TEOPICAL FLOKAS 



71 



The soil in all the campos is red clay. In the distance is seen 

 the smoke of fires on the campos. In the foreground is a 

 '' campo cerrado," i.e. a campo with many trees, but never so 

 close that the sun does not shine on the dense carpet of high 

 grasses and herbs under the trees ; which latter belong mostly 

 to the Leguminosge, Ternstromiacese, Vochysiacese, Anonacese, 

 Bignoniacese, etc. 



Fig. 4 is a view taken in the " Campo cerrado," showing the 

 stunted form of the trees which characterise it. In the back- 

 ground are calcareous cliffs, in which are the fossil-producing 

 caves. At the foot of the cliffs the trees are closer and higher ; 

 and on the top is a more open and dry forest, each kind of 

 forest having its peculiar species of trees. 



Fig. 5 (facing p. 72) is a view taken close to the rocks. 

 The upper branches of Mimosas and other trees are shown, 

 which grow at the foot of the cliffs, one of them being a tree 

 of the custard-apple family, whose branches are fruit-laden. 

 Numerous tall cactuses (Cereus ccerulescens) are seen growing 

 up from the rock itself, and several stinging and thorny plants. 

 Other genera growing on the rocks are Opuntia, Pereskia, 

 Peperomia, Epidendrum, Tradescantia, Gloxinia, Amaryllis, 

 Bomarea, Griffinia, and many others, so that we have here a 

 curious mixture of forest trees and climbers with moisture- 

 loving plants and those characteristic of arid conditions, all 

 growing close together if not actually intermingled. 



Before describing a few of the special peculiarities of the 

 campo vegetation of Lagoa Santa, I will here give some numer- 

 ical data of interest to botanical readers. The sequence of the 

 orders in this very interesting flora is as follows : — 



Lagoa Santa (2490 species) 



1. Compositae 26G 



2. Leguminosae 235 



3. Gramineae 158 



4. Orchidaceae 120 



5. Euphorbiaceae 100 



6. Myrtacese 100 



7. Rubiaceae 94 



8. Cyperaceae 77 



0. Malpighiaceap 04 



10. INIelastomaceae 62 



1 1. Labiatae 49 



12. AsclepiadeiB 48 



Ferns and allies 106 species. 



