THE EQUATORIAL ZONE. 301 



where, still in its natural state, the character of the country 

 is very varied. On the upland are dry grassy plains, thinly 

 covered with Vellozias, and a beautiful little shrub of the 

 natural tribe of Lythraeea (or Loosestrifes), called Diplu- 

 sodon, with a profusion of small rose-coloured flowers. 



The Grasses on these upland campos are of various spe- 

 cies, " nearly all of which are coarse and rank, and not well 

 suited for pasturage " they do not form a close turf, as ours 

 do, but grow in scattered tufts, the intervals of bare soil 

 being greater than the extent of grass-covered surface. 

 This, however, is not apparent at first sight, for the culm is 

 generally long, and when ripe and seen from a distance the 

 campos appear as if covered with wheat or oats. 



Besides such plants as that just before mentioned (the 

 Diplu8odori) t many other flowering shrubs and beautiful 

 herbaceous plants are found growing amongst the Grasses. 

 One of the most ornamental is a bushy plant called Kiel- 

 meyera; one species (K. rosea, Mart.), which grows to 

 about a foot and a half in height, produces numerous large 

 rose-coloured flowers of five petals, which, have gained it 

 the beautiful name of Rosa do Campo; it belongs to the 

 same tribe (Ternstrcemiacea) as the Camellias and the Tea- 

 plant, and is more distantly related to the Clusias. 



