8 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
Port Royal Mountains, whose steep slopes we were slowly climb¬ 
ing in a zig-zag ascent. Now and again, through their gaps, 
appeared the blue waters of Kingston Harbor. The vegetation 
was of ever increasing interest. Cocoanut palms and banana 
trees were everywhere, as also the mango, and the handsome 
breadfruit tree. We learned to recognize the alligator pear, the 
custard apple, the cherimoya and the red fruits of the akee. 
.Among the many unfamiliar flowers, we noted the scarlet hibiscus, 
Fig. 2. Interior of the Laboratory. (Courtesy of the New York 
Botanical Garden.) 
and, what we especially admired, the pink blossoms of a wild 
begonia. At an elevation of 4,000 feet we descended into the 
valley which separates the Port Royal from the Blue Mountain 
Range, on a spur of which lies Cinchona, 5,000 feet above sea 
level. After fording the Yallahs River, a small stream at this 
season, we began the final ascent. On nearing the summit, we 
saw two of our own plants, the peppergrass, Lepidium, and the 
wild carrot. 
