Information respecting Botanical Travellers, 333 



yellow colour, and very sweet-scented. The natives of the Sertao call 

 this tree Tingi and apply it to many useful purposes. An infusion of 

 the bark of the root is employed to poison fish, and that of the stem 

 to cure old ulcers, while an excellent soup is afforded by the large 

 cotyledons of the seeds. Another tree, which grows in the same si- 

 tuations, is a species of Caryocar, and makes a fine appearance when 

 covered with its large racemes of yellow flowers. The fruit, which 

 is not yet ripe, is said to be excellent when cooked, and the hard 

 wood is used in mill- work. This tree is called Piki by the natives 

 of the Sertao. Two large ingas are also common in the woods, and 

 I have sent specimens of both ; one is called Timbahuba and the other 

 Visgeira, The former is the smaller ; the Visgeira presents a most 

 remarkable appearance when its flowers expand, these being of a 

 dark purple colour, and suspended on a peduncle a foot in length. 

 The Jatoba is another large tree, which I have not yet seen in flower, 

 but suspect it to be a species of Hymencea. The cashew also reaches 

 a considerable height in this neighbourhood, and grows more upright 

 than the variety from the coast. There is also the Angelina, a beau- 

 tiful and large species of Andira ; good specimens of it in flower are 

 in this collection ; and some of the fruits, which I am at present dry- 

 ing, shall follow by the next opportunity. There are also two large 

 Bignonias growing here, one with purple and the other with yellow 

 flowers ; but owing to the durability and hardness of their wood, 

 which is much sought for by workers in mill- and cart- work, they 

 are not allowed to attain any great size near the town of Crato. 

 Besides these which I have enumerated, there are many others, but, 

 though of considerable size, they can hardly be called large trees. 

 Among them I may mention the Pao de Jungada {Apeiba Tibourbow, 

 Aubl.), as of frequent occurrence, and conspicuous from its large 

 prickly capsules. Its wood aff'ords the material of the raft-boats, 

 called jungadas, so much used on the coast. A species of Byrsonima, 

 very lovely when in blossom, and another of Callisthene, also remark- 

 ably beautiful, grow here ; the latter, being distinct from the three 

 species described by Martins, I believe to be new, and in allusion to 

 its great masses of charming yellow flowers, I have called it C.flori- 

 hunda. 



I have now examined the stamens of species belonging to four 

 diff^erent genera of the tribe Vochysiacece, and find them all, as Mar- 

 tins describes them, 4-celled. 



Many other trees of course exist in this vicinity, but the want of 

 flowers prevents my determining them. On the Serra de Araripe 

 are several species that do not occur in the plains below. This 



