J2 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



On the return trip from Bogota to Cali a 2-day stop was made at 

 Cajamarca, on the Quindio Highway, east of the Divide, in order 

 to make a special study of the wax palms and to collect their fruit. 

 This highway is situated a few miles south of the historic Quindio 

 Trail, along which traveled Humboldt and Bonpland, Karsten, Andre, 

 and other botanical explorers who have given detailed accounts of 

 this magnificent palm. 



Accompanied by two members of the faculty of the Cali Agricul- 

 tural School, Drs. Dussan and Gomez, Mr. Alston and I spent the 

 first few days of April in the Digua Valley, on the Pacific side of 

 the Western Cordillera, through which a highway is being constructed 

 to connect the Cauca Valley with Buenaventura. Like most of the 

 Pacific slope, this valley is densely forested, and several hundred 

 specimens were collected in the course of 4 days. 



The final 3 weeks of my trip was spent in the interior of the Choco, 

 that vast, forested region extending from the Dagua Valley to the 

 Panama border. A cordial invitation to visit the scene of operations 

 of the Compahia Minera Choco Pacifico along the upper San Juan 

 River was extended to me by the officers of the company at New 

 York. Transportation up the San Juan was arranged by the com- 

 pany's representative at Buenaventura, G. W. Bylander, who through- 

 out my stay at this port had given me highly appreciated assistance. 

 I had planned to explore the Choco at the beginning of my trip, but 

 abnormally low water had made boat travel difficult. Even in April 

 the progress of the river steamer was slow, and we were obliged to 

 wait 2 days at a native village before sufficient rainfall permitted our 

 reaching Bebedo, the terminal of the Buenaventura boats. From 

 here to Andagoya, the company's headquarters at the junction of the 

 Condoto and San Juan Rivers, transportation was by launch. 



Andagoya proved an ideal base from which to make botanical col- 

 lections, and fur the many courtesies received there I am deeply in- 

 debted to the manager, F. M. Estes, and the assistant manager, F. D. 

 Bradbury. The company, which is engaged in dredging for platinum 

 and gold, maintains smaller camps at various points along the upper 

 San Juan and its tributaries, and to these I made frequent visits. 



During the course of the present exploration nearly 2,700 "num- 

 bers" were collected, represented by about 11,000 specimens. A com- 

 plete set has been deposited in the United States National Flerbarium, 

 and a nearly complete one at the Instituto Botanico. In this collection 

 there are more than 300 numbers of ferns and more than 100 numbers 

 each of orchids, aroids, grasses, and peppers. The work of identifying 

 the material has been begun. 



