in Extra- Tropical Countries. 405 



Wettinia Maynensis, Spruce. 



Cordilleras of Peru. Like the foregoing, it attains a height of 

 about 40 feet, and advances to elevations of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. 



Before finally parting from the American palms, it may be appro- 

 priate to allude briefly to some of the hardier kinds, which were left 

 unnoticed in the course of this compilation. From Dr. Spruce's im- 

 portant essay on the Palms of the Amazon-River may be learned 

 that, besides other species as yet imperfectly known from the sources 

 of this great river, the following kinds are comparatively hardy, and 

 hence might find places for cultivation or even naturalization within 

 the limits of extra-tropical countries: Geonoma undata (Klotzsch), 

 Iriartea deltoidea (Ruiz and Pavon), Iriartea ventricosa (Martius), 

 which latter rises in its magnificence to fully 100 feet; Iriartea 

 exorrhiza (Martius); this, with the two other Iriarteas, ascends the 

 Andes to 5,000 feet.. Oenocarpus multicaulis (Spruce) ascends to 

 4,000 feet; from six to ten stems are developed from the same root, 

 each from 15 to 30 feet high. Of Euterpe two species occur in a 

 zone between 3,000 and 6,000 feet. Phytelephas microcarpa (Ruiz 

 and Pavon) ascends to 3,000 feet on the eastern slope of the Peru- 

 Andes. Phytelephas macrocarpa, R. & P., grows also on the eastern 

 side of the Andes, up to 4,000 feet; it is this superb species, which 

 yields by its seeds much of the vegetable ivory. Phytelephas 

 agquatorialis, Spruce, occurs on the western slope of the Peruvian 

 Andes, up to 5,000 feet ; this palm is one of the grandest objects in 

 the whole vegetable creation, its leaves attaining a length of 30 feet ! 

 The stem rises to 20 feet. Palm-ivory is also largely secured from 

 this plant. Though equinoctial, it lives only in the milder regions of 

 the mountains. Carludovica palmata (R. & P.), on the eastern side 

 of the Andes of Peru and Ecuador ascends to about 4,000 feet ; the fan- 

 shaped leaves from cultivated specimens furnish the main-material for 

 the best Panama-hats. Count de Castelnau saw many palms on the 

 borders of Paraguay during his great Brazilian expedition. Most of 

 these, together with the palms of Uruguay and the wide Argentine 

 territory, would probably prove adapted for acclimation in mild tem- 

 perate latitudes ; but hitherto the limited access to those countries has 

 left us largely unacquainted with their vegetable treasures also in this 

 direction. Von Martius demonstrated so early as 1850 the occurrence 

 of the following palms in extra-tropical South- America : Juania 

 australis (H. Wendland), on high mountains in Juan Fernandez, at 

 30 south latitude; Jubcea spectabilis (Humboldt), in Chili; at 40 

 south latitude ; Trithrinax Brasiliana (Mart.), at 31 south latitude ; 

 Copernicia cerifera, (Mart.), at 29 south latitude ; Acrocomia Totai 

 (Mart.), at 28 south latitude ; Cocos Australis (Mart.), at 34 south 

 latitude; Cocos Yatai (Mart), at 32 south latitude; Cocos Ro- 

 manzoinana (Chamisso), at 28 south latitude ; Diplothemium lit- 

 torale (Mart.), at 30 south latitude. All the last-mentioned palms 

 occur in Brazil, the Acrocomia imd Trithrinax extending to Paraguay, 

 and Cocos Australis to Uruguay and the La Plata-States. 



