6 



respecting liis collecting tins plant, or indeed of its exact locality.* We have always understood the latter to be 

 in some part of the Republic of Bolivia ; perhaps the very spot where it was first found by Haenke, and afterwards 



* Happily tlie improved state of Mr. Bridges' licaltli lias enabled liim to communicate to us tlie following information; but which has 

 only come, as it were, at the twelfth hour, after our whole description had been corrected and made ready for press. We are therefore com- 



pclled to give it in the form of a note. 



■ " Durino- my stay at the Indian town of Santa Anna, in the province of Moxos, EepubHc of Bolivia, during the months of June and July, 

 1845, I made daily shooting excursions in the vicinity. In one of these I had the good fortune (whUst riding along the woody bants of 

 the river Tacuma,'one of the tributary rivers of the Mamore) to come suddenly on a beautiful pond, or rather small lake, embosomed in the 



forest; 

 at least 



and nov ^__ 



specimens of tlie magmficeiit flowers and leaves ; but knoiving that these waters abounded in Alligators, I was deteiTed from doing so by 

 the advice of my guide, and my own experience of simHar places. I now turned over in my thoughts how and in what way flowers and leaves 

 might be obtained, and I clearly saw that a canoe was necessary, and therefore promptly returned to the town and commuuicatcd my discovery 

 and wants to the Correjidor or Governor, Don Jose Mai'ia Zarate, who with much kindness immediately ordered the Cacique to send Indians 

 with a yoke of oxen for the purpose of drawing a canoe from the river Tacuma to the lake. Beiiig apprised that the canoe was in readiness, 

 I returned in the afternoon, with several Indians to assist in carrying home the expected prize of leaves and flowers. The canoe being 

 very small, only three persons could embark; myself in the middle, and an Indian in the bows and stern. In tliis tottering little bark we 

 rowed amongst magnificent leaves and flowers, crushing unavoidably some, and selecting only such as pleased me. The leaves being so 

 enormous I could find room in the canoe for but two, one before me and the other bclund ; owing to their being very fragile, even in the green 

 state, care was necessary to transport them ; and thus we had to make several trips in the canoe before I obtained the number required. Having 

 loaded myself with leaves, flowers, and ripe seed-vessels, I next mused how they were to be conveyed in safety; and determined at length 

 upon suspending them on long poles with small cord, tied to the stalks of the leaves and flowers. Two Indians, each taking on his shoulder - 

 an end of the pole, carried them into the town ; the poor creatures wondering all the whUe what could induce me to be at so much trouble to 

 get at flowers, and for what purpose I destined them now they were in my possession, 



"This splendid plant has, undoubtedly, a very extensive geographical range; the to^vn of Santa Anna is situated between the 13th Mid ^ 

 14th parallels of south latitude, which I consider about its most southern limit, because I sought in vain for it farther south, in the department 

 of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. May we not justly suppose that it is also found as far north of the Equator ? thus occupying about 28'' of northern 

 and southern latitude. Dr. Weddel, the botanist of the French expedition across the American Continent, informed me that he had found it 

 about the same latitude in Brazil. It occupies, without doubt, many of those immense lakes lying between the rivers Mamore, Bcni and the 

 Amazons ; that central part of the Continent, yet but little known. The Indians are well acquainted with the plant ; the Moimas or natives 

 of Santa Anna call it in their language "Morinqua"; and the neighbouring nation, the Cayababas, natives of the town of Exaltaeion, know 

 it under the name of '' Dachocho." The leaves are round, varying considerably in size, the largest about four feet in diameter. They float 

 on the surface of the water ; the colour is a very light green, in age inclining to yellow, some of them even when young possess a yellow hue. 

 The margins of the leaf are turned upwards, giving the leaf a singular appearance, somewhat like a floating dish ; this margin and the under 

 surface of the leaf are of a dark brown colour, while the part under water often assumes a purple tinge. The costse are of the same colour. 

 The spines incline to the interior of the leaf and in some leaves are nearly white. 



" The Victoria grows in 4-6 feet of water, producing leaves and flowers, which rapidly decay and give place to others. From each plant 

 there are seldom more than four or five leaves on the surface, but even these in parts of the lake where the plants Avere numerous, almost 

 covered the smface of the water, one leaf touching the other, I observed a beautiful aquatic bird, {Parra sp. ?) walk mth much ease from leaf 

 to leaf, and many of the Mnscicapid^e find food and a resting-place on them. The plant occupies ahnost exclusively the water, with the exception 

 of a few fioating aquatics of small dimensions, amongst which I saw a beautiful Utrkularia, 



"The blossoms rise six and eight inches above the surface, expanding first in the evening, when they are pure white; changing finally 

 (and by exposure to the sun) to a most beautiful pink or rose colour, fiowers may be seen, at the same time, partaking of every tinge between 

 the two hues, the recently expanded being pure wliite and the adult rosy, almost sinking under water to ripen its seed and produce a new race 

 of plants when required. The largest flowers I saw measm-ed from ten inches to one foot in diameter. 



" I had an opportunity of experiencing the fragrance of the fiowers. Those I collected for preserving in spirits were unexpanded, but on 

 tlie point of openiiig; on arriving at the Government House, in the town, I deposited them in my room, and returning after dark, I found 

 to my surprise that all had blo^™ and were exhaling a most delightful odour, which at first I compared to a rich Pine-apple, afterwards to 

 a Melon, and then to the Chenmoya ; but indeed it resembled none of these fruits, and I at length came to the decision that it was a most 

 delicious scent, unlike every other, and peculiar to the noble flower that produced it. 



" The calyx is gieeu, darker than the leaves, as is tlie seed-vessel. 



" With the assistance of the Indians we got out of the water two entire plants, and from their appearance I should say the FictGrla is 

 decidedly perennial. Each plant had from twenty to thirty foot-stalks of fiowers and leaves, in all stages ; some nearly decayed to the base, 

 others half-way down the stem, whilst others had just lost the floating portion. Tlic same was obseiTcd in the petioles; some bearing the 

 seed-vessel perfect, Avith ripe seed ; others the expanded flower ; and near the crown or centre of the plant was just issuing the tender flower- 

 bud. With a knife we cut or trimmed the foot-stalks, when the trunk (if I may use the comparison) somewhat resembled a Zamia^ and in 

 length was about eighteen inches or two feet. At the base and between each foot-stalk protrudes a mass or cluster of fleshy, hollow roots, about 

 the size of a straw, or larger, and varying in colour from brown to white, or nearly so ; a succession of these roots is formed, as the new 

 leaves are thrown out from the centre of the plant ; nature having made a beautiful and wise provision for this plant, as in all her other 

 works. The base of the trunk, or rather stem, situated in the soft mud, appears to decompose in proportion as new leaves and flowers issue 

 from the centre, keeping the plant from elevating itself above water, which but for such an arrangement, might be the case from the rapidity 



of its growth. 



From what I observed of the nature and habits of tins most interesting plant, I conclude that it cannot and does not exist in any of the 

 rivers, where the immense rise and fall, of twenty feet, would leave it dry, during many months of the year, especially in the season when there 

 is no rain. Tiie lagoons, bchig subject to Utile variation in the height of their waters, are the places where it grows in all its beauty and 



grandeur. 



"The Victoria appears to delight in parts of the lake fully exposed to the sun, and I observed that it did not exist where the trees over- 

 shaded the margins. 



"The vegetation suiTOunding the locality of the Victoria was not of that splendid character that I could have \vished. It wanted 



those noble Palms, the Mutacu and Fahua real^ which so beautifully adorn the banks of the Mamore, to have made a perfect and enchanting 

 picture with the Victoria in the waters. The trees belonged to genera new to me and peculiar to this level part of the country. Amongst 

 the slii'ubs I observed two species oi Bauliinia^ and a flue pm'plc-flowered Bignonia^ climbing even to the summit of the trees." 



Prospect Place, Bristol. December, IGtL 1816, TUOMAS BniDGES, 



D' 



