nii«t ii^ art 
agC| was in flower and some in fruit 
a. 
e was sending the nuts to the Bureau 
of Shemistry here. Dr. Rolfs had plantations of native species of Garpotroc' 
(an allied genus) which also producesa potent oil* Ke is very anxious to 
have some one take up the study of the ?lacourteacea^here . He has explored 
the forests of the region and found numerous species as yet unknown. 
1 made two stops in the high region between Yj90sa and Bello Horizonte* 
Parts of Serra Ouro Branco are covered with brush much like the chaparral 
of southern California, 6 to 8 ft. tall, horribly tough emd interlaced^ but 
the open parts are full of grasses, lovely silvery Paspalums and golden 
Axonopus, only foimd in tiie highlands^ 
Late in December I reached Diamentine. 
The old town was onee important as the center of the diamond mines, but tfee 
mines have not been worked for many years, it is sAdstone and quartz 
with schist intrusive^ according to Dr. de Silveira, the- chartographer of Minase 
[Slide 2. Cordillera San Antonio— see the urubus on the sky line] 
I hadn ♦ t had such exciting botanizing since my early days in the dunes of 
northern Indiana, It was the richest grass collecting I ever had^ Seven 
of the silvery Paspalums and all m^anner of rare and beautiful grasses^ all 
over these rough rocks and in the crevices. Species of Paepalanthus, 
Leiothrix^ Syngonanthus, and other Eriocaulaceae were abundant in tiny wet 
basins in the rocksi^ Martius ims at Diamantina and it is the type locality 
of many species. I collected all but one of the grasses he got here^ and 
Mrs. Mexla got that one when she was there some months later. I collected 
so many grasses Martius did not get that I think there must be a great 
[Slide 1. Diamantina from east early morning] 
