178 PHYSIOGNOMY OF PLANTS. 



Victoria are the genera which present the greatest extension 

 in all dimensions of the parenchyma of the leaves, the greatest 

 known dimensions of a flower belong to a parasitical 

 Cytinea, the Rafflesia Arnold! (R. Brown), discovered by 

 Dr. Arnold in Sumatra, in 1818 : it has a stemless flower of 

 three English feet diameter, surrounded by large leaf-like 

 scales. Fungus-like, it has an animal smell, resembling beef. 



( 25 ) p. 26. "Lianes, rope-plants, ('Bush ropes ; 

 in Spanish, Vejuccos."} 



According to Kunth's division of the Bauhiniese, the 

 true genus Bauhinia belongs to the New Continent : the 

 African Bauhinia, B. rufescens, (Lam.) is a Pauletia (Cav.) 

 a genus of which we found some new species in South 

 America. So also the Banisterias, from among the Mal- 

 pighiaceae, are properly an American form; although two 

 species are natives of India, and one species, Banisteria 

 leona, described by Cavanilles, is a native of Western 

 Africa. Within the tropics and in the Southern Hemisphere 

 we find among the most different families of plants the 

 twining rope-like climbers which in those regions render the 

 forests at once so impenetrable to man, and on the other 

 hand so accessible and habitable to the Quadrumanae (or 

 Monkeys) and to the Cercoleptes and the small tiger-cats. 

 The rapid ascent to the tops of lofty trees, the passage from 

 tree to tree, and even the crossing of streams by whole herds 

 or troops of gregarious animals, are all greatly facilitated by 

 these twining plants or Lianes. 



In the South of Europe and in North America, Hops 



