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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
T he materials for this work were collected during my travels on the Amazon and its tributaries from 1848 to 1852. Though principally occupied with the varied and interesting animal productions of the country, I yet found time to examine and admire the wonders of vegetable life which everywhere abounded. In the vast forests of the Amazon valley, tropical vegetation is to be seen in all its luxuriance. Huge trees with buttressed stems, tangled climbers of fantastic forms, and strange parasitical
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LIST OF PLATES.
LIST OF PLATES.
Pl. II. PALM FRUITS W. Fitch lith. Ford & West Imp. 1. Raphia tædigera. 2. Mauritia flexuosa. 3. Manicaria saccifera. 4. Lepidocaryum tenue. 5. Astrocaryum tucuma. 6. Leopoldinia pulchra. Pl. III. PALM FRUITS. W. Fitch lith. Ford & West. Imp. 1. Attalea spectabilis. 2. Maximiliana regia. 3. Spathe of Maregia. 4. Guilielma speciosa. 5. Iriartea exorhiza. P alms are endogenous or ingrowing plants, belonging to the same great division of the Vegetable Kingdom as the Grasses, Bamboos
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Natural Order PALMACEÆ. Genus Leopoldinia, Martius.
Natural Order PALMACEÆ. Genus Leopoldinia, Martius.
This genus is characterized by having flowers containing stamens or pistils only, intermingled on the same spadix, and by not having a spathe. The male flowers have six stamens and no rudiments of a stigma. The female flowers have three sessile stigmas and rudimentary stamens. The spadix is much branched and decomposed. The species are trees of a moderate size without any spines or tubercles, but remarkable for the netted fibres which spring from the margins of the sheathing petioles, and cover
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PLATE IV. Leopoldinia pulchra, Martius.
PLATE IV. Leopoldinia pulchra, Martius.
The Jará or Jará mirí (little Jará) is from ten to fifteen feet high. The stem is cylindrical, erect, and about two inches in diameter. The leaves are very regularly pinnate, about four feet long, with the leaflets slightly drooping and the terminal pair small. The leaf-stalks are slender and the sheathing bases are persistent, giving out from their margins abundance of flat fibrous processes which are curiously netted and interlaced together, clothing the stem with a firm covering often down to
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PLATE V. Leopoldinia major, n. sp.
PLATE V. Leopoldinia major, n. sp.
The Jará assú or “greater Jará” closely resembles the last species, but it is considerably larger. The stem is four inches in diameter and reaches thirty feet in height. It is often much thicker at the bottom than in the upper part, and has a greater proportion of the stem bare. The leaves are very similar, but the spadices are larger, and the fruit is also larger and much more abundant. This tree occurs plentifully on the lakes and inlets of the upper Rio Negro, but is not found at the mouth of
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Genus Euterpe, Gærtner.
Genus Euterpe, Gærtner.
Male and female flowers intermingled on the same spadix, the former more abundant in the upper part of the branches, the latter in the lower. Spathe entire, membranaceous, fusiform and deciduous. Flowers with bracts, male with six stamens and a rudimentary pistil, female with three sessile stigmas. Spadix simply branched, spreading horizontally. These are very elegant palms; their stems are lofty, slender, smooth and faintly ringed. The leaves are terminal, pinnate, regular, and form a graceful
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Euterpe ——?
Euterpe ——?
On the banks of the Rio Negro there appears to be another species of this genus, closely allied to the Euterpe oleracea , but the stem is thicker and straighter, the whole tree larger, and the leaf-column thicker, and of a clear green colour. It grows on the dry land of the virgin forest, or sometimes within the limits of the winter’s inundations. I unfortunately neglected to examine into its peculiar characters, as until my return to Pará I had considered it identical with the species so common
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Genus Œnocarpus, Martius.
Genus Œnocarpus, Martius.
Male and female flowers on the same spadix, the former most abundant. Spathe double, the interior complete, woody, and deciduous. Flowers without distinct bracts; the male with six stamens and rudiments of a pistil, the female with three sessile stigmas, but with no rudiment of stamens. These are tall majestic trees with large smooth stems, generally distinctly ringed. The leaves are large, terminal, more or less regularly pinnate, and have the bases expanded and clasping the stem, but not formi
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PLATE IX. Œnocarpus baccába, Martius.
PLATE IX. Œnocarpus baccába, Martius.
This is a smooth thick-stemmed handsome tree, faintly ringed, and reaching fifty or sixty feet in height. The leaves are large, terminal, and pinnate. The leaflets are long; gradually pointed, and set at equal distances along the midrib. When young, the leaves are flat, the leaflets or pinnæ all standing out in the same plane; but in the full-grown tree the leaflets are in groups of two or three standing out at different angles from the general plane of the leaf, so as to give an irregular mixed
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Œnocarpus minor, Martius. Baccába miri, Lingoa Geral.
Œnocarpus minor, Martius. Baccába miri, Lingoa Geral.
This is a small species common on the upper Rio Negro. The stem is not half so thick as in the Œ. baccába , and the leaves are in proportion. The fruit is also very small, but is very fleshy and fine-flavoured, and ripens at a different time of year from the larger kind. It grows in the dry virgin forest. My drawing of this tree was unfortunately lost on my voyage home. Pl. X. W. Fitch lith. Ford & West Imp. ŒNOCARPUS BATAWA. Ht. 60 Ft....
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Œnocarpus distichus, Martius.
Œnocarpus distichus, Martius.
This is the species known as the Baccába at Pará, where the Œ. baccába is not found. It is quite distinct from the allied species by the leaves being distichous, or arranged nearly in one plane on each side of the stem, which gives it a very peculiar aspect, unlike any other Palm. On my return to Pará from the interior, I was suffering so much from ague, as to be unable to go in search of a specimen of this tree to figure as I had intended. This, like all other species of the genus, grows in dry
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Genus Iriartea, Ruiz et Pavon.
Genus Iriartea, Ruiz et Pavon.
Female flowers few, interspersed among the males, bracteate. Spathe membranous, incomplete. Male flowers with from twelve to fifty stamens and the rudiments of a pistil. Female flowers with three sessile stigmas. These singular and beautiful Palms have lofty, smooth, cylindrical or ventricose stems, very faintly ringed. The roots grow more or less above ground. The leaves are terminal and pinnate, and the leaflets are somewhat triangular, notched, often twisted or curled, and have radiating nerv
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PLATE XII. Iriartea exorhiza, Martius.
PLATE XII. Iriartea exorhiza, Martius.
This curious and beautiful tree is common in the forests about Pará and on the banks of the Amazon. It reaches fifty or sixty feet in height, with the stem moderately thick and very smooth, there being scarcely any rings or scars left by the fallen leaves. The leaves are large and pinnate, with the leaflets triangular and very deeply notched, standing out at different angles with the midrib. The leaves curve over gracefully, and the character and aspect of the foliage is very different from that
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PLATE XIV. Iriartea ventricosa, Martius.
PLATE XIV. Iriartea ventricosa, Martius.
This is the most majestic tree of the genus. The stem reaches eighty or a hundred feet in height, and besides being rather thicker in proportion than in the last species, offers a remarkable character in being constantly more or less swollen near the middle or towards the top. The trunk is generally cylindrical to a height of forty or fifty feet, where it swells out to double its former diameter or more for ten or fifteen feet further, when it again diminishes and becomes cylindrical for about t
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Genus Raphia, Commerson.
Genus Raphia, Commerson.
Male and female flowers intermixed on the same spadix. No common spathe, but many small incomplete sheaths. Male flowers with from six to twelve stamens and no rudiments of a pistil. Female flowers with three sessile stigmas and barren stamens. The stems are short, thick and ringed. The leaves are very large, regular and pinnate; the leaflets are linear and have spinulose midribs and edges. The bases of the petioles are sheathing, and persistent some way down the stem, and the margins are fibrou
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Genus Mauritia, Linnæus.
Genus Mauritia, Linnæus.
Male flowers on one tree, female or hermaphrodite flowers on another. The spathes are imperfect, bract-ike, tubular sheaths. The male flowers have six stamens. The female flowers have a three-lobed stigma and six imperfect stamens. The stems are either tall, columnar and smooth, or more slender and armed with strong conical spines. The leaves are all fan-shaped or radiating from a centre. The spadix is very large and pinnately branched, and grows from among the leaves. The fruits are of moderate
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PLATE XVII. Mauritia flexuosa, Linnæus.
PLATE XVII. Mauritia flexuosa, Linnæus.
This is one of the most noble and majestic of the American Palms. It grows to a height of eighty or a hundred feet. The stem is straight and smooth, about five feet in circumference, often perfectly cylindrical, but sometimes swollen near the middle or towards the top, so that the bottom is the thinnest part. The leaves spread out in every direction from the top of the stem. They are very large and fan-shaped, the leaflets spreading out rigidly on all sides and only drooping at the tips and at t
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PLATE XVIII. Mauritia carana, n. sp.
PLATE XVIII. Mauritia carana, n. sp.
This is a large smooth-stemmed species allied to M. flexuosa , but quite distinct and hitherto undescribed. The stem is about a foot in diameter and from twenty to forty feet high, smooth and obscurely ringed. The leaves are very similar to those of the Mirití, but the leaflets are not so deeply divided, being united together at the base for one-third of their entire length, and much more drooping at the tips. The petioles are very large, straight and cylindrical; their dilated bases are persist
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PLATE XIX. Mauritia aculeata, Humboldt.
PLATE XIX. Mauritia aculeata, Humboldt.
This species has a tall, erect and slender stem reaching about forty or fifty feet in height and armed with numerous, long, conical, woody spines arranged in rings. The leaves are rather small with the leaflets rigid and very slightly drooping at the tips, and united at the base for about one-eighth of their length. The petioles are long and slender and are deciduous, the entire leaf falling away from the stem. The midrib and edges of the leaflets are armed with weak spinules. The spadices are s
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PLATE XX. Mauritia gracilis, n. sp.
PLATE XX. Mauritia gracilis, n. sp.
This very elegant species is rather smaller than the last. The stem is from twenty to thirty feet high, slender, waving, and ringed with conical spines rather smaller than in M. aculeata . The leaves are from five to eight in number with much-drooping leaflets. The petioles are slender, short, and greatly dilated at the base. The spadices are three or four in number, growing from among the leaves, of very large size in proportion to the tree, much branched and drooping. They bear great quantitie
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Genus Lepidocaryum, Martius.
Genus Lepidocaryum, Martius.
Male flowers on one tree, female or hermaphrodite flowers on another. Spathes, imperfect, bract-like, tubular sheaths. The male flowers have six stamens. The female flowers have three sessile stigmas and six imperfect stamens. The stems are very slender, unarmed with spines or tubercles and deeply ringed. The leaves are fan-shaped, and have slender petioles and long swollen sheaths. The spadices are elongate and pinnately branched, growing from among the leaves. The fruits are oblong and covered
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Genus Geonoma, Willdenow.
Genus Geonoma, Willdenow.
Male and female flowers on distinct trees, or rarely on distinct spadices of the same tree. Spathe small, incomplete. Male flowers with six stamens and a rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with three stigmas and a six-toothed ring of abortive stamens. These are small palms with slender, smooth, ringed, reed-like stems. The leaves are large, regularly or irregularly pinnate, with the leaflets broad, and the bases of the petioles sheathing. The spadices are slender and more or less branched, and t
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PLATE XXIII. Geonoma multiflora, Martius.
PLATE XXIII. Geonoma multiflora, Martius.
This handsome species is from eight to fifteen feet high, and has the stem regularly ringed or jointed, giving it a reed-like appearance. The leaves are very large, regularly pinnate and gracefully drooping on every side. The leaflets are very regularly placed on the midrib, and the terminal pair are much larger and broader. The petioles are slender and smooth, and the sheathing bases have an expanded fibrous margin. The spadices grow from among the lower leaves, and are short, erect and simply
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PLATE XXIV. Geonoma paniculigera, Martius.
PLATE XXIV. Geonoma paniculigera, Martius.
This is a species from six to nine feet high and very similar in appearance to the last. The leaves, however, have only three or four pairs of leaflets of irregular width, the terminal pair being always very large and broad, and the others not being always placed opposite each other on the midrib. The spadix is large, much branched and somewhat drooping, and has a small, soft and inconspicuous basal spathe. The fruit is small and round. This species grows in the same localities and in the same s
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Genus Manicaria, Gærtner.
Genus Manicaria, Gærtner.
Male and female flowers in the same spadix. Spathe fusiform, fibrous, complete, breaking open irregularly. Male flowers with twenty-four to thirty stamens. Female flowers (situated below the male) with three sessile stigmas and twelve rudimentary stamens. Stem short, thick and irregularly ringed. Leaves very large, entire and rigid, the sheathing bases persistent. Spadices simply branched, growing from among the leaves, nearly erect. Fruit large, hard, somewhat triangular or three-lobed and thre
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Genus Desmoncus, Martius.
Genus Desmoncus, Martius.
Male flowers on the upper parts of the branches of the spadix, females on the lower. Spathe fusiform, woody, at length deciduous. Male flowers with six stamens and linear acute anthers. Female flowers with a short style and three stigmas and six small scaly rudiments of stamens. Stems slender, flexible, climbing over shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, pinnate, much sheathing, with long hooked spines in the place of the three or four terminal pair of leaflets. The spadices are axillary and simply
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PLATE XXVII. Desmoncus macroacanthus, Martius.
PLATE XXVII. Desmoncus macroacanthus, Martius.
The stem of this palm is very slender, weak and flexible, often sixty or seventy feet long, and climbing over bushes and trees or trailing along the ground. It is armed with scattered tubercular prickles. The leaves grow alternately along the stem; they are pinnate, with from three to five pairs of leaflets, beyond which the midrib is produced and armed with several pairs of strong spines directed backwards, and with numerous smaller prickles. The leaflets are ovate, with the edges waved or curl
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PLATE XXVIII. Bactris pectinata, Martius.
PLATE XXVIII. Bactris pectinata, Martius.
The stem of this species is from six to ten feet high, very slender, strongly ringed or jointed and smooth, but all other parts of the plant, the petioles, sheaths, spathes, &c., are prickly. The leaves are regularly pinnate, with the leaflets long, narrow, pointed and hairy beneath. The long sheathing bases of the petioles are persistent, covering the stem often half way down to the ground. The spadices grow from among the persistent leaf-sheaths; they are very small, simple or two- or
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PLATE XXIX. Bactris ——, n. sp.
PLATE XXIX. Bactris ——, n. sp.
The stem of this species is about an inch in diameter and ten or twelve feet high, thickly set with flat black spines disposed in rings. The leaves are rather large and irregularly pinnate, the leaflets being in little groups of two or four, standing out at various angles from the midrib, the groups themselves being set alternately along it. The leaflets are elongate and have the midrib produced in a bristly point, and the terminal pair are not larger than the rest. The petioles are armed with f
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PLATE XXX. Bactris elatior, n. sp.
PLATE XXX. Bactris elatior, n. sp.
This is a tall and elegant species. The stem is from fifteen to twenty feet high and about one inch in diameter, with a few scattered groups of small spines. The leaves are regularly pinnate, with broad leaflets narrowed at the base and ending in a lengthened point, the terminal pair being rather broader. The petioles and their sheathing bases are covered with broad, flat, whitish spines. The spadices grow from among the lower leaves on long stalks and are simply branched and drooping. The spath
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PLATE XXXI. Bactris ——, n. sp.
PLATE XXXI. Bactris ——, n. sp.
The stem of this curious palm is from twenty to twenty-five feet high and very slender. It is marked with slightly sunk rings and has a few scattered spines. The leaves are rather small, few in number and terminal. The leaflets are rigid, narrowed at the base, widest near the end and suddenly tapering to a point. They are arranged in groups of three or four at short intervals along the midrib, from which they stand out at different angles. The petioles and their sheathing bases are thickly set w
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PLATE XXXII. Bactris macrocarpa, n. sp.
PLATE XXXII. Bactris macrocarpa, n. sp.
This species has the stem about an inch in diameter and ten or twelve feet high, distinctly jointed, smooth and reed-like, but with a few spines in small groups at the joints. The leaves are terminal, of moderate size and rather interruptedly pinnate. The leaflets often grow in pairs and are broad, narrowed at the base and have the midrib produced at the point, the terminal pair being the largest. The petioles and sheaths are thickly set with whitish flat prickles. The spadices are small, five-
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PLATE XXXIII. Bactris tenuis, n. sp.
PLATE XXXIII. Bactris tenuis, n. sp.
In this species the stem is not thicker than a goose quill, distinctly jointed and smooth. The leaves are terminal, four or five in number, and rather irregularly pinnate. The leaflets are elongate and acute, with produced points, four or five in number, on each side of the midrib, the terminal pair being the broadest. The petioles and their sheathing bases are covered with small, flat, black spines. The spadices grow from below the leaves and are very small and unbranched. The spathes are fusif
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Bactris maraja, Martius.
Bactris maraja, Martius.
This is a palm rather larger than most others of the genus, and inhabiting the flooded banks of the Amazon. It produces large clusters of fruit resembling small black grapes, and having a thin pulp of an agreeable subacid flavour,—a peculiarity not found in the fruit of any other American palm that I am acquainted with. The places where it grows are often so deeply flooded that the fruit hangs close to the surface of the water, and can be plucked while passing in a canoe. Dried specimens of the
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Genus Guilielma, Martius.
Genus Guilielma, Martius.
Male and female flowers mixed in the same spadix, bracteate. Spathe double; exterior bifid; interior complete, woody. Male flowers with six stamens and a rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with three sessile stigmas, but with no rudiments of stamens. The stems are lofty, rather slender, and armed with dense black cylindrical spines disposed in regular rings. The leaves are terminal and pinnate, but in the young plants entire, and the petioles are very spiny. The spadices are simply branched, gro
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Genus Acrocomia, Martius.
Genus Acrocomia, Martius.
Female flowers in the inner, male flowers in the outer part of the same spadix. Spathe complete, woody. Male flowers with six stamens and a rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with a short style and three stigmas, and a ring of abortive stamens. The stems of these Palms are tall, strong, and more or less prickly. The leaves are large, pinnate, much drooping, and forming a dense spherical head of foliage. The leaflets are linear, and with the petioles are very prickly. The spadix is simply branche
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Genus Astrocaryum, Meyer.
Genus Astrocaryum, Meyer.
Female flowers few in number, situated beneath the males on the same spadix. Spathe complete, woody. Male flowers with six stamens and a rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with three stigmas and a rudimentary ring of stamens. In this genus the stems are generally lofty and thickly set with rings of spines, but some species are stemless. The leaves are large and pinnate, the leaflets elongate and linear, and as well as the petioles very prickly. The spadices are simply branched, and the fruits ar
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PLATE XXXVIII. Astrocaryum murumurú, Martius.
PLATE XXXVIII. Astrocaryum murumurú, Martius.
This palm has the stem from eight to twelve feet high, irregularly ringed, and armed with long scattered black spines. The leaves are terminal and of moderate size, regularly pinnate, the leaflets spreading out uniformly in one plane, elongate, acute, with the terminal pair shorter and broader. The petioles and sheathing bases are thickly covered with long black spines generally directed downwards, and often eight inches long. The spadices grow from among the leaves and are simply branched and s
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PLATE XXXIX. Astrocaryum gynacanthum, Martius.
PLATE XXXIX. Astrocaryum gynacanthum, Martius.
This species has a rather slender stem about fifteen feet high, covered with long, flat, black spines, arranged in regular rings and pointing downwards. The leaves are terminal, rather large and pinnate. The leaflets spread regularly in one plane, and are elongate and acute, the terminal pair being rather shorter and broader. The bases of the petioles are broadly sheathing, and are all densely spiny. The spadices grow from the bases of the lower leaves, and are erect when in flower, but hang dow
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PLATE XL. Astrocaryum vulgare, Martius.
PLATE XL. Astrocaryum vulgare, Martius.
This is a lofty tree, the stem growing to a height of forty or fifty feet, with a diameter of six or eight inches. It is covered with regular broad bands or rings of thickly set black spines, with narrow spaces between them. The leaves are terminal, large and regularly pinnate. The leaflets are elongate, regularly spreading and drooping. The midrib and expanded sheaths of the petioles are densely clothed with long, flat, dusky spines, having a pale expanded margin. The edges of the leaflets are
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PLATE XLI. Astrocaryum tucuma, Martius.
PLATE XLI. Astrocaryum tucuma, Martius.
This palm is from thirty to forty feet in height, and has the stem armed with narrow rings of black spines. The leaves are terminal, rather large and regularly pinnate. The leaflets are elongate, linear and much drooping, and the midribs and petioles are very prickly. The sheathing bases of the leaf-stalks are very much swollen where they spring from the stem. The spadix grows erect from among the leaves and is simply branched. The fruit is nearly globular, of a greenish yellow colour, with a la
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PLATE XLII. Astrocaryum jauari, Martius.
PLATE XLII. Astrocaryum jauari, Martius.
The Jauarí has the stem rather slenderer than the Tucumá, but of about equal height, and armed with regular narrow rings of spines. The leaves are terminal and of moderate size. The leaflets are long, narrow and very much drooping, and the midribs and sheaths are thickly covered with long, flat, black spines. The spadices are erect, simply branched, and hidden amongst the leaves. The fruit is small, oval, green, and not eatable. The rather small dense head of foliage, combined with the prickly h
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PLATE XLIII. Astrocaryum aculeatum? Meyer.
PLATE XLIII. Astrocaryum aculeatum? Meyer.
This small species has the stem from fifteen to twenty feet high and about two inches in diameter, with obscure rings of spines at irregular intervals. The leaves are terminal, rather large and regularly pinnate. The leaflets are narrow, rigid and scarcely drooping, with the terminal pair broader. The midrib and leaflets are smooth, but the bases and sheaths of the petioles are very prickly. The spadices grow from below the leaves and are very small and simply branched. The spathes are small, ov
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PLATE XLIV. Astrocaryum acaule, Martius.
PLATE XLIV. Astrocaryum acaule, Martius.
This palm never has any stem, the leaves springing at once from the ground. They are eight or ten feet long, slender and pinnate. The leaflets are very narrow and drooping, and are disposed in groups of three or four, at intervals along the midrib, the separate leaflets standing out in different directions. The whole plant is exceedingly spiny, the midrib and petioles having long, flat, black spines directed downwards, and the leaflets are also spiny beneath. The spadix grows from among the leav
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Genus Attalea, Humboldt.
Genus Attalea, Humboldt.
Flowers bracteate, male and female in the same spadix, and male in another spadix, on the same or on a different tree. Spathes double, the interior one complete and woody. Male flowers with from six to twenty-four stamens and a small rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with a short style and three stigmas, and a cup-shaped ring of rudimentary stamens. The stems of these palms are generally lofty, cylindrical and smooth, but there are some stemless species. The leaves of all are very handsome, lar
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Genus Maximiliana, Martius.
Genus Maximiliana, Martius.
Some spadices with only male flowers, others with . male and female flowers on the same tree. Spathes large, complete, woody. Flowers with bracts. Male flowers with three or six stamens, and with a minute rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with a short style and three stigmas, and rudimentary stamens forming a membranaceous cup. The stems of these magnificent Palms are tall, erect and smooth. The leaves are very large and irregularly pinnate. The bases of the petioles are persistent, often cover
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Genus Cocos, Linnæus.
Genus Cocos, Linnæus.
Female flowers less plentiful than the males, and situated below them in the same spadix. Spathe double, outer small, interior woody. Flowers with bracts. Male flowers with six stamens and a rudimentary pistil. Female flowers with three stigmas. The stems of this genus are lofty, generally cylindrical and smooth. The leaves are large and regularly pinnate. The spadix is simply branched, and the fruit is ovate oblong, and with an outer fibrous covering. Eighteen species of Cocos are known, sevent
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PLATE XLVIII. Cocos nucifera, Linnæus.
PLATE XLVIII. Cocos nucifera, Linnæus.
The stem of this well-known palm is very smooth, seldom quite erect, and often much thicker at the bottom. The leaves are large, terminal and regularly pinnate. The leaflets are rigid, and spread out very flat on each side of the midrib. From the sheathing bases of the petioles grows a compact fibrous material resembling in texture the spathe of the Bussú. The spadices are produced from among the leaves, and are large and simply branched. The fruits are very large, and have a dense fibrous exter
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