270 GENERAL REMARKS ON THE Chap. XVI. 



in great abundance, but the cascarilleros had certainly done 

 their work well in former years, for every single tree of any 

 size had been felled, though many of the young root-shoots 

 were 20 and 30 feet high, and covered with capsule-bearing 

 panicles. These precious trees were most plentiful under 

 the ridges of rock which crop out at intervals, where the 

 .ground was not so thickly covered with vegetation, and where 

 the young plants obtained plenty of light and air, while they 

 were partially protected from the direct rays of the sun by the 

 spreading branches of taller trees. The Calisaya-trees, on 

 the Ccasa-sani precipice, however, had no shade whatever. 

 They were covered with capsules. I observed that when the 

 young plants of C. Calisaya grew up the sides of the rocks, 

 and actually came in contact, they often threw out roots 

 from their stems or branches. The C. Calisaya is by far the 

 most beautiful tree .of these forests. Its leaves are of a dark 

 rich green, smooth and shining, with crimson veins, and a 

 green petiole edged with red, and the deliciously sweet 

 bunches of flowers are white, with rose-coloured laciniae, 

 edged with wliite marginal hairs. But it was evident that 

 we did not see them to advantage in these forests ; they ran 

 up tall and straggling, as if seeking the sun, and seemed 

 to pant for more light and air, and a deeper and richer 

 soil. !RIartinez told me that, when the Calisaya is much 

 overshadowed by other trees, it loses the crimson colour 

 on the petioles and veins of the leaves ; and that fifteen 

 leagues lower dowoi the river (I suppose at about four thousand 

 feet above the sea) the leaves of the Calisaya morada become 

 quite bright pmple all over the under side. 



Gironda and Martinez told me that there were three kinds 

 of Calisaya-trees ; namely, the Calisaya jina ( C. Calisaya, a 

 vera, Wedd.), the Calisaya morada {C. Boliviana,W edd.), and 

 the tall Calisaya verde. They added that the latter was a 

 very large tree, without any red colour in the veins of the 

 leaves, and generally groAviug far down the valleys, almost 



