange with Mr. Leavens, who was familiar with the 
language, and an adept in river-navigation ; so we returned to Parad to 
ship our collections for England, and prepare for the journey to a new 
region. 
