﻿SALVADOR 
  — 
  STANDLEY. 
  321 
  

  

  various 
  " 
  air 
  plants," 
  such 
  as 
  orchids, 
  ferns, 
  aroids, 
  bromeliads, 
  

   lichens, 
  and 
  mosses. 
  

  

  The 
  Salvadorean 
  flora 
  is 
  not 
  rich 
  in 
  ferns, 
  and 
  ferns 
  are 
  not 
  ordi- 
  

   narily 
  conspicuous 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation. 
  Tree 
  ferns 
  are 
  very 
  

   rare, 
  although 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  species 
  occur. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  (Cibotium 
  

   guatemalense) 
  , 
  growing 
  high 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  volcano 
  of 
  San 
  Salvador, 
  

   has 
  the 
  young 
  leaves 
  or 
  croziers 
  covered 
  with 
  long 
  hairlike 
  yellowish 
  

   scales 
  resembling 
  fur. 
  Bunches 
  of 
  these, 
  known 
  as 
  micos 
  ("mon- 
  

   keys"), 
  are 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  for 
  decorations. 
  Around 
  San 
  Sal- 
  

   vador 
  tree 
  ferns 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  common 
  formerly, 
  although 
  now 
  

   only 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  sterile 
  plants 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  In 
  the 
  Sierra 
  de 
  

   Apaneca 
  there 
  are 
  beautiful 
  ferns 
  with 
  tall, 
  slender 
  trunks, 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  being 
  rapidly 
  exterminated. 
  

  

  The 
  widespread 
  belief 
  that 
  tropical 
  forests 
  afford 
  vivid 
  color 
  dis- 
  

   plays, 
  composed 
  of 
  vast 
  flocks 
  of 
  parrots 
  and 
  other 
  bright-colored 
  

   birds, 
  and 
  great 
  masses 
  of 
  brilliant-hued 
  orchids 
  and 
  other 
  flowers, 
  

   an 
  impression 
  obtained 
  by 
  reading 
  overenthusiastic 
  descriptions 
  in 
  

   popular 
  works 
  of 
  fiction 
  written 
  by 
  persons 
  who 
  knew 
  nothing 
  of 
  

   the 
  Tropics, 
  has 
  so 
  often 
  been 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  false 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  

   not 
  so 
  widespread 
  as 
  it 
  once 
  was. 
  The 
  forests 
  of 
  Salvador 
  are 
  of 
  

   rather 
  gloomy 
  aspect, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  now 
  and 
  then, 
  at 
  favorable 
  times 
  

   of 
  the 
  year, 
  that 
  fine 
  vistas 
  of 
  color 
  can 
  be 
  seen. 
  Nowhere 
  in 
  that 
  

   country 
  did 
  I 
  observe 
  any 
  color 
  display 
  that 
  would 
  compare 
  with 
  the 
  

   flower 
  fields 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  in 
  August 
  

   or 
  those 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  late 
  summer 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  North 
  

   Carolina. 
  For 
  sheer 
  wealth 
  and 
  intensity 
  of 
  color 
  I 
  suppose 
  nothing 
  

   can 
  equal 
  the 
  miles 
  and 
  miles 
  of 
  fields 
  of 
  solid 
  yellow 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  Valley 
  in 
  late 
  summer 
  when 
  the 
  beggar's 
  ticks 
  or 
  Spanish 
  

   needles 
  are 
  in 
  full 
  blossom. 
  

  

  Orchids 
  grow 
  in 
  Salvador, 
  but 
  there 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  many 
  

   species, 
  and 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  showy. 
  There 
  is 
  one, 
  however, 
  that 
  ful- 
  

   fills 
  all 
  one's 
  preconceived 
  notions 
  of 
  tropical 
  orchids. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  

   one 
  known 
  locally 
  as 
  flor 
  de 
  San 
  Sebastian 
  and 
  botanically 
  as 
  Gat- 
  

   tleya 
  skinneri. 
  The 
  Cattleyas 
  are 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  handsomest 
  of 
  hot- 
  

   house 
  orchids, 
  and 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  finest. 
  It 
  grows 
  nearly 
  

   everywhere, 
  and 
  forms 
  clumps 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  bushel 
  basket 
  placed 
  

   high 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  tree 
  branches. 
  In 
  spring 
  the 
  plants 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  

   flowers 
  and 
  form 
  masses 
  of 
  color 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  discerned 
  at 
  a 
  long 
  

   distance. 
  The 
  flowers 
  — 
  or 
  the 
  whole 
  plants, 
  for 
  that 
  matter 
  — 
  are 
  

   brought 
  to 
  the 
  markets, 
  where 
  they 
  bring 
  prices 
  that 
  seem 
  ridiculous 
  

   in 
  comparison 
  with 
  those 
  paid 
  for 
  scarcely 
  superior 
  hothouse 
  flowers 
  

   in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  Much 
  more 
  showy 
  than 
  most 
  orchids 
  are 
  the 
  bromeliads 
  (plants 
  of 
  

   the 
  pineapple 
  family), 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  mistaken 
  for 
  orchids. 
  Some 
  

  

  