574 
VEGETATION OF BRAZIL. 
are gaily adorned with two elegant species of 
Callopisma ; one of these is more abundant 
than the other, and being intensely bitter, is 
used medicinally as gentian by the inhabitants 
of Goyaz, who collect it when in full flower, 
di-ied bundles of it being seen hanging up in 
almost every house ; it is used, in infusion, in 
dyspepsia, and also to strengthen those who are 
recovering from fever. The trees of the up- 
land Campos are mostly small, consisting 
chiefly of the beautiful Sicu pira ( Commilohium 
jf>olygalceflo7'um\ Qualea grandijlora, and Q. 
parviflora, a Vochysia, Salvertia conval- 
lariodora,?LPa7iax, au Albertinia, aIjafoensia.j 
two species of Cecropia, the Mangaba do 
Mono, the Cashew, and several species of 
Mimosa."— Fp. 369, 370. 
" Lavrinha is situated on the southern ex- 
tremity of the Seri'a, in a hollow, surrounded 
by rocky hills, somewhat lower than those 
which form the more northern parts of the 
Serra. Here I again made numerous collec- 
tions, among which were two fine orchideous 
plants, both species of the beautiful genus 
Lcelia, one of them bearing violet-coloured, 
and the other bright yellow flowers. In dry 
ai-id clefts in the rocks grew several curious 
little Vellozias, and Ei'iocaulons ; one of the 
latter was a branched species about six feet 
high. Having so frequently mentioned this 
curious tribe of plants, I will here make a few 
observations upon them. When Linneeus 
published the last edition of his Species Plan- 
turum, in 1764, he described only five species, 
from all parts of the world, while from Brazil 
alone, my herbarium contains upwards of one 
hundred. Only one species is found in Great 
Britain, a little grass-like plant, with a single 
flowering stem about six inches long, bearing 
a small globular head of minute white flowers. 
It is found only in lakes in the Isle of Skye, 
and in the west of Ireland. Very few of the 
Brazilian plants bear much resemblance to 
this northern species, for a great number of 
them are large suffi'uticose plants, often ob- 
taining a height of fi-om four to six feet, 
with leafy, very much branched stems, each 
branchlet terminated by a large white ball, 
composed of a vast number of smaller heads, 
placed on peduncles of unequal length. An- 
other remarkable circumstance connected 
with these strange plants, is the fact, that 
the greater number of the Brazilian species 
do not inhabit water, in the manner of our 
native British one, but grow in the most dry 
and arid portions of mountainous declivities ; 
many others also grow in parched, flat, sandy 
places, which are flooded in the wet season ; 
the truly aquatic Brazilian kinds, more or less 
resemble our own in habit." — Pp. 443, 444. 
" The hills around the Cidade do Serro, 
are covered with a grass which the Brazilians 
call Capim gordura (Melinis minutifiora, Nees 
ab. E.) It is covered with an oily viscous 
matter, and universally makes its appearance 
in those tracts which have been cleared of 
virgin forest for the purposes of cultivation ; 
both cattle and horses are very fond of it, but 
although they soon fatten on it, the latter get 
short-winded, if they feed on it for any length 
of time. Martins considers this plant to be 
truly a native of Minas Geraes, while Saint 
Hilaire is of a different opinion ; as it is now 
everywhere so common in this province, it 
is a difficult matter to say which of those 
excellent botanists is in the right ; all the 
agriculturists that I have spoken with on the 
subject, agree with Saint Hilaire, although 
they diffier in opinion in regard to the place 
of its original growth. It is only on the 
mountains, that it is found covering large 
tracts, and at present it is rapidly extending 
northwards. Saint Hilaire during his travels 
did not observe it beyond 17° 40' of south 
latitude ; but while crossing the Serra Geral 
from Goyaz to Minas, I met wnth it many 
degrees to the north of that parallel ; I noticed 
it only near houses, and there is little doubt 
but that in the course of a kw more years, it 
will overrun that chain, in the same manner 
that it has done those of Minas. The seeds 
had evidently been brought from the latter 
country by troops, which pass that way into 
Goyaz ; it is not to be met with at all in the 
Sertao. Another plant which makes its ap- 
pearance wnth this grass, and one of the worst 
pests which the Brazilian farmer has to con- 
tend with, is the Pteris candata, a large 
brake similar to that so common in many 
places in Great Britain : it is called by the 
common name of Samambaia." — Pp. 477, 478. 
Between the Fazenda Filippe Alvez and 
the village Arraial de San Caetano, Mr. 
Gardner " found a fine large species of Equi- 
setum, the largest indeed that has yet been 
seen in the recent state ; it grew abundantly 
in a wooded marsh near the road, and I 
measured one that was upv/ards of fifteen 
feet in height, the lower part of the stem 
being full three inches in circumference. 
Although of gigantic size, when compared 
with the other species existing at present on 
the earth's surface, it is far from equalling 
those enormous I'emains, which are found in 
the fossil state in the coal strata, and known 
to geologists under the name of Calamites ; 
many of these have stems as thick as a man's 
body ; indeed the difference in size between 
the recent species of Erjuisetum, and those 
which have existed at a former period of the 
earth's history, is about as great as between 
a stem of wheat, and the gigantic bamboos of 
the East Indies and of South America." — 
Pp. 515, 516. 
