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X. Description of the Mora Tree. By Mr. Robert H. Schomburgk. Com- 

 municated by George Bentham, Esq. F.L.S. 



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Read March 20th, 1838. 



X ROMINENT among the trees which adorn the forests of Guiana, and 

 which astonish by their profuse verdure and gigantic size, stands the majestic 

 Mora, the king of the forest. Rising to the height of from sixty to ninety feet 

 before it gives out its branches, it towers over the wall-like vegetation which 

 skirts the banks of the rivers of Guiana, forming a crown of the most splendid 

 foliage, overshadowing numerous minor trees and bushes, and hung with Lianas 

 in the form of natural festoons. The trunk, rugged and clothed with epiphytes, 

 juts towards the base into tabular buttresses or excrescences (resembling in that 

 property the silk-cotton tree, Bombax Ceiba). These buttresses are subjected to 

 an early decay, and they sometimes form a cavern, which would afford room and 

 protection against the inclemency of the weather to several persons ; and I have 

 often wondered, when I considered the heavy mass which these half-decayed 

 excrescences had to support, how they were able to withstand the tornado that 

 so frequently sweeps through the forest, shaking the crown like a reed. 



The Mora, of all other trees of the forests of Guiana, is peculiarly adapted 

 for naval architecture ; and it is to be found in such abundance, that if once 

 introduced for building material into the dock-yards, there can never be any 

 apprehension that there would be a want of that timber which could not be 

 supplied. The wood is uncommonly close-grained, and gives scarcely room 

 for a nail when driven into it : when clear of sap, it is durable in any situation 

 whether in or out of the water. 



With this property it unites another of equal consideration to builders ; it is 

 strong, tough, and not liable to split, and has never been known to be subjected 

 to dry rot, and is considered, therefore, by the most competent judges to be 



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