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The valleys of several streams yielded specimens of a consid- 
erable number of interesting species not found in flower during 
our previous visit to this region. Among these, a beautiful 
white-flowered shrub of the Heath Family, similar to the Leu- 
cothoés of the southeastern states, and perhaps in the same genus, 
was a fine floral feature. The beautiful tree-fern of these lower 
elevations, observed sparingly last time, was found in abundance 
and a number of trunks were brought with us for cultivation. 
Additional plants of a Fureraea, of interest because pronounced 
by Professor Trelease, of the Missouri Botanical Garden, to be 
apparently different from the known Cuban species of this genus, 
were obtained; a bright yellow-flowered St. John’s-wort (Hyper- 
icum), forming a shrub three feet high and exceedingly floriferous 
was frequent along the rocky stream banks; one cliff in the valley 
of the Rio Mestanza which furnishes the water supply for the 
city of Pinar del Rio, was covered with a tail-flower (Anthurium) 
different from any species with which we are familiar and a good 
supply of this was taken for cultivation; a species of prickly pear 
(Opuntia) having most of its joints spineless interested us greatly 
as distinct from other Cuban species of this genus, its fine yellow 
flowers very conspicuous; many kinds of ferns, mosses and lichens 
were collected in the arroyos. 
But by far the most interesting plant observed and collected 
in the region was the tall cycad of western Cuba (Microcycas 
calocoma). \Ve had long known of the existence of this remark- 
able plant, but had never before — in seeing it in its 
natural habitat; it grows in valleys in oak and pine woods on 
shaly soil at an elevation of about 600 above the sea and is 
locally abundant. The tree attains a maximum height of about 
20 feet, usually forming a simple trunk which tapers somewhat 
toward its summit and is there crowned by a magnificent tuft 
of large pinnate leaves sometimes as many as one hundred in the 
tuft; its general aspect is similar to that of the common sago palm 
of the greenhouses (Cycas revoluia), but the trunk is more slender 
and the leaves more numerous; when fruiting, the pistillate plants 
form very large cones, often a foot long or more; these from their 
resemblance to pineapple are called ‘‘pifias’” by the Cubans 
