﻿322 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  of 
  these 
  are 
  common 
  in 
  Florida, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best-known 
  repre- 
  

   sentatives 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  is 
  the 
  Spanish 
  moss 
  that 
  festoons 
  the 
  trees 
  

   of 
  the 
  Southern 
  States. 
  Bromeliads 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  common 
  than 
  

   orchids 
  in 
  Salvador 
  and 
  grow 
  at 
  all 
  altitudes. 
  The 
  large 
  flower 
  

   spikes 
  are 
  usually 
  pink 
  or 
  bright 
  red 
  and 
  the 
  flowers 
  themselves 
  

   some 
  vivid 
  shade 
  of 
  blue. 
  

  

  Other 
  epiphytic 
  plants 
  common 
  here 
  are 
  the 
  aroids, 
  to 
  which 
  

   belongs 
  the 
  common 
  caladium 
  or 
  elephant-ear. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  grow 
  upon 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  cling 
  

   to 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  trees, 
  and 
  are 
  vinelike 
  in 
  habit. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  mostly 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  mountain 
  forests, 
  

   especially 
  along 
  streams. 
  These 
  plants 
  are 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  

   polymorphism 
  of 
  their 
  leaves, 
  the 
  young 
  plants 
  often 
  being 
  so 
  unlike 
  

   adults 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  almost 
  impossible 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  any 
  relationship 
  

   between 
  them. 
  The 
  young 
  plants 
  often 
  have 
  remarkably 
  handsome 
  

   leaves, 
  with 
  metallic 
  sheen 
  or 
  tinted 
  with 
  pink, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  

   are 
  grown 
  in 
  northern 
  hothouses. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  aroids, 
  especially 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Monstera, 
  are 
  noteworthy 
  for 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  their 
  

   adult 
  leaves, 
  which 
  are 
  perforated 
  with 
  large 
  round 
  holes. 
  Not 
  a 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  Salvadorean 
  aroids 
  have 
  edible 
  fruits, 
  but 
  care 
  must 
  be 
  

   exercised 
  in 
  eating 
  them 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  needlelike 
  crystals 
  contained, 
  

   these 
  causing 
  a 
  painful 
  sensation 
  to 
  the 
  tongue. 
  

  

  TREES. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  among 
  the 
  trees 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  native 
  Salvadorean 
  

   plants 
  are 
  found, 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  none 
  is 
  more 
  interesting 
  than 
  the 
  

   balsam 
  tree 
  (Toluifera 
  pereirce), 
  which 
  produces 
  the 
  article 
  known 
  

   as 
  Peruvian 
  balsam. 
  This 
  leguminous 
  tree 
  ranges 
  from 
  Mexico 
  to 
  

   northern 
  South 
  America, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  part 
  

   of 
  Salvador, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Balsam 
  Coast, 
  and 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  

   commercial 
  article 
  comes 
  from 
  this 
  region. 
  The 
  Balsam 
  Coast 
  

   lies 
  mostly 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Sonsonate, 
  where 
  the 
  trees 
  occur 
  

   abundantly 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  mountains, 
  growing 
  in 
  thin 
  forest. 
  The 
  tree 
  

   is 
  a 
  handsome 
  one, 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  tall 
  but 
  slender, 
  straight, 
  pale, 
  smooth 
  

   trunk 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  open 
  crown. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  slow 
  growth, 
  and 
  the 
  wood 
  

   is 
  fine 
  and 
  hard. 
  The 
  leaves 
  are 
  furnished 
  with 
  innumerable 
  small 
  

   oil 
  glands 
  that 
  are 
  easily 
  visible 
  when 
  a 
  leaf 
  is 
  held 
  to 
  the 
  light, 
  and 
  

   the 
  curious 
  winged 
  fruit 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  large 
  glands 
  from 
  which 
  oil 
  

   oozes 
  when 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  crushed. 
  

  

  The 
  balsam 
  is 
  sometimes 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  fruits 
  by 
  crushing, 
  

   but 
  most 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  secured 
  by 
  tapping 
  the 
  trunk. 
  Over 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  trunk 
  the 
  bark 
  is 
  crushed, 
  and 
  upon 
  these 
  injured 
  parts 
  rags 
  

   are 
  placed 
  and 
  left 
  for 
  some 
  days, 
  becoming 
  thus 
  saturated 
  with 
  the 
  

   balsam 
  that 
  runs 
  out. 
  The 
  rags 
  are 
  collected 
  and 
  the 
  liquid 
  is 
  

  

  