PLANTS CULTIVATED AT CARACAS. 289 
Calietite, but its fruit ripens perfectly well at an elevation of nearly 
1000 metres, where there is a mean temperature of from 21° to 25° C. 
I have seen it myself laden with full ripe fruits, 12-15" long, in Los 
Mariches, east of Caracas, at 1578 metres elevation, with a mean 
temperature of 19° C. (66-2° F.), in calmy places exposed to the 
south. I found even some sickly specimens at an elevation of 1992 
metres. The plants of higher localities do not yield so much fruit, and 
die sooner than those of the hot lowland. 
I add a synopsis of the principal varieties, with small fruits, culti- 
vated in our neighbourhood, and called ' Cambur.' 
I. Stem dwarfish, not over 2 yards high. Cambur pigmeo. 
II. Stem growing much higher. 
A. Fruit obtusely triangular. Cambur criollo. 
B. Fruit obtusely 5 -angular or nearly cylindrical. 
a. Fruit comparatively large, 6-8" 1. Cambur harton. 
b. Fruit smaller, seldom more than 5" L 
. Ripe fruit (and generally the stems and leaf-stalks) red- 
* 4 4 
dish. 
aa. Peel of the fruit pink, flesh white. Cambur morado. 
bb. Peel and flesh rosy. Cambur terciopelo. 
0. Kipe fruit yellow. 
aa. 3-5" L l"-lV thick. Cambur manzana. 
bb. 2-3" 1., i" thick. Cambur titiaro. 
* Cambur topacho' is the result of crossing between ' Platano' (J/. 
paradmaca) and ' Cambur morado.' 
With reference to the alleged American origin of one or several 
species of Mum I have something to add. There is first the passage in 
Garcilaso de la Vega, < Comentarios Beaks' (Madrid, 1723, p. 2h,, 
cap. xiv.), which has been overvalued as a proof of it. This begins 
in the original :— " Volviendo a las frutas, diremos de algunas mas 
notables que se crian en los Antis del Peru, que son tierras mas 
calientes y mas lmmedas que no las provincias del Peru. M primer 
lugar se debe dar al arbol y a su fruto, que los Espanoles Hainan Pla- 
tano." (But to return to the fruits, we shall mention some of the more 
remarkable ones, that grow in the Andes of Peru, which are hotter and 
more humid parts than the other provinces of Peru Ihe first place 
must be given to the tree and its fruits.called 'Platano by the Spaniards. 
He says therefore simply that the Musa is cultivated m lcru, but 
there is not the slightest indication that tee author is speaking ot 
any other time than Ids own. He was born in 1530, only two jmn 
f 
