28 



DISTRIBUTION 



OF PLANTS. 



Northern climates : As, in the deepest shade of the primeval forest, 

 the tenderly-herbaceous Dorstenias and Begonias: in drier situations 

 in the forest, the humble Traclescantia fuscata, remarkable for its 

 broad bi-colored leaves, reddish beneath : investing the basal portion 

 of the trunks of forest-trees, the twining Aracea^, with their smooth 

 leaves of pleasant unchanging green in fine contrast with their snow- 

 white flowers: also the YaniUa, a climbing Orchideous plant: in moist 

 sunlit situations, as on the banks of streams, various Scitaminacem, 

 tall and showy, intermingled with a Musaceous plant, the Heliconia, 

 so conspicuous from its large scarlet ancipital flower-bracts : in other 

 situations, the Bamhiisece, already noticed : Bromelias of different 

 kinds, as frequent on the ground as on the trunks of trees : one or 

 more species of Crinum, huge bulbous-rooted plants, abounding in 

 brackish marshes : the Cactacew, confined chiefly to exposed rocky 

 situations along the sea-coast: the Gesneriacece, bearing ornamental 

 flowers and chiefly growing on rocks : and the Passifluras, climbing, 

 herbaceous vines, everywhere abundant in somewhat open situations. 



But of all the productions of Brazil, none excited astonishment 

 so much as the Farcroia, tenderly-herbaceous in all its parts, but of 

 colossal dimensions ; the flower-stem sometimes nine inches in diame- 

 ter, and arising forty feet in height out of a chevaux-de-frise of enor- 

 mous bayonet-shaped leaves, that would block a carriage-road or the 

 intersection of four city-streets. 



Negative Characters. The Furcrsea takes the place of the less 

 gigantic Agaves of the other parts of Tropical America. In other 

 Tribes of plants, many similar substitutions of genus were remarked; 

 and notwithstanding the great sameness in climate, the species in 

 almost every instance proved distinct from those known to inhabit 

 Guiana and the country North of the Equator. 



In visiting different countries I have .often been first struck with 

 the absence of certain Tribes of plants ; as strongly characterizing the 

 vegetable grow^th as the unlooked-for presence of other Tribes. After 

 excluding all species introduced by the hand of man, and the distinct 

 botanical region on the higher summits of the Organ Mountains, the 

 following Tribes of plants were not met with in our rambles in South- 

 ern Brazil : 



