225 



named the peaks to the east of tlie main one Sweden and the one 

 to the west, Cuba, and the two most prominent hills on the 

 southern spur Loma Rcgino and Loma Joaquin! 



"The botanical results of the excursion were good, although no 

 traces of a boreal flora were found, such as exist on the high 

 sierras of the republic of Santo Domingo. 



"They returned to Nagtia in three days and bade goodbye to 

 the good doctor with many thanks for his hospitable welcome! 



(Signed) "Nicolas Valverde 

 Translated by Elizabeth G. Brixton. 



To summarize the recorded exploration of this region: (i) 

 [Ini844 J. J. Linden spent about 6 months in collecting in the 

 vicinity of Santiago, and explored portions of the Sierra Maestra. 

 Sets of his plants are preserved in several European herbaria 

 and a few of his specimens have come to the New York Botanical 

 Garden. (2) About the time of the Civil War, Charles Wright, 

 during his extensive Cuban explorations, visited the eastern 

 portion of the Sierra Maestra at several points, but apparently 

 reached no great altitudes.* (3) We have Mr. Ramsden's in i860, 

 Fernow and Taylor's in 1906, both starting from Santiago de Cuba, 

 and going by boat to the foot hills of the Turquino facing the sea. 

 Mr. Ramsden made no collections, but the collections of 1906, 

 numbering over 600 specimens, are preserved in the Herbarium 

 of the New York Botanical Garden. All of them are from 

 3,000 ft. or below and from the south face of the Sierra Maestra. 

 (4) In 1 912 Britton and Cowell collected there as mentioned on 

 page 222. 



(5) Dr. Ekman, who attacked the mountain from the northern 

 slope made considerable collections, some of which went to 

 Sweden, but at last accounts the bulk of his material was held in 

 Cuba. Being the only botanist who has reached to top it is unfor- 

 tunate that Dr. Ekman found it possible to spend only a few 

 days in the region. Collections in considerable number from 

 both the windward and leeward sides of this range, and from the 

 top, perhaps only to be gathered by well-equipped expeditions 

 going from different sides, would be most valuable. As yet only 

 a beginning of this work has been made, but further explorations 

 will surely prove most interesting. The region from a floristic 

 and ecological point of view is perhaps the most significant in 

 all Cuba.— N. T.] 



* Underwood, L. M. A summary of Charles Wright's exploration in Cuba. 

 Bull. Torrej- Club 32: 291-300. 1905. 



