338 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 



posite sides of the trunk, and so closely packed together as 

 to form an immense flat fan on a colossal stem ? Yet, in all 

 these plants the arrangement of leaves obeys the same law, 

 which is illustrated with equal distinctness by each one. 

 This mathematical disposition of leaves is thus shown to bo 

 compatible with a great variety of essentially different struc 

 tures ; and though the law of Phyllotaxis prevails in all 

 plants, being limited neither to class, orders, families, genera, 

 nor species, but running in various combinations through 

 the whole kingdom, I believe it can be studied to especial 

 advantage in the group of palms, on account of the promi 

 nence of their few large leaves. The most abundant and 

 characteristic palms of the Rio Negro are the Javari (Astro- 

 caryum Javari), the Muru-Muru (Astrocaryum Murumuru), 

 the Uauassu (Attalea speciosa), the Inaja (Maximiliana re- 

 gia), the Baccaba ((Enocarpus Baccaba), the Paxiuba (Iri- 

 artea exorhiza), the Carana (Mauritia Carana).the Caranai 

 (Mauritia horrida), the Ubim (Geonoma), and the Curua 

 (Attalea spectabilis) ; of these the two latter are the most 

 useful. The remarkable Piassaba (Leopoldinia Piassaba) 

 occurs only far above the junction of the Rio Negro and Rio 

 Branco. We obtained, however, a specimen that had been 

 planted at Itatiassu. The many small kinds of Ubim (Geo- 

 noi* J, and Maraja (Bactris), and even the Jara (Leopol 

 dinia), are so completely overshadowed by the larger trees 

 that they are only noticed where clustered along the river- 

 banks. Bussus (Manicaria), Assais (Euterpe) Mucaja 

 (Acrocomia), grow also on the Rio Negro, but it remains 

 to be ascertained whether they are specifically identical with 

 those of the Lower Amazons. So peculiar is the aspect of 

 the different species of palms that, from the deck of the 

 steamer, they can be singled out as easily as the live-oaks 



