290 ON THE PLANTS COMMON TO TtLE 
before the arrival of Pizarro. In the chapters ix. to xv. of his 
work, Garcilaso mentions several other vegetable products of his 
native country, in all cases adding carefully the Quichua names. But 
lie gives none for so remarkable and useful a plant as the Mum; nor 
do I find one in Markham's ' Contributions.' If there exists no true 
Quichua name, it would be a sufficient proof that the Mum was intro- 
duced to Pern. 
There is another apposite argument which is of much greater im- 
portance than the doubtful assertion of Garcilaso. Oviedo (Sumario, 
ed. Rivad. p. 506) says decidedly, " Estos platanos los hay en todo 
tiempo del alio ; pero no son por su origen naturalcs en aquellas partes, 
porque de Espana,* fueron llevados los primeros." (These plantains 
grow throughout the whole year, but they are not originally indige- 
nous in those parts, the first having been brought from Spain.) T 
have already mentioned that Oviedo's work was published in 1526, 
four years before the Inca Garcilaso was born. 
I cannot even consider as indigenous the names ' Partita 1 (in Tama- 
nac) and 'Arata' (in May pure), mentioned by Humboldt as proofs of 
his hypothesis. The Tamanac language changes very much the words 
taken from the Spanish. So 'soldado' becomes in Tamanac 'choraro 
(Humb. Travels, Bohn's edit. i. p. 322). The word 'platano' may, 
in similar manner, have changed into ' paruru' ; the Guarauni-form 
1 burutano' offers a connecting link. The Maypure form * Arata' is 
easily understood when compared with the Pareui-name ' paratana, 
which means the same plant. 
Ananassa sativa, Lindl. c Pifia.' — In the valley of Caracas seldom 
cultivated, but frequently in the hot savanas to the east and south. 
ON THE PLANTS COMMON TO THE SOUTHEKN 
UNITED STATES AND VENEZUELA. 
By A. Ernst, Esq., of Caracas. 
The plants of the Southern United States are taken from Dr. Chap- 
man's 'Flora' (New York, 1860), those of Venezuela chiefly from my 
The Spanish writers include the Canary Islands in the denomination 
Espaiia. 
