JOHNSTON: FLORA OF MARGARITA ISLAND. 279 
tiny Cypselea humifusa, Euphorbia thymifolia, Ilysanthes riparia, 
and small specimens of Mollugo verticillata. 
Inland from these wastes are the plains covered with the melon 
cactus, the flat-stemmed Opuntia, the symmetrical tree-like Pereskia, 
and the candelabra-shaped, tall Cereus eburneus. All these are thorny 
and more or less fleshy plants. In addition are the arborescent 
acacias, and Capparis cynophallophora; the shrubby Croton flavens, 
Croton Milleri, Jatropha gossypifolia, and Jatropha urens, and the 
small shrub Stylosanthes. 
The desolation of the plains is emphasized on the hills by the addi- 
tion of great stretches of Agave and Aloe which make the regions 
almost inaccessible. The high parts of the hills have dense growths 
of bushes, as Cordia cylindristachya, C. globosa, Securidaca, Capparis 
verrucosa, and Heteropteris laurifola. ‘Then scattered over the hills 
are the small trees of Capparis cynophallophora, C. linearis, Bursera, 
and Steriphoma. Along the hilltops are a few larger trees of Mori- 
sonia and Clusia. These trees have leathery and very large leaves 
in all cases except Bursera and Capparis linearis. ‘The undergrowth 
- among the trees on the hills consists of the green-stemmed Pedi- 
lanthus, the bushy Brunfelsia, and the bromeliaceous plants Aechmea 
and Thecophyllum. Here are a few epiphytes as Oncidium, the cac- 
tus Rhipsalis, a few Polypodiums, some of the Bromeliaceae, and 
Anthurium scandens. 
The vegetation of the valleys, with the exception of Asuncion and 
EI Valle, is similar in general to that of the hills and the plains. 
These two valleys have groves of coconut, mango, sapodilla, and orange 
trees, and in consequence afford a good place for the growth of annual 
plants. The river beds and arroyas are the most interesting places in 
the valleys. The only large river bed on the island is that extending 
from the mountain through El Valle to the sea at Porlamar. It is 
dered with such trees as Crataeva Tapia, Guajacum arboreum, Loncho- 
carpus, Pithecolobium, and Bombax, all with tall gray trunks. There 
are many bushes, some half-climbers, Chiococca, Cestrum, Malpeghia 
purpurea, Solanum, Acacia, and Marsdenia. The arroyas or gullies 
high up in the valleys have the small tree Tecoma, the shrub Cordia 
globosa, and the vine Bignonia. 
The mountain furnishes varied situations and conditions for the 
growth of plants. In general it is forested from 300 m. nearly to the 
summit; in the valleys the woods grow at a lower altitude also. The 
