14 THE LIVING CYCADS 



The plant grows in the blazing tropical sun and is a 

 prominent feature of the landscape, although its stocky 

 trunk seldom reaches a height of more than four or five 

 feet. But even at this height it towers above fully 

 grown oak trees which remind one of the artificially 

 dwarfed evergreens of Japan. Some other associates 

 are wild pineapples, cacti, and various peculiar ferns 

 which are able to survive under such dry conditions. 

 The region, while interesting to the botanist, does not 

 look very cheerful; but during the rainy season the 

 dried-up ferns take on a rich green, and numerous 

 brightly colored flowers reheve the severity. 



I visited this region twice in the dry season and twice 

 in the rainy season, each time making a stay of several 

 days, collecting material, making notes, and taking 

 photographs. 



Between the Dioon locality and Jalapa lies a wonder- 

 ful region for botanical study. Even during the dry 

 season the vegetation is luxuriant; or it would be more 

 nearly correct to say that there is no dry season here, for 

 streams and cataracts formed by the ever-melting snows 

 of Orizaba and Perote cause an abundant rainfall. The 

 forest is dense and varied, and botanists will understand 

 the richness of the fern flora from the fact that six out 

 of the seven time-honored families may often be found 

 within a ten minutes' walk. Ferns cover the ground 

 and hang from the trees, while magnificent tree ferns 

 with trunks twenty or thirty feet high and leaves 

 ten or fifteen feet long are not uncommon. This rich 

 collecting-ground has furnished material for several 

 investigations by students of our department, besides 

 an abundant supply for illustrative purposes. The place 



