PLANTS AND FERNS FOUND ABOUT PETROPOLIS. 



531 



Flowering stem. — Simple, sub-spirally erect, over 1 foot high. 



Flowers. — Borne singly in succession from the top of the scape, on 

 very slender, short pedicels. Fugacious, scentless, small, regular, full 

 yellow, | to h inch diameter. 



Stamens. — Three, stigma trifid. 



Fruit.— Green, with 3 ribs, about f inch long by J inch diameter. 

 Seeds. — Immature when gathered. 



ORCHIDACEJ5. 



Habenaria secunda, Lindl. — Flowers white. 



Epidendrum sp. nova ?— Bather like E. elongatum. Flowers purplish- 

 pink. I gathered this by the roadside on the Via Uniao y Industria, 

 about 500 feet below the summit. Leaves rigid and thick. 



Cyrtopodium (E).— Two species grow in the woods on the stumps of 

 trees, or on stout roots near the ground level. 



Oncidium crispum giganteum (E). — An interesting plant which flowers 

 with me occasionally. Altitude 3,500 feet. 



Sobralia sp. — A terrestrial Orchid with long, tapering root-stock, like 

 that of some Batatas. It carried, on a short, terminal raceme, three 

 beautiful purple, " Cattleya-like " flowers, with yellowish-white throat. 



Lcelia crispa (E). 



Zygopetalum (E). — Several species (or vars.), unascertained. 



Bamboos. 



I recognised about half a dozen species, none of which, I believe, exist 

 in British gardens. 



The most common and the most useful decorative species is a decurrent 

 plant, with closely-set, small leaves, something like the Arundinaria 

 nitida of our gardens. 



This plant prefers a cliff, and its slender stems run down and bend 

 over for a long way. It has no strength to bear the weight of its own 

 leaves in any other position. It can be seen almost anywhere, by road- 

 sides, on cuttings, cliffs, &c. 



There are two fine erect Bamboos, after the style of A. Simoni, which 

 grow 30 to 50 feet high, and form impenetrable thickets. One of these 

 species has yellow stems. 



In cutting chapadas in the mountains we often made tunnels, or 

 caverns, 30 yards long, through groves of Bamboos so dense as to cause 

 the interior to be almost in darkness. 



In the mountains one giant form exists, which Monsieur Binot informs 

 me grows to still grander stature in the far south of Brazil (Rio Grande do 

 Sul). This species, grows not erect, but at an angle of roughly 45° with 

 the horizon. Its branchlets stand out very sparsely at right angles with 

 the main stem, which, from its posture, becomes pendent towards its 

 apex. The main stem grows with extreme rapidity, and quickly reaches 

 a length of 40 to 60 feet, and a girth of 1 to 1\ feet diameter at the base. 

 It is a most conspicuous object in the mountain regions, but is only 

 occasionally met with near Petropolis. I only saw a few specimens, from 

 w T hich I took the above particulars. 



