THE FORESTS OF ALAUSI 231 
took me three. What is called the " road " consists 
of I know not how many deep ruts, crossing and 
anastomosing in a very bewildering way, and 
so muddy and slippery that my horse preferred 
stumbling along among the hassocks of paja blanca 
(white grass) — a species of Stipa with feather-like 
silvery panicles tinged with rose — which forms the 
mass of the vegetation on the paramo. This grass 
affords excellent thatch ; it is also extensively used 
in packing, and along all the higher grounds it is 
almost the only material for fuel. Between the 
hassocks, especially where there are slight declivities, 
there is an interesting sub-alpine vegetation — a 
dense grassy turf is enamelled with flowers, white, 
yellow, red, and purple, which seem to spring direct 
from the ground. Three daisy-like Werneriae, all 
stemless and solitary, of which W. mibigena with its 
large white stars is the most conspicuous, grow 
along with a stemless Valeriana, a small Castilleja, 
a Lupinus, a Cerastium, two species of Gentiana, 
and two of Azorella. The caespitose Werneriae are 
true alpines, and grow at 2000 feet above the 
species just referred to. There are many little 
lakes, frequently bordered by the swelling, glaucous, 
sphagnum-like tufts of a Plantago, over which creep 
the silvery threads of a minute Gnaphalium and an 
equally minute white-flowered Gentiana. In such 
situations grow also a small Ranunculus, bearing 
generally a single sessile flower and a pedunculate 
head of follicles, a Stachys, and several other herbs 
of humble growth. Heath -like tufts of Hedyotis 
ericoides, often accompanied by a suffruticose 
Valeriana of similar habit, and sometimes by a 
Calceolaria, here and there diversify the landscape ; 
