EQUINOCTIAL PLANTS. o'Jo 



tion of I^ew Grenada, whom Humboldt met at Bogota, 

 where he was rojal astronomer, and to whom he dedi- 

 cated the " Equinoctial Plants," had examined before 

 them the forests of Turbaco, and the banks of the Eio 

 Magdalena; he did not penetrate, however, the moun- 

 tains of Quindiu, where they obtained some of their 

 rarest botanical specimens. Only one traveller, Joseph de 

 Jussieu, had preceded them at Loxa. Ruiz and Pavon 

 had examined some portions of Peru, but not the province 

 of Jaen de Bracamorras, where the vegetation was richest. 

 Cervantes, Sesse and Mocino had made many researches 

 in Mexico, but nature was so unexhaustible in that im- 

 mense territory that Humboldt and Bonpland obtained 

 many specimens, not known to those botanists. 



The number of equinoctial plants which the travellers 

 collected in both hemispheres amounted to six thousand 

 two hundred different species, many of which were not 

 previously known in botany. Their collection surprised 

 the most celebrated botanists, it contained so many new 

 specimens. In palms, gramines, and cryptogrames, three 

 families of plants much neglected by former botanists, 

 it was especially rich. 



The " Equinoctial Plants" bore on the title page the 

 names of Humbolt and Bonpland as its authors. Most 

 of the work, however, was written by Bonpland, who 

 was highly complimented by Humboldt. His praise of 

 his fellow-traveller was as sincere as it was beautiful. 

 "If my enterprise," he said, " shall one day be regarded 

 as interesting in the progress of botany, the success will 

 be almost entirely owing to the active zeal of M. Bon- 

 pland." The work was embellished with a great number 

 of designs, which were carefully engraved by Sellier. 



