252 



FOREST TREES. 



Chap. XV. 



Tiie magnitude and variety of the trees of the forest were 

 very striking ; and the imposing cliaracter of the scenery, in 

 these vast solitudes, was a source of constant enjoyment, and 

 liglitened the fatigues of the journey. Among the wonders 

 of the forest there were enormous trees with great buttressed 

 trunks, others sending down rope-like tendrils from the 

 branches in every direction, the gigantic balsam-tree, the 

 india-rubber tree, and many others. A list of the ferns or 

 mosses, endless in the variety of their shape and size, would 

 fill volumes. Of palms, also, there were many kinds. The 

 tall chcmta, with its hard serviceable wood ; the slender beau- 

 tiful chinilla {Euterpe ?) ; the towering muruna (Iriartea ?), 

 with its roots shooting out in every direction from eight feet 

 above the ground, and triangular-notched leaflets ; the chaqui- 

 sapa {Astrocaryumf), with its lofty stem thickly set with 

 alternate rings of spines, and thorny leaves ; the sumhallu 

 {GiuUelma?), a beautiful palm with a slender stem covered 

 with long sharp spines, numerous graceful leaves, and an 

 edible fruit ; and above all the sayal, the monarch of the 

 palms of these forests, with a rather short thick stem, inner 

 libres of the stalks like black wool, but with enonnous leaves 

 growing rather erect from the stem to a length of at least 

 forty feet — I should think they must be the largest leaves in 

 the whole vegetable kingdom. Among the bright flowers 

 there were crimson Melastomacecu, called ccesuara, a scarlet 

 Justitia, the Manetia eoccinea, and many beautiful orchids in 

 the branches of the trees. 



At length, after a very hard day's work, we reached the 



Filaments pillose at the base, tinged 

 with purple. Anthers a little shorter 

 than the tilaments, all lying on the 

 lower sides of the tube of the corolla, 

 liglit brown. 



Style. — Exsei-ted, but a little shorter 

 than the stamens, light green colour. 

 8tigma, bi-cleft. 



ranicles. — Corjnnbose and multitlor, 

 in threes, to 15 buds on each. l*edi- 

 cels a bro^vllish purple. 



I have attempted to describe tliid 

 tree, because I have been unable to 

 identify it with any of the chinchona- 

 ceous plants in Dr. WeddcU'.s work. 



