489 



a whole wood. It was the palma real ; perhaps 

 a species of the genus oreodoxa. This group 

 of palms, placed at so considerable an elevation, 

 formed a striking contrast with the willows * 

 scattered on the bottom of the more temperate 

 valley of Caraccas. We here discovered plants 

 of European forms, placed below those of the 

 torrid zone. 



After proceeding four hours across the savan- 

 nahs, we entered into a little wood composed 

 of shrubs and small trees, which is called El 

 Pejual ; no doubt because of the great abun- 

 dance of the pejoa (gaultheria odorata), a plant 

 with very odoriferous leaves The steepness 

 of the mountain became less considerable, and 

 we felt an indescribable pleasure in examin- 

 ing the plants of this region. No where per- 

 haps can be found collected together, in so small 

 a space of ground, productions so beautiful, 

 and so remarkable in regard to the geography 

 of plants. At the height of a thousand toises, 



* Salix huraboldtiana of Wildenouw. On the Alpine 

 palm-trees, see my Prolegomena, de Dist. Plant., p. 235. 



t See ch. vi, p. 88 of the present vol. The Spanish lan- 

 guage has a great advantage in being able, like the Latin, 

 to derive, from the name of most of the trees, a word desig- 

 nating an association or group of trees of the same species. 

 Thus are formed the words olivar, robledar, and pinal, from 

 olivo, roble, and pino. The Hispano- Americans have added 

 tunal, pejual, guayaval, &c, places where a great many cac- 

 tuses, gaultheria odortas, and psidiums, grow together. 



