139 



give a very painful sensation wlien touched ; two or three species 

 of Acalypha ; Rauwolfia hirsiita Jacq. ; several species of Psyclio- 

 tria; Eupatoriiiin alhicaiilc Sch. IJij). ; Acacia spadicigcra Schl. & 

 Cham, with its bull-horn-like spines inhabited by colonies of vicious 

 and j)ersistent ants; Lrotou flavcns L. ; Bcnthamautha niollis 

 (HBK.) Alef . ; Ircsinc nigra Uline & Bray; Amyris sylratica 

 Jacq. ; Capparis sp. ; Eugenia sp., etc. Woody climbers include 

 Solaunm iinguis-cati Standi, with its sharp, recurved spines; 

 Echitcs turrigcra Woodson ; Smilax mollis H. & B. ; Combretmn 

 mc.vicaniiiii H. & B. ; PaiiUinia pijiiuita L. ; Capparis sp., etc. 

 Zamia fiirfuracca L. f., a curious stemless cycad with poisonous 

 properties, is also rather common. 



As one passes through the arid bench towards the bordering 

 mountains the surface becomes rougher with here and there ravines 

 cut by mountain streams. The soil changes in character to some 

 extent, becoming characteristically mountain out- wash. The rain- 

 fall is apparently greater and the character of the vegetation 

 changes perceptibly as the foothills are approached. Parasitic and 

 epiphytic species are less abundant and terrestrial ferns and herba- 

 ceous plants are more common. The ravines are richer in species 

 and numbers of plants and the open areas develop a better cover- 

 age of grasses. Palms are more abundant and a number of dif- 

 ferent and somewhat larger species of trees, including pine and 

 oak, are encountered. As one ascends to an altitude of 1,000 feet 

 or more the forests become open and are made up predominatingly 

 of several species of oak and a pine (Pinus Caribaea Mor.), with 

 scattering specimens of other species, and the ground between the 

 rocky outcroppings is covered with a rank growth of grass and 

 small herbs. 



DePauw University, 

 Greencastle, Ind. 



