Foreign JSfotices. 435 



but for symmetry of form. It bears a yellow eatable drupe, about as 

 big as a lar^e yellow gooseberry. This fruit is called Oyty, and the 

 tree itself Oytycera. Opposite the house, on the other side of the riv- 

 er, there extends a large tract of wooded country, consisting chiefly of 

 small trees and shrubs, which have sprung up since the Virgin forests 

 have been felled; it is called Mato de Torre. Between this wood and 

 the river stretches a broad piece of open ground partly covered with 

 short grass, and partly with low shrubs and herbaceous plant?. The 

 former consist of several species of Solanum and Mimosa, some Myr- 

 tacecB and suftruticose Verjionice. Among the herbaceous plants 1 found 

 beautiful specimens of the lovely Angelonia salicaricefolia, and a large 

 white-flowered Cleome. Jatropha wens and J. gossypiifolia are also 

 common in this tract, in the middle of which are some small freshwater 

 lakes that afforded me some good plants. To my great delight the first 

 excursion to this spot was regarded with that curious aquatic fern, nam- 

 ed after Mr. Parker of Liverpool, Parkeria pteridioides. The lower 

 parts of the fronds are much inflated, by which the whole plant, being 

 rendered specifically lighter than the water, floats upon the surface of 

 the shallows; its long fibrous roots only reaching the mud at the bottom. 

 Along the borders of these lakes grow several large PoZ?/goraa, one of them 

 has stout spikes of greenish white flowers, and another considerably re- 

 sembles our P. amphibium: there also abound Pontederia paniculata, Hy- 

 drolea spinosa, and a species of Ammannia. Several parts are covered 

 with a floating turf, consisting principally of different Cyperacece ; and 

 where this does not not exist, Jiissiaa nutans throws along the surface of 

 the water its long floating branches,which are upborne by numerous small 

 white cylindrical bladders attached to the lower side. The flowers are 

 white, and about the size of those of Ranunculus aquatilis, to which, at 

 a distance, it bears a considerable resemblance. ]\lingled with the Jus- 

 si(ta are vast quantities of the curious Jizolla magellanica and Pistia 

 Slratioles. 



In the wood itself grow many species of Myrtaca:e, a few Melaslo- 

 macerc, and several fine trees of the Cashew; also a good many species 

 of Cocoloba, and great abundance of Vismia hrasillensis, the latter of- 

 ten attaining the stature of a small tree, together with numerous Byr- 

 sonimcr. There are also several small trees of Eschweilera parvi folia 

 (Martius,) which when covered, as was then the case, with its curious 

 pale-yellow flowers, presented a beautiful object. Twining among these 

 and other trees I observed fine plants of Gomphia acuminata, the large 

 panicles of golden blossoms contrasting most agreeably with the shin- 

 ing dark-green foliage; likewise a species of Trigonia, and, j)articular- 

 ly among the lesser trees by the bank of the river, a Combretum, with 

 large clusters of small pale yellow and hiirhly scented flowers. 



On first entering this W'ood I was peculiarly struck by the difference 

 of its general aspect from those of the same kind about Rio. Here ev- 

 ery thing betokened a drier atmosphere and more arid soil. No ferns, 

 Bcgonicc, Piperacece, or orchidea;ous plants could be seen. On the 

 stems and branches of the larger trees a few Bromeliacea and Aroidecc 

 alone existed. 



The Rev. Mr. Austin, the English clergyman here, having told me of 

 a curious plant which grew in bushy places a few miles beyond his house, 

 and kindly promised to accompany me thither, I started early with him 

 one morning to procure some of it. On reaching the place where it 

 grows, about ten miles west from Receife, I found it to be a noble Epl- 

 dendriim, with stems more than six feet high, destitute of leaves at top, 

 and bearing large corymbs of fine red flowers. It will probably j)rovc 

 to be Epideiidrinn ciimabariuum of Saltzman, first found by that i)ot- 

 anist at Bahia. Whilst collecting specimens of a small leguminous 



