CRAUATA de rede. 



345 



APPEND.] 



is in these that I recommend the establishment of ma- 

 nufactories, for the purpose of extracting the fibre, for 

 they arc the nearest to the coast, and there are good 

 roads to them by which the produce may be carried in 

 carts and waggons. Although the caroa is long lived, 

 still many leagues of the lands which were covered 

 with it have been laid waste by the fires which mis- 

 chievous persons, sportsmen, and even the owners of 

 estates annually let loose {such is Arruda's expression). 

 It is probable that even the remaining caroa grounds 

 will be destroyed, if government does not take some 

 measures to prevent a continuance of such practices, 

 fulminating penalties against the incendiaries of so use- 

 ful a plant. * 



Crauata de Rede, Bromelia Sagenaria: — Arrad. 

 Cent. Plan. Pern. The description is taken from my 

 Centuria of the genera and species of new plants of 

 Pernambuco. 



Class, Hexandria : — Order, Monogynia : — Di- 

 vision, Flowers complete. 



Gen. Char. Calyx superior, and trifid. Corolla 

 tripetalous, with nectariferous scales at the base of each 

 petal. Fruit an umbellate trilocular berry. 



Section 2d. With the flowers united by the recep- 

 tacles or berries united in one. 



* Du Tertre, in speaking of a species of Karatas, which i6 to be 

 found in the islands, " dans des deserts pierreux, oil it ne se trouvc 

 guere d'eau douce," says, " les paysans travaillez de la soif y courent, 

 puree que ces feiiilles sord tellemcnt dispones, qu'clles se ferment en 

 has comme un verre ; ou on trouve guelquefois une pinte d'eau fraischc, 

 claire et tres saine, et cela a sauve la vie a plusieurs qui sans cela 

 sei-oient morts de soif." — Histoire des Antilles, torn. ii. p. 100. 



I heard this mentioned frequently whilst I was in the Sertam ; but 

 at the time we were in want of water, we were not crossing any of 

 those lands upon which the plant grows. — Transl. 



