486 PHYTOGEOGRAPHICAL REMARKS 



the influence of the peculiar soil are predominant, e. g. species of Clusia. 

 Through the strong light epiphytes are much more common here than along 

 the river banks in the alluvial part. Especially Orchids (Epidendrum onci- 

 dioides and Rodriguezia secunda) are very numerous ; also Bromeliaceae and 

 Rhipsalis are noticed. Along the banks of the Saramacca Jacaranda filicifolia 

 bloomed in Nov. 1903 in many specimens, which plant is an ornament to 

 vegetation by its almost leafless crown, entirely covered with blue flowers, 

 and by its white stem. Remarkable is the very general presence of Eperua 

 falcata and Eperua rubiginosa whose long-stemmed pods reach almost to 

 the water. Since the soil is much drier here Euterpe oleracea is absent ; 

 palms remain common along the bank, however, but especially species of 

 Bactris predominate. Where the river forms larger basins and the water 

 flows more slowly, Montrichardia appears again, but remains very rare since 

 the proper muddy soil is only rarely found In such places riparian herbs 

 are very common. Whole fields of Jussieua mixed with Dalechampia are 

 repeatedly met with. Close to the water stand Hibiscus bifurcatus and Calo- 

 nyction speciosum between which Aniseia martinicensis and Phaseolus cam- 

 pestris wind upwards. Neither are climbing plants wanting. Especially 

 Bignoniaceae draw our attention again by their vividly coloured flowers, 

 while among the large lianas Norantea guyanensis deserves mentioning, 

 whose bunches of orange-red honey-cups contrast strongly with the green. 

 Although a botanist may pretty easily form an idea of the systematic 

 constitution of the vegetation of this part of the river, this becomes very 

 different as soon as one penetrates into the primitive wood. On the whole 

 the woods in this part are not dense. The soil is grown with species of 

 Selaginella and Hymenophyllum, but shrubs and larger herbs are almost 

 entirely lacking. A great number of stems of all degrees of thickness are 

 found here. Between the big stems with a diameter of several metres are 

 spread the seedlings of only a few decimetres height which are furnished 

 with a few leaves only, make a very poor impression and perish again after 

 a short time through lack of light. The big stems stand in many places at 

 a fairly great distance from each other and with their crowns hardly in 

 touch, so that the wood is not dark at all although direct sunlight pene- 

 trates in a few spots only. In some places the wood is somewhat more 

 difficult to pass; where a tree has recently fellen and so a speck of light 

 has been formed, various plants have developed in great abundance and 

 obstruct the passage. On the whole fallen trees are very numerous on this 

 soil, of course on account of the hard subsoil which does not permit the 

 roots to penetrate far into the ground. Here also palms form a chief 

 constituent of the vegetation, especially species of Astrocaryum and Bactris 

 and also lianas, such as Bauhinia, are extremely numerous, while occasionally 

 the air-roots of epiphytical Araceae hang down like cables. That it is chiefly 

 lack of light that prevents the development of underwood, is proved by the 

 fact that this latter is much more strongly developed in places where the 



