324 PHYSIOGNOMY OF PLANTS. 



has no true Mimosa, but it has three species of Acacia. Even in 

 the north part of Chili, the Acacia cavenia only grows to a height of 

 twelve or thirteen feet; and in the south, near the sea coast, it 

 hardly rises a foot above the ground. In South America, north of 

 the Equator, the most excitable Mimosas were (next to Mimosa 

 pudica), M. dormiens, M. somnians, and M. somniculosa. Theo- 

 phrastus (iv. 3) and Pliny (xiii. 10) mention the irritability of the 

 African sensitive plant; but I find the first description of the South 

 American sensitive plants (Dormideras) in Herrera, Becad. ii. lib. 

 iii. cap. 4. The plant first attracted the attention of the Spaniards 

 in 1518, in the savannahs on the isthmus near Nombre de Dios : 

 "parece como cosa sensible;" and it was said that the leaves ( a de 

 echura de una pluma de pajaros") only contracted on being touched 

 with the finger, and not if touched with a piece of wi)od. In the 

 small swamps which surround the town of Mompox on the Magda- 

 lena, we discovered a beautiful aquatic Mimosacea (Desman thus 

 lacustris). It is figured in our Plantes equinoxiales, t.*i. p. 55, pi. 

 16. In the Andes of Caxamarca we found two Alpine Mimosese 

 (Mimosa montana and Acacia revoluta), 8500 and 9000 French 

 (about 9060 and 9590 English) feet above the surface of the 

 Pacific. 



Hitherto no true Mimosa (in the sense established by Willde- 

 now), or even Inga, has been found in the temperate zone. Of all 

 Acacias, the Oriental Acacia julibrissin, which Forskal has con- 

 founded with Mimosa arborea, is that which supports the greatest 

 degree of cold. In the botanic garden of Padua there is in the 

 open air a tree of this species with a stem of considerable thickness, 

 although the mean temperature of Padua is below 1 0. 5 Reaumur 

 (55.6 Fahr.). 



() p. 240. "Heaths." 



In these physiognomic considerations we by no means comprise 

 under the name of Heaths the whole of the natural family of 

 EricaceaB, which on account of the similarity and analogy of the 

 floral parts includes Rhododendron, Befaria, Gaultheria, Escallonia, 

 &c. We confine ourselves to the highly accordant and character- 



