190 The Andes a:s'd the Amazons. 



The Amazonian sjlva is naturally divided into : 1st. 

 The Great or Virgin Forests {Caa-guacu of the Brazil- 

 ians), which clothe the terra firma beyond the reach of 

 inundations, and constitute the great mass of the vegeta- 

 tion. Here grow the fine timber-trees and the most lordly 

 trunks, as the Brazil-nut-trees.* The Palms are peculiar 

 and few. 2d. The Low or White Forests {Caa-tinga), 

 rich and varied, growing on the vargem, or occasionally 

 flooded tracts. Palms, pao-mulatto, and wild cacao are 

 characteristic forms. 3d. The Kiparial Forests {Ygajm) 

 on lowlands bordering the rivers, and laid under water 

 several months in the year. The soil is the most recent 

 alluvium. Here thrive herbaceous plants, reeds, broad- 

 leaved heliconias, and soft - wooded trees, as embaiibas. 

 Besides these are the second-growth forests {Caa-jmh'a)^ 

 and the scrubby campos. The woods growing in the 

 salt marshes near Para have the general name of Mangiies, 

 and consist mostly of Mangroves and Avicennias. The 

 Virgin Forests are distinct " by the sombre foliage of the 

 densely-packed, lofty trees, out of which stand — like the 

 cupolas, spires, and turrets of a large city — dome-shaped 

 or pyramidal or flat-topped crowns of still loftier trees, 

 overtopping even the tallest palms." The Riparial are 

 marked hj the varied tints of the foliage, by the greater 

 abundance of palms and lianas, and by the humbler growth 

 of the trees generally, which, begiiming at the water's 

 edge as low bushes, increase in height as they advance 

 inland, till they mingle with the sturdier primeval woods. 

 The Riparial Forests, as we might suppose, have softer 

 and more perishable timber, and also inferior fruits. 



* The leguminous order furnishes trees of the largest diameter. Von 

 Martius mentions one 84 feet in circumference. But trees 200 feet high or 

 25 feet around are rare. 



t A tropical forest, once cut down, never regains its original splendor. In 

 the second growth we find different species of infeiior size. 



