302 ZONES AND REGIONS [Pt. Ill, Sect. I 



shrubs and dwarf trees of the underwood are found species of Piper, Cassia, Brucea' 

 (Simarubaceae) : Pycnocoma(Euphorbiaceae), Allophj'lus(Sapindaceae), Alsodeiopsis 

 (Olacaceae), Haronga (Hypericaceae), Oncoba (Bixaceae), Clerodendron (Verbe- 

 naceae), Whitfieldia (Acanthaceael, Pavetta, Chasalia and Psychotria (Rubiaceae), 

 Vernonia (Compositae), and a low tree-fern (Alsophila Holstiii. The herbaceous 

 vegetation is chiefly formed of ferns, to which maj- be added a few Scitamineae, 

 Urticaceae, Euphorbiaceae. Lianes are rare in the dense forest ; epiphytes consist 

 chiefly of ferns, in a less degree of orchids and species of Peperomia '. 



V. TROPICAL RAIX-FOREST IN AMERICA. 



The tropical virgin forest of America has very properly acquired the 

 highest reputation. The ordinar\- descriptions of tropical virgin forest 

 chiefly refer to it and are taken from the works of Humboldt, Martius, 

 Schomburgk, and St.-Hilaire. I have visited the virgin forest in several 

 parts of tropical America, the Antilles, \'enczuela, and Brazil. I found it, 

 in many ways, far more majestic than in Java, owing to the larger dimen- 

 sions of the trees, the greater thickness of the liane-stems. and the greateil 

 abundance of epiphytes. The essential features of the physiognomy are 

 however, nearly identical in both lands, in accordance with the similarity 

 of environment in both cases. Yet not onl)- in the West Indies, but alsc 

 in Brazil and South Mexico — and probably in other parts of America- 

 there is an additional characteristic that I did not find in Java and which 

 has not been recorded in regard to the Cis-gangetic Indian forests. Thi.'i 

 is the extraordinary wealth in aerial roots descending vertically and' 

 unbranched through the air, the ' cipos ' of the Brazilians, which form 

 tightly stretched cords connecting the climbing and epiphj'tic Araceae anc] 

 Clusiaceae with the nutritive soil (Fig. 152). 



Among the characteristics of the flora of the tropical American rain- 

 forest, the most striking is the presence of Bromeliaceae, which are nearl) 

 always epiphytic and usually form an important constituent of the vegeta- 

 tion, remarkable for their peculiar forms and splendid colouring. Thd 

 epiphytic Cactaceae, in particular species of Rhipsalis, are seldom abseni: 

 and are easily recognizable. 



In opposition to a widespread error, it must be insisted that palm-trees are b} 

 no means necessary as prominent constituents of the tropical rain-forests, in eithei 

 the New World or the Old World. Representatives of the family are possibly presen 

 as a rule. These are, however, for the most part small forms, or prickly palm 

 lianes. Tall erect palms are usually feebly represented in the forest, for instance ir 

 Java, but in Dominica I have seen Euterpe olerace5, and in South Brazil Euterpe 

 edulis (Fig. 141), growing abundantly in the virgin forest. Fig. 130 shows a fores; 

 in Samoa, rich in palms. 



' Engler, op. cit., p. 82. 



