178 



a half in diameter. We have observed, on the 

 banks of the Oroonoko and the river Magdalena^ 

 that the bombax, the carolinea, the ochroma, 

 and other trees of the family of the malvacese, 

 are of extremely rapid gro,wth. I nevertheless 

 think, that there was some exaggeration in the 

 report of the Indian respecting the age of his 

 bombax ; for under the temperate zone, in the 

 hot and damp lands of North America, between 

 the Missisippi and the Alleghany mountains, 

 the trees do not exceed a foot in diameter * in 

 ten years ; and vegetation is in general but a 

 fifth more speedy than in Europe, even taking 

 as an example the platanus occidentalis, the 

 tulip tree, and the cupressus disticha, which 

 reach from nine to fifteen feet in diameter. On 

 the strand of Cumana, in the garden of the 

 Guayqueria pilot, we saw for the first time a 

 guama *f- loaded with flowers, and remarkable 



* Five feet above the ground. These measures were taken 

 by an excellent observer, Mr. Michaux. 



+ Inga spuria, which we must not confound with the com- 

 mon inga, inga vera, Willd. (mimosa inga, Lin.). The white 

 stamina, to the number of sixty or seventy, are attached to 

 a greenish corolla, have a silky lustre, and are terminated by 

 a yellow anther. The flower of the guama is eighteen lines 

 long. The common height of this fine tree, which prefers a 

 moist soil, is from eight to ten toises. I shall observe on this 

 occasion, that we have distinguished in this work by italics 

 the names of the new plants, which Mr. Bonpland and myself 

 have collected. 



