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P22? 3 So 2 ID >: : > Sy > yp DSS Qe ae ee ao a DS of ala + yy DW >> a ibe aes — = DP > me SSS = =e DD PD 5 SO? >> 22) >>. ; OK >. 22> >> Y DD sp se Y “> DoH 32> > “<)> D> 2D» yD. a oe By 33 SSD LPS SS 22. / 2D D> >> as 2 aie » Se 27 PE ? oS ‘ Sa > is ae oe > tes > D> 5S > > SS DY ar a2 E> ‘yn D> D> Sate Se ee Se , D Se ip vias 5 > yo er PP a ei ae a> ee ee we eee A a 8 ey Y on aw Neaen eet Py Mey: zz , * J 4 4 1 x ey >, i \ » j . j a wae We ‘ee » x, : ) : ‘ . ae ‘ams A = a . { + sa } : z : E ‘ Chal = A * e > we ; E : : 2 ; } + — a 4 et es i ‘ ae te = . f | . a 7 i - : ‘ 5 nah 7 EEO rs TWENTY-FOUR VIEWS OF THE VEGETATION OF THE COASTS AND ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC t . LONDOW . AND CO. PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE NEW-STREET SQUARE TWENTY-FOUR VIEWS OF THE VEGETATION OF THE COASTS AND ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC WITH EXPLANATORY DESCRIPTIONS TAKEN DURING THE EXPLORING VOYAGE OF THE RUSSIAN CORVETTE ‘“SENJAWIN,”’ UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPT. LUTKE, IN THE YEARS 1827, 1828, & 1829 BY F. H. VON KITTLITZ TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN AND EDITED BY BERTHOLD SEEMANN, PuH.D., F.L.S. AUTHOR OF “‘THE BOTANY OF THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. HERALD,” *‘ POPULAR HISTORY OF THE PALMS,”’’ °°NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. HERALD,” ETC. LONDON . LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, AND ROBERTS 1861 Lae aa “a nen yy i i Moore TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE. WHEN in 1859 Mr. Church exhibited his “ Heart of the Andes,” men of science began to hope that the time had arrived when their endea- vours to spread a correct knowledge of the physical features of our globe would be aided from a side from which they have long anticipated assist- ance; that artists, encouraged by the success which Mr. Church’s well- known painting achieved, and taking advantage of the great facilities of reaching the remotest portions of the world in an incredibly short space of time, would have suspended for a while the studies of the shady lanes and babbling brooks of Northern Europe, or the purple skies of beautiful Italy, in order to devote themselves to the rich field that the unknown regions of the tropics or little known countries of the temperate or frigid zones Offer. These sanguine hopes have been disappointed. Our exhi- bitions of paintings are annually overflowing with landscapes, but they are of the old stamp. When every branch of science, enlarging its horizon, is seized with a laudable desire to take a comprehensive grasp of the matter appertaining to its respective department; when no historian, who values his repute, now writes the history of a country without ascertaining its bearing and vi PREFACE. relationship to that of the whole earth; when no geologist dares to advance conclusions without knowing what his brethren have brought forth; when no zoologist can publish the fauna, no botanist the flora, of a district without examining the surrounding regions; when philologists no longer attempt explanations without having examined the whole range of human speech, — artists have, in contradistinction to this general tendency towards universality, remained essentially “local.” The fact that North America may now be reached within a week, at less expense than Italy, and the antipodes in forty days, seems to be quite lost upon them, and the treasures there to be found are doomed to be hidden until laid bare by the wand of some future artistic magician. Well may we exclaim, Are all the virgin forests destined to perish by the axe before one master hand will attempt to preserve their grandeur on canvas for the instruction of posterity? Are our descendants to possess nothing save the bare descriptions of the gigantic trees of Western America? When every vestige of them shall have disappeared, will it be believed that in our days there existed vegetable monsters, whose ages were not calcu- lated by hundreds but by thousands of years, whose summits overtopped those of our highest cathedrals, and rivalled the pinnacles of the great pyra- mids? Are we to have nothing save miserable daubs of the dazzling au- tumnal changes of colour undergone by the flora of Canada and the United States? Is the majestic grandeur of a coral reef under the bright skies of the South Sea no theme of inspiration? Are the beauties of a coral bed, reflected through the crystal waters of the ocean, with all the manifold form, colour, vegetable and animal life, a veritable “ sea-scape,” out of the region of the dand-scape painter ? There is every reason to suppose that art itself would be as greatly benefited as science is by their votaries extending the sphere of their studies. In order to seize upon the features peculiar to a country, one must be able to compare them with those of others. To appreciate at PREFACE. vil one glance the characteristic beauties of Kngland or Kurope, one must have seen more than England or Kurope ; and artists would be able to improve even upon their present style of shady lanes, &c. &c., if they had spent a few nights in the desert, made several excursions in a virgin forest, or seen the mighty working of the icy masses in the Arctic and Antarctic circles. The physiognomy of plants is a subject which can be advanced, perhaps, more by intelligent artists than by botanists. Our morphological learning disqualifies us, in a great measure, for physiognomic studies. With our heads crammed with theoretical prototypes, and fully imbued with the desire to discover, under the unimportant external drapery, the law to which our classifying age attaches so much value, we are apt to overlook physiognomic features altogether ; and our sense of the beautiful is so little cultivated, that it would be in danger of becoming totally blunted if it were not brought in daily contact with the grand works of nature. Not so the artist, who, free from this incubus, and looking upon the scenes before him without any preconceived notions, would probably lay hold of their chief physiognomical features, if he were an intelligent man, much more readily than we plant-hunters. A striking instance of this 1s given by M. Von Kittlitz. Though little versed in botany, as he candidly admits, he has produced a series of pictures which are unrivalled for their truthfulness, and will ever be a source of deep interest and study, whether we regard them with the eyes of artists or ‘of botanists. On the Continent they have been fully appre- ciated, and it is stated that the work, from which the plates here given have been reduced, is totally out of print. Indeed, the copy placed at my disposal by the publishers for the purpose of translation, is said to have been the last that could be procured. It must ever be a matter of regret that the talented author, who first prepared the originals and then spent years in order to perfect himself vill PREFACE. in etching before he attempted their reproduction, could not have had the co-operation of the botanist of the expedition, and was reluctantly compelled to prepare the letterpress himself. I have endeavoured to mend the defects of the latter as much as lay in my power, by adding foot-notes where it was most necessary; whilst my personal familiarity with most parts of the globe enabled me to free the text from much of the ambiguity, caused by a laudable desire on the part of the author not to commit himself to statements for the entire accuracy of which he did not deem it prudent to pledge himself. BERTHOLD SEEMANN. Lonpow: duly 20th, 1861. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. PLATE I, Coast or Cuirz. Vegetation of the Heights about Valparaiso, in March II. Istanp or SrrKa, on the West Coast of Norra America. Underwood and Swamps, in July III. i Woody Mountains, in July IV. Unazascuka, one of the ArzutTian Istanps. A Plain on the Shores of Iluluk Bay, and Part of the adjacent Heights, in August V. Istanp oF Uatan, Carorins ARrcHIPELAGO, Mangroves, in December VI. as Swampy Forest, with Banyan-trees, in December VIL ae Vegetation of a Valley and Outskirts of Forest, in December . Vill. mn Woody Mountains, in December TX. Cua or Corat Reser or Lucunor, Carorine Arcurretaco. View of a Woody Coral Island, in February, seen from without x , View of a Woody Coral Island, in February, seen from within XI. Guanam, one of the Marianne Istanps. Forest in the Madrepore Plain of Orota Peninsula, in March . p.4 UB . Lower Savana District, in March XIII. _ Upper Savana District, in March PAGE 11 14 18 20 22 26 28 33 36 38 40 43 45 x CONTENTS. PLATE PAGE XIV. Pest Istanp, Bontnstma Group. Sea-shore, in May . : : : 47 XV. Bonrysma. Woody Plains of the Sea-shore, in May : 7 ; ; 49 XVI. 7 Woody Mountains, in May : . ; : ; 52 XVII. Kamrscuatka. Meadow in the Awatscha River District, in July. : : 53 XVIII. RS Forest on the Upper Kamtschatka River, in July. ; : 57 XIX, 5 Pine Forests on the Central Kamtschatka River, in August. ; 59 XX. 3 Deciduous Forests on the Central Kamtschatka River, in August : 61 XXII. x Woody Mountains, in August . : : , : 62 XXII. Grassy Plain in the Bolschaja Reka District, in September. ; 64 XXIII. Luzon, one of the Pumrrime Istanps. Vegetation of the Plain of the Passig River, in January. : : ; : 66 »O.6 I Pn Upper Savana District, in January : ; ; : : 67 VEGETATION OF THE COASTS AND ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC. INTRODUCTION. Since Alexander von Humboldt ranged the geography of plants amongst the sciences, much has been said and written on this eminently popular and attractive subject; nevertheless we must look to the future for the most interesting results of the inquiries instituted. The materials of scientific value relating to the phy- siognomy of vegetation, that charming and grateful study, are for the most part confined to a few more or less comprehensive descriptions, and comparatively a limited number of happy pictorial illustrations. Yet illustrations of that nature are an essential element of a branch of science the object of which is principally an immediate appeal to the eye. We still require a considerable number of faithful illustrations before we shall be able to collect into one or a few folios a complete series exhibiting the most prominent peculiarities of the beautiful garb in which Nature has clothed our planet, like the bird in its plumage; whilst the contem- plation that wherever man penetrates he appears destined to destroy or modify by cultivation this natural ornament, only tends to increase the wish for early and frequent contributions towards such a collection. The following plates are in- tended as such; and before proceeding to describe them more fully I shall point out the astonishing richness which Nature displays in the characteristic groupings called the physiognomy of a country. 2 INTRODUCTION. In order to obtain a correct conception of these riches, it is necessary to call to mind the spherical shape of our globe. The different climates and their transi- tions will then be most evident. It is well known that their differences exercise a direct bearing on those of the vegetation ; heat and moisture, the various degrees of which determine climatic differences, also constituting the principal conditions of vegetable life. The greater the harmony in which these two agents act, the grander the result of their co-operation. This is the reason why the lowest lati- tudes, the tropical zones, with exception of their arid deserts, exhibit the greatest force of vegetation, the finest and most diversified forms, and the largest number of species. At every marked approach towards the icy poles, and in proportion as the temperature decreases, the vegetation becomes altered, assuming more and more what has been termed a “northern look,” until it dwindles down to an Alpine flora, and ultimately to a mere crust of lichens covering the rocks. What a variety of features must there be ranged between this extreme and the gigantic forests of the equinoctial regions! | As the temperature decreases with the increasing altitude, exactly the same succession is exhibited in the different regions of the higher mountains, where the various forms of vegetation, from those of the temperate zones to the polar, the limits of perpetual snow, are found successively. But, however much diversity there might be in these gigantic terraces, if in every instance the same characters were repeated, interest in them would be much diminished. One would in that case only have to ascend a given mountain, the summit of which reached the region of perpetual snow, in order to behold the vegetation of the cooler regions. A country situated in about latitude 30° south would present as faithful a picture as one situated as far north. This, however, would ill agree with the evident tendency of Nature towards diversity, its manifold variations of certain forms, and the transition to which they give play. Nature has guarded against the forests of the Straits of Maghellan having quite the same aspect as those of Europe. Certain plants of both hemispheres may be similar, but there are specific differences which separate them and render their mutual similarity very slight.* The very different dis- tribution of land and sea hardly produces in corresponding latitudes a sufficient similarity of climate to insure, even in part, a complete identity of species. Expe- rience has also demonstrated how difficult it sometimes is, in attempts at trans- * This is not absolutely the case. There is a land (“Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald,” number of species which are found wild in both London, 1852-1857, p. 20), and that will no doubt the Arctic and the Subantarctic circle. A list of be considerably extended by future researches. — them was given in my Flora of Western Eskimo- Berthold Seemann. INTRODUCTION. 3 plantation from one hemisphere to the other, especially from the southern to the northern, to discover the suitable climate. It is true, in the warmer zones of one and the same hemisphere, the different regions of the mountains, having greater climatic relationship, exhibit many species belonging to the colder zones; but there are generally a few forms peculiar to warmer countries, which extend their range high up these mountains, imparting to them their idiosyncrasy. This mixture of plants appertaining to different climates imparts quite a peculiar physiognomy. A district in the Mexican mountains 8000 or 9000 feet above the sea, does certainly remind us by its oaks and firs of North America, or even Europe; but only to render its Yuccas and Fourcroyas still more prominent features. But it is not only latitude by which we measure differences in the typical forms of vegetation, principally caused by the climate; the longitude also works decided changes in the vegetation, which, though subordinate to the former, and apparently quite independent of climate, nevertheless present everywhere new pictures.* Passing over the striking and numerous physiognomic differences caused in one and the same zone by local circumstances, such as deserts, steppes, and great swamps, we mention only those observable in regular and gradual trans- itions in the same latitude, but different longitude, and under almost identical climatic conditions. The phenomenon first presenting itself is that the geogra- phical range of most species is not of sufficient extent to occupy longitudinally the whole zone, of course most frequent where the zones are longest, 7. ¢. in the lowest latitudes, and least frequent where shortest. This is the reason why, in the neigh- bourhood of the poles, the geographical range of species extends, without regard to continents, over the whole zone, which is short enough to be filled up by it; but on nearing the equator, those species, the home of which is the entire zone, con- tinually decrease in proportion to the other occupants of the soil, and thus an increasing number of districts of distribution is ranged side by side, in order to provide for the continually increasing length of the zones. Thus, in consequence of the spherical shape and position of our earth, con- tinually increase, with the temperature of the climate, not only the capabilities of vegetation and the number of species of each country, but also the space, so that the principal character of the vegetation as imparted by the different climates may obtain full play to divide in numerous variations longitudinally defined. The * It is true that the zones, of which the geo- the whole the same direction as those straight ones graphy of plants takes notice, are defined by the of which mathematical geography avails itself. wavy isothermal lines, &c. ; but these lines have on B 2 4 INTRODUCTION. so-called region of palms, the longitudinal range of which is the most extensive, would seem to be on that account the richest in species as well as in peculiar features. How interesting would prove the contrast between three views repre- senting respectively an East Indian, an African, and an American virgin forest, as nearly as possible having the same soil and climate! Without doubt there would be in all three much physiognomic resemblance, notwithstanding the total differ- ence of their component elements. What in the one would only be indicated, would in the other have obtained full development. Thus climbing plants play a more important part in the physiognomy of the Indian jungle than in that of the American forest, whilst the latter enjoys the advantage of harbouring a greater number of strange and beautiful epiphytes. Here then the difference between the continents, totally disappearing towards the poles, is most evident. It is unnecessary to mention that these differences stand in the same relation towards those of the geographical latitudes, as the species do towards the genera, and that, as a rule, only allied species or forms represent each other in the different longitudinal divisions of one and the same zone.* The facility with which almost all species may be transplanted from one of the longitudinal divisions into the other, though a well-known fact, should be noticed as tending to prove more than all others that the longitudinal differences are essentially independent of climate, and not caused by certain subdivisions of it. The law according to which one part of a zone originally produces this, the other that form, does by no means preclude interchange of species, and it would almost seem as if Nature had originally adopted that mode of distribution in order to show even here its tendency towards diversity. The transition being, generally speaking, only gradual, it would be difficult to find in all cases for the various physiognomy of plants a well-defined boundary line. Still Nature has bestowed on every part of our earth’s surface which we geographically may term “country” peculiar beauties, by which it may be known as readily as one organic being from another. Without this higher significance the chequered masses, which would otherwise appear less noteworthy, become important objects of science and the art subservient to it. True, the latter has no slight problem to solve. Not only is travelling in far- * Of course in allied species there is a certain resemblance in form, but very often the type pre- scribed as it were to a certain climate, selects, in the different longitudinal divisions, plants belonging to widely different families. To cite one instance: the mountain plant from Simen, figured and described by Riippel in his “Abyssinian Journey,” though related to the Lobelias, strikingly recalls the Yuccas of the higher mountains of America situated in the same latitude. In the extreme east of the Old Continent this form is represented by screw-pines (Pandanus), having a single crown supported on an erect trunk. INTRODUCTION. 5 distant and barbarous countries still associated with difficulties, but in order to draw these pictures very different circumstances have to be considered from those which affect ordinary landscapes. The artist must see with the eyes of a naturalist. He must also be in the position to have at least the engraver under his continued control, if the real value of his work is to be preserved. Besides, there are required numerous contributions from all sides in order finally to form that great collection, the object of which will be always more scientific than artistic; and it does not appear advisable to refrain from publishing what has been prepared exclusively with this end, merely because, viewed from a purely artistic point, it may be deemed unsatis- factory. This applies to the following “ views,” in which doubtless much of the ac- customed artistic effects will be missed; nevertheless they will, it is hoped, supply a fair notion of the countries in which they were taken. It may also not be deemed superfluous to add a few words about the way in which they originated. On the departure of the Russian corvette “ Senjawin,” in 1826, the botanists of St. Petersburg suggested that, as opportunity offered, as many portraits and charac- teristic sketches of the vegetation as possible should be taken. Although un- acquainted with botany, I was deeply interested in carrying out this suggestion, and in my mind conceived a series of pictures, from which the following may have borrowed its form. Still want of time, generally experienced by the naturalists of exploring expeditions, would probably have prevented me from carrying my resolution into effect, if the nature of my occupation had not essentially tended to favour it. Sporting and collecting zoological objects constantly brought the features of the vegetation before my eyes. Setting out with the determination to construct a view, I generally succeeded in accomplishing it during the short time that we used to remain at anchor in each place, provided I had collected the necessary materials. These consisted — 1, in a sketch of any comprehensive land- scape, in which generally several, according to the principal peculiarities of the soil, were joined; 2, in a sufficient number of portraits of the larger plants, occupy- ing the respective soils, and which, unless already embodied in the general sketch, might unhesitatingly be introduced. A rough draft of the whole was generally made directly after leaving the country to which it referred, when the survey of nothing save sky and water did not interfere with the vivid recollections of im- pressions just received. A few possible mistakes were guarded against by the presence of Dr. Mertens, my dear friend and travelling companion, who gene- rally knew well the plants illustrated, had collected them himself, and preserved what he had seen fresh in his memory. Thus these “views,” even when origi- B3 6 INTRODUCTION. nating, were under the control of a wholesome criticism. It was long the favourite idea of my friend to write to them explanatory letterpress; and if his unexpected death had not prevented the carrying out of his plan, the whole would have been an interesting work, whereas now the plates may rather suffer from want of fuller explanations than here given. I may also be blamed for undertaking the execution of the plates on copper my- self, instead of assigning them to more artistic hands, which would have insured more elegance and saved me the time necessarily lost in trying to perfect myself for a self- imposed task. But the points on which in this case everything depends, the true character of the views represented—the portraiture, so to speak—would have lost by that process more than it would have gained by the supposed increase of elegance in execution. It is perhaps not generally known how extremely difficult it is to obtain from the hands of an engraver or lithographer a correct copy of a picture embra- cing such numerous and delicate points of character ; but proofs are furnished by a series of expensive illustrations in works of travel, which convey no idea of the scenes represented, though it was not from want of good original drawings. This applies with full force to what alone is here to be represented, characteristic foliage and large masses of vegetation generally. One may justly say that an artist must have seen them in nature merely to copy a drawing without utterly spoiling it, to say nothing about rendering it in quite a different manner. The most talented landscape painter can only reproduce the “je ne sais quov” in the character of those districts which he has seen himself, and he would violate Nature if suddenly called upon to paint objects belonging to climes foreign to him. It is true the shadows of a tropical forest, for instance, are subject to the same laws as elsewhere, but still they are formed in a peculiar way, difficult for a painter to convey. As for descriptions it is impossible for them to supply the place of illustrations. The expressions so often used by travellers in dwelling on tropical vegetation, —‘ Innumerable branches and leaves form such a thick mass that the rays of the sun cannot possibly penetrate,” &c.,—are calculated to give, and in many instances do give, a very erroneous impression. Judging from such descrip- tions, I had imagined a deep shade, a darkness almost approaching to night, and much greater than that of our pine forests; and I was not a little surprised to perceive so much light under the finest trees, the widely spread foliage of which nowhere allowed the sky to be seen. At first I was inclined to ascribe this solely to the perpendicular light of noon, but, after observing the same phenomenon at every time of day, I became convinced that it was one of the characteristics of the climate. Indeed, what would become of all the plants destined to live in this INTRODUCTION. 7 shade, if the enormous masses of foliage causing it had not been placed and arranged by provident Nature in such a manner as to permit the solar rays, though broken in a thousand ways, to penetrate with sufficient force to the lower vege- tation? Our pine woods do not require a similar provision ; their darkest shade * falling on a soil which, having nothing to produce save the trees, can dispense with the influence of light, though the trees themselves do require protection against violent winds and heavy masses of snow, the melting of which is so much assisted by being distributed over the broad branches. These very different modes of life must necessarily produce very different aspects. In a climate where the plants never suffer from the cold, they display a certain freedom looked for in vain in regions subject to great changes of tempe- rature, and where trees and shrubs, developing a vast number of small branches, form perhaps thicker but on the whole poorer crowns. This is seen in most Alpine plants in a much higher degree, especially those growing gregariously, the leaves of which are not only placed close together, but also pressed close to the ground: the cold, it would appear, totally restricting the upward extension of the branches. This is most marked on tropical mountains, where one has only to descend into the plains in order to behold the very opposite character of the vegetation already mentioned. The peculiarity of a vegetation always enjoying a warm and moist atmosphere is particularly evident in the elegant forms of palms and tree-ferns, constituting, in reality, the type peculiar to most tropical zones. In that climate ‘we behold not only in the Yuccas, Draccenas, screw-pines (Pandanus), large Scitamineous plants, &c., a surprising repetition of the chief features of the palms, but to a certain extent even the external branches and spreading leaves of the largest forest trees form crowns not unlike those of palms on a small scale. If the crowns often consist of heavy and undivided leaves, and thus again differ from palms, the Mimosa-form, playing so important a part in the tropics, steps in, and by its delicate feathery foliage imitates the features of a palm in a surprising degree. There are even mimosa-like trees which assume a much more palm-like look than one would be prepared to expect in a dicotyledonous plant. Everywhere in that climate one observes a certain quite peculiar kind of “ trellis- work,” tf if it may be so called, the most highly developed in the palms, and even in plants which can be but little compared to them, and probably owe their prevailing character to the free development they enjoy. Great masses of delicate * “ Juniperi gravis umbra, nocent et frugibus meaning; but it is the nearest English equivalent umbre.” Vire. Kel. X. I could find for the German “ Durchbrochenheit.’ — tf This term does not quite express the author's Berthold Seemann. B4 8 | INTRODUCTION. foliage thus look as if floating in the air. Everything, even to the smallest fern covering the ground, shows a tendency to spread and extend, preventing the different parts from resting upon each other, and forming, by lines meeting at every point, open spaces which admit light and air. On a smaller scale we find this character wherever plants grow, but more especially where, throughout the year, a uniform degree of moisture and temperature prevails. There, more than elsewhere, Nature exhibits that matchless beauty reflected in the noblest archi- tectural monuments of the middle ages, in that airy treatment of gigantic masses’ and richness of forms, — the Gothic pointed arch,—the Arabic origin of which is more than probable, being formed by two perpendicular palms, and the meeting of their leaves. In hotter and drier countries all this is less evident. There, trees and shrubs have, almost as in the colder climates, a rather bushy growth, develop- ing numerous small branches; probably owing to the regular and continuous droughts, and the summer sleep of all nature connected with them, which periodi- cally interrupts the activity of vegetable life, as the winter does in the higher latitudes. But it would seem as if even in high latitudes, under circumstances rendering that interruption less marked, the above-mentioned trellis-like character reappears to a certain extent. Thus on the west coast of America, latitude 48° north, where there is a moist climate little subject to variations of temperature, the pine forests strictly differ from the European by a development of the branches, and a general luxuriance often recalling to mind the growth in the tropics. Perhaps the same may apply to the forests of the more southern por- tions of America and to New Zealand. What has been stated will render it evident how little hope there would have been to see in the following illustrations the peculiarities of such various climates preserved, if they had fallen into the hands of artists ignorant of the points on which particular stress is laid. Although far from believing that I always succeeded in conveying the right expression, I am confident that I could not have missed it so far as those would have done inevitably; and as so much depends upon the character of Nature being correctly given, we can well afford to sacrifice to a certain extent the artistic treatment. Another fault which, with some justice, may be found with these illustrations is, that they represent objects too simple. The characteristic grouping might have been essentially the same, and would have gained as a typical picture, if more pictorial details had been introduced. To this I must reply, that this poverty has been felt acutely by myself, and that only want of time can be pleaded as an excuse, drawing not being my primary occupation during the voyage. I will not fail to direct attention to figures INTRODUCTION. 9 introduced from necessity, and in places more appropriately occupied by other species. If it had not been from want of time, more imposing views of the Caroline and Marianne Islands would have been produced. But here must be repeated an observation formerly accepted as correct, but again disputed, that the vegetation of such widely separated and small islands, always is far inferior, especially as regards variety, to that of larger countries of the same zone. Seem- ingly, the reason of this fact is not to be sought in acertain sterility of these islands, but rather in the long distance that separates them from other countries, as well as in their small size. The island of Ualan, for instance, of which several views are given, combines all the known conditions of a grand vegetation, — a proximity to the equator, constant atmospheric moisture, and plenty of water to irrigate the rich, originally volcanic soil; in consequence of this it is to the very summit of its mountain peaks densely covered with luxuriant forests. Yet, notwithstanding all this luxuriance, and the beauty of forms peculiar to that part of the world, the whole could by no means be compared in richness with the forests seen in the neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, or in the island of Luzon, although they are farther removed from the line, and do not possess those sources of fertility in such a high degree. Here also the character of continents predominates. On coasting along Banka and Sumatra, we had afterwards an opportunity of seeing through telescopes the character of the vegetation; and here, where all those conditions are found in an extensive country, the grandeur, beauty, and richness of form seemed to surpass all we had previously witnessed. If, therefore, the Carolines and Mariannes are not quite calculated to exhibit tropical vegetation in its highest beauty, it is the more to be regretted that want of time prevented my taking more views than are given of the splendid forests of Luzon. It was easy to show in three or four sheets the principal physiognomic peculiarities of the smaller islands; but here I was compelled to leave the real treasures as it were untouched. The gravest fault of the present publication will doubtless be the poverty of the accompanying botanical remarks. Fully confiding in the zeal and science of - my friend Mertens, I never thought of devoting the little spare time at my disposal to observations already better made by him. His loss was to us an unexpected misfortune, very nearly deterring me from laying these “Views” before the public. But, forming a complete whole by themselves, they may venture to appear even with the scanty and superficial explanation that can be offered, leaving it to future naturalists to fill up with a few words unavoidable blanks. | nik 114) | \ | \i') adi allt] PEATHS I, EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. PLATE I. a COAST OF CHILE. VEGETATION OF THE HEIGHTS ABOUT VALPARAISO. March. THis season of the year is here the driest, the country throughout having a burnt appearance. In August and September, the present landscape would doubtless have been a rich meadow adorned with the beautiful flowers of numerous Lnlvacee; at present there is everywhere the bare reddish soil; the few plants here and there visible are for the most part dried up, and the thorny bushes covering the rocky slopes without leaves. The aspect is that of a steppe during a dry season. Equally monotonous, and often much more bare, appear about this time all those little plateaus commencing immediately behind Valparaiso; only valleys exhibit a crowded vegetation, including trees, though they be of no consider- able height. The generally stunted growth of the woody vegetation in exposed places is ascribed to the influence of regular and violent winds to which these coast districts are subject. The most prominent amongst the shrubs elsewhere attain the size of trees; they are the Caven [or Espino] (Acacia Cavenia, Hook. et Arn.) and the Lithi (Lawrus caustica, Mol.). Both of them contribute considerably towards the physiognomy of the country. The Lithi may be known by its dark thick foliage and its fantastically twisted branches ( 12 1—15 =) ; the Caven, by its broom-shaped growth, as well as by its numerous radiating branches, bear- ing long spines and very delicate leaves (10 1.) In this district the Lithi is very plentiful, and produces in places protected from the winds, where it can freely 12 COAST OF CHILE. develope itself, generally several crooked, very seldom erect and straight stems. The Caven is said to attain, further inland, a consi- Another shrub characteristic of the district is a species of It is commonly used as fuel. derable height.* Cassia, which about this time bears fine dark yellow blossoms (18 =k But the chief feature in the physiognomy is the large candelabra-like Cereus Peruvianus, erowing isolated on the edge of the slopes, and everywhere in the neighbour- hood of recks (5d), and also the curious Pourretia coarctata, a plant about which Molina has much to tell, and which is probably abundant throughout Chile (12 =) The thick woody scape, with its large spikes formed by rectangularly disposed branchlets, about this time bearing roundish woody fruits, is best seen on the edge of the slope (4d). The smaller isolated growing plants are different kinds of Composite (9 f— 10 f, &e.), plainly showing the gradual transition to shrubbiness ; they have done flowering, and are scattering their feathery pappus in every direction: when in full bloom, their numerous flowers must present a fine sight. As an instance of the various truly shrubby Composite peculiar to this district, must be regarded those creeping bushes which seem to be mere balls of thick foliage. only to set a match to them in order to kindle a vivid and well-fed fire. Their branches and leaves are very resinous, and one has The most curious amongst the plants in the foreground is the indigenous bamboo, which certainly does not bear a strong resemblance to the Indian Bambusa arundinacea, and probably belongs to a genus but recently instituted (14 0). Always growing gregariously, and having high, arched trunks, it often forms, on * Tn the narrative of the “Voyage of H.M.S. Herald,” vol. i. p. 39, I have given the following sketch of the neighbourhood of Valparaiso, as it appeared in 1845, about eighteen years after our author’s visit: —‘ The hills near the sea are par- tially clad with scanty brushwood and still scantier herbage; after passing them, the eye perceives an extensive open country. The Espino (Acacia Ca- venia, Hook. et Arn.) abounds on these plains, and would, if attended with care, be of vast service in reclaiming the waste, by attracting moisture and affording a supply of fuel. It has been of the ereatest use to miners, and also for household pur- poses. Notwithstanding its being cut in the most injudicious manner, it still grows again; but of late this unwise system has been pursued to such an extent, that it has in many places destroyed the growth altogether. The utility and importance of such a wood as the Espino, in a country where much fuel is required, where there is hardly any other moisture than that produced by artificial ir- rigation, and where land carriage must continue for many years both expensive and laborious, the wide-spread distress that must acerue from the in- judicious neglect of the bounties of Nature, will be apparent to the most casual observer. There is no doubt that the aridity of the plain has been per- petuated and increased by neglecting common pre- cautions with regard to this shrub. The Espino is brought into Valparaiso in a highly charred con- dition; it is very hard, gives much heat, and its ashes are sufficiently alkaline for the manufacture of soap. The stoves and warming-pans over which the Chilenian ladies are very fond of putting their feet during the cold weather, are supplied by the small bundles of charred Espino so often seen for sale in Valparaiso.” —Berthold Seemann. HEIGHTS ABOUT VALPARAISO. 13 gently sloping hills, extensive thickets, which, interlaced with fine Mutisias, constitute as peculiar a feature of the district as any of the previously mentioned plants. Amongst the brushwood to the left, sheltered to some extent from violent winds, may be recognised traces of the vegetation of the valleys, three plants characteristic of the country:—1. Fuchsia lycioides, now a leafless shrub, but covered with a number of flowers of a carmine colour (6 | 6 =) ; 2. the shrubby Lobelia Twpa, the dark red terminal blossoms of which could scarcely be indicated in our plate (3 | 4 3) ; and 3. a beautiful Loranthus, a thick bushy shrub, densely covered with leaves and growing parasitically in most trees, here in an old Lithi: it is highly ornamental, especially in the dry season, on account of its dark fresh green foliage and splendid red bunches of flowers, much visited by humming-birds (3 g). 14 PLATE ILI. U ISLAND OF SITKA, WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. UNDERWOOD AND SWAMP. July. THE aspect of this country and its luxuriant vegetation hardly remind us of its high northern situation, On the eastern side of the same continent, there are no longer any trees in latitude 57°—58° north. Repeated reference has already been made, in the illustrations to the Atlas, &c., to the peculiar character of the western coast, influenced in this northern region by the high mountains, which, forming a protection towards the north, increase the mildness of the climate. Hence the uniformity of the temperature, — the necessary consequence of the per- petual influence of the sea-breezes. If the winter be generally mild, but stormy, the summer has nothing of the heat distinguishing it elsewhere, whilst there is little continued fine weather in any season. The sky is generally covered with clouds, and rainy days preponderate throughout the year. It seems to be princi- pally this feature of the climate which imparts to the pine forests of this country their surprising power and luxuriance, and clothes even naked rocks, exhibiting no traces of vegetable mould, with woody vegetation. A succeeding illustration (Plate III.) will give a conception of these woods; the present leads us into a district, far away from human habitations, where partly the axe, partly violent winds have effected a clearing, showing amongst the remnants of old trunks the luxuriantly growing underwood; further on is seen one of those swamps, filling nearly all the little valleys, and backed by high and almost impenetrable forests. The two pines, growing intermingled in this wood, are represented in our view in several characteristic specimens, especially Pinus Canadensis, distinguished by its delicate foliage (7 | 8 °). The other species, a new one, has been named ‘Il ALVTd UNDERWOOD AND SWAMP. 15 ‘Pinus Mertensiana by Professor Bongard (2 | 3 “) In Sitka it is as abundant as the former, and in growth and habit approaches our European pines; hence the Russians generally term it “Joll” or “Jollnik ” (pine), whilst the other is known by the name of “ Liswen” (larch). They rival each other in height, but the stem of the Canadian pine is generally thicker, round and straight, whilst the Mertens’ pine has a more diversified growth and highly fantastic branches; its stems are always slender, in proportion to the branches, and show irregular longitudinal fur- rows, somewhat imparting to them the look of fluted columns. Generally both species are densely covered with mosses and common lichens (Usnea), the latter of which, being of considerable length, remind one of the Tillandsias of tropical America. They are of a lively fresh green, that of the Canadian pine more inclin- ing to yellow, that of the Mertens’ pine more to blue, which renders these pine forests more beautiful than ours, the dark gloominess of which justifies the Ger- ” in contradistinction to them. mans calling their deciduous forests “ living woods There will be no difficulty in recognising both species in the various young spe- cimens given in our plate. A fine group of two young plants, which have taken root upon the undisturbed remnant of an old stump (6 | 7 3)» has been carefully copied, and furnishes a good illustration of the prevailing character of growth in this region,— old dead wood, already converted into vegetable mould, harbouring the roots of other trees, whilst it yet retains its perfect shape and bark. Thus most of the plants grow epiphytically upon their own kind, a phenomenon finding a ready explanation in the prevailing moisture and low temperature of the climate, the absence of destructive insects, &c., but which may be regarded as an interesting addition to the fact that America generally produces numerous parasites and epiphytes, of very diversified form. The third species of pine, growing isolated in swampy declivities, is Pinus palustris, a tree not attaining any height, and having much the habit of our Pinus syl- vestris, but the aspect of the branches and fruit of the so-called “ Knie-holz” (Pinus Pumilio) so common in the Alps (15 | 16 =) Amongst the different reciduous plants mostly assuming the form of shrubs, and here and there associated with these pines, we meet the indigenous apple-tree (Pyrus diversifolia, Bongard), the habit of which resembles that of the different kinds of Cratewgus, while its fine white flowers bear a great likeness to those of our apple-tree (12 =): There is * Placed amongst the doubtful species of the t Thisis probably not Pinus palustris, which does section Abies, by Endlicher. — B. Seemann. not grow so far north.—Berthold Seemann. 16 ISLAND OF SITKA. also the balsamic alder ( Alnus rubra? 10 =) standing close to an elder-tree (Sambucus, 10 =), with oval terminal bunches of flowers. However, the prin- cipal mass of the underwood, especially on clearings, consists of a species of Rubus (probably Rubus spectabiles) (13 n), bearing flowers of a carmine colour and highly aromatic fruits, which, being plentiful, are important articles of food in this country. Another Rubus, without edible fruit (Rubus Nutcanus) (12 p) is distinguished by its large white blossoms, and delights to grow in the outskirts of thickets, in less humid places, where it finds a neighbour in one of the two species of Ribes abounding here (9 | 10 r): But the most striking of all the underwood, more especially in the upper forest region rather than in this locality, is Panax horridum. Well-known descriptions afford an erroneous idea of its habit ; thus in Meyen’s “ Geography of Plants” (1836), it is termed “a remarkable creeper.” In the present illustration it is shown first asa low, densely-leaved shrub, as it appears on the outskirts of forests and in sunny places (7 -), and again with more developed stems, which up to a certain height are leafless, and terminate with a tuft of very large palmate leaves, a growth it assumes in shady and rather humid places (2 | 3 a The stems often attain double the height here shown ; they are everywhere covered with rather long, strong, and dark brown spines, which do not stand off at right angles, but are pressed to the stem with their points directed upwards. The peduncles and petioles are also clad with spines, but they are less prominent. The leaves have a rough surface, are thin and rather transparent, and ofa pale yellowish, rather dirty green colour. At the top of the stems appears a longish erect head, consisting of a mass of minute pale-yellow flowers. The fruit is a small fleshy, very resinous berry, which, as far as we could learn, is neither eaten nor otherwise turned to account. Until the end of July, —we did not see it later,—it is in an unripe state and then pale green, but it is said to become red, and during the last day of our stay (July 31), several were turning that colour. A tall, fine-looking plant, here and there observed on the outskirts of woods, I am unable to determine botanically, nor could Professor Bongard afford any clue when the herbarium specimens were submitted to him. I have, however, closely copied the original drawing made in Dr. Mertens’ presence (14 0). The little shrubs, chiefly growing upon old trunks of trees, are principally species of Vac- cunium, amongst which at least two may be distinguished, one having roundish, rather blue green leaves (6 e), and the other possessing a more myrtle-like habit UNDERWOOD AND SWAMP. 1 (7e). They often attain a greater height than the specimens here shown. Larger and smaller groups of different kinds of grasses are generally associated with them, imparting quite a picturesque appearance to the tops of old trunks of trees. Amongst the smaller plants of the foreground, the beautiful Dracontiwm Kamtschaticum ought to be noticed (4 | 5 F). It is rather common in the lower forest districts, and grows in the manner here represented in the different valleys between old remnants of fallen trees, localities in the neighbourhood of which there is generally more humidity. Such spots produce a great variety, often tall ferns (4 f), fine Carices (5 g), and numbers of Cornus Canadensis, in full bloom about this time (9 p). Mosses and lichens are, as might be expected, so plentiful, that they exercise a considerable influence on the colouring of a picture. There is no lack of herbaceous plants with fine flowers about this season, but few of them are large enough to be recognised in my illustration. Three of them are, how- ever, so characteristic, that they must be indicated at least in the extreme fore- ground, — the fine scarlet Aquilegia Canadensis, the Mimulus guttatus here reaching up to your middle, and the dark Sarannah lily (Lilium Kamtschaticum =Fritillaria Sarannah), renowned for its fine-flavoured bulbs, forming an im- portant article of food in the Aleutian islands and in Kamtschatka. 18 PLATE IIT]. SITICA. WOODY MOUNTAINS. | July. A WELL-KNOWN phenomenon is the sudden transition from the mild climate of some coast. districts to the more severe one, peculiar to the country on account of its latitude, as soon as the observer leaves the region influenced by tempering sea- breezes. Little as is known about the countries situated on the other side of the protecting chain of mountains, east and north-east of Sitka, there can be no doubt that their climate must be much more severe. This difference becomes evident even where the immediate influence of the sea-breezes just terminates, asis plainly shown in the character of the vegetation of such localities as that here represented. The narrow bays, stretching far inland, so common on this coast, offer a good opportunity to observe this even from the sea, and still better from the equally numerous long and narrow inland lakes, which are completely separated from the ocean by a ridge of mountains. Plants which at the seaside belong to the upper mountain region, are here growing at the sea level; the growth of woody species is comparatively scanty, and instead of the luxuriant underwood there formed by different kinds of Rubus, &c., we have here a rocky soil covered with mosses. The present illustration refers to such a district, termed “ Glubokoje Osero,” or “ Deep Lake.” Its eleva- tion above the level of the ocean probably does not amount to more than fifty feet, but its situation deprives it of the influence of the sea-breezes. The great number of dead, and yet standing trees, impart to the forest, as to all those of the moun- tains of this country, a curiously mixed appearance. It is hardly necessary to add that those trees are principally covered with a dense mass of lichens in general, and Usneas in particular. Here Pinus Canadensis and Pinus Mertensiana grow together, often mingled with the beautiful Thuja excelsa, Bong. (Chameecyparis Nutkaensis, Spach) (4 g; 5 | 6d; 5 | 6 g), which near the sea is only in the higher PLATE III, WOODY MOUNTAINS. if) mountain regions as abundant as it is here. Its tall, slender growth, its wide-spread branches with their picturesquely grouped and drooping branchlets, distinguish it amongst the surrounding trees, and render it the most typical of these forests. It is of a darker and bluer green than the two prevailing species of pines. Its straight and strictly cylindrical stem rivals in height as well as in circumference that of the oldest Canadian pines; it has a pale grey, delicate bark, with regular longitudinal rents, carefully collected by the natives and used in a variety of ways. We also observe here a fir, not essentially differing from the above-mentioned Pinus palustris, but attaining a considerable height (3 <): The fifth conifer of this district, named Pinus Sitchensis by Bongard, grows isolated or in groups only in the higher meadows. Such a locality could be introduced in the present “view ” solely by availing myself of a poetical licence. The chief feature of this mountain pine principally consists in its numerous little branches, clad with a delicate pale green foliage, not drooping as in most of its congeners, but standing upright, and forming fine horizontal bowers (14, m). In a less marked manner the same trait of character may here and there be seen in the Canadian pine, especially growing in those colder situations in which the present view exhibits it. A specimen projecting little above the water may be regarded as an instance of this variation of its growth (7 | 8 a Of woody plants with deciduous foliage, we notice here only the so-called white alder, forming colossal shrubs close to the water (6 :): Several species of Vaccinec attain in such places no less conspicuous dimensions. But in the narrow valleys are growing here and there tall ferns, alternating with Panax horridum and a rather large Heraclewm (H. lanatum?). Generally speaking, this west coast appears to be less poor in umbelliferous plants than the other parts of this continent. The numerous Vaccine of this district are augmented by a peculiar plant, growing in the colder parts of the forest, and having a very different habit and form of leaf, but flowers closely resembling those of the large kinds of Pyrola. Indeed, it is a shrubby Pyrola, as Dr. Escholz called it when first observing it, —the Cladothamnus pyroliflorus, Bong. (9 r) ! A beautiful Dode- catheon with flowers of a carmine colour, merging into blue, abounds amongst the grass of the higher meadows (14 ‘): 20 PLATE IV. UNALASCHKA. A PLAIN ON THE SHORES OF ILLULUK BAY, AND PART OF THE ADJACENT HEIGHTS. August. Ir is well known that the Aleutian Islands, notwithstanding their large super- ficial area, are quite destitute of trees, and strongly contrast with the woody mountains of the continent. The climate of Unalaschka, notwithstanding the slight difference in latitude, is much more severe than that of Sitka. The reason may be that the whole of these islands are totally unprotected against the north, and their irregular shape does not even shield their southern side from northerly winds. The steep and rather high mountains, of which the whole country consists, appear like a genuine though rather irregular network of cones, the height and sloping of which are of course very diversified, and amongst which there are in the interior long _ but narrow valleys without plains. Real plains, of the extent of that seen in our illustration, are common about the shores of the deep bays; they have quite the character of alluvial soil, and above them suddenly tower steep masses of rocks. These plains are generally covered with luxuriant grass, alternating with the almost inconspicuous raspberries and dwarf willows. Up to a considerable distance the heights themselves are clad with a rich turf, the growth of which gradually di- minishes with increasing altitude. Still higher commences an Alpine flora, dimi- nutive, mossy-looking shrubs, amongst them small willows, Rhododendron Kamtschaticum, &c., whilst the highest summits of the mountains near the shores (about 2000 feet elevation) exhibit nothing save the bare slate rocks, stripes of perpetual snow, and’ here and there a few isolated Alpine plants. Only on the steep slopes of this upper region, especially in the furrow-like valleys so common there, grows the lupine here figured; it is quite as bushy and tall as on the shores below, though it is not regularly met with in the intervening districts. The still higher mountains, which want of time prevented us from visiting, appear ‘AI GLV Id WS SHORES OF ILLULUK BAY. 21 from a distance to possess quite the same character as here described, so far as they were not covered with uninterrupted fields of snow The exact snow-line it would be rather difficult to determine, the irregular surface of the country and the influence of the volcanic element on the temperature of the soil making the character of the mountains appear chaotically mingled. Thus we found close to the sea, though it was August, great masses of snow, which probably never disappear.” The shrubby Alpine flora, principally known by the charming little Rhodo- dendron Kamtschaticwm,—the dark red blossoms of which generally occupy more space than its woody parts,—the region of rhododendrons, often attains but a low elevation, whilst in some localities herbage and the larger shrubby willows are grow- ing gregariously at a much greater altitude. The extreme foreground of our plate represents the gravelly shores of the innermost part of Illuluk Bay. A gregariously erowing Carex of a dark green chiefly covers large patches of gravel, alternating with different littoral plants, amongst them fine yellow Composite, peculiar to the whole zone, the geographical range of which is proverbially great. A few steps further inland commence those extensive thickets of herbs, which tinge those parts of the shores not penetrated by the saline particles of the sea. Amongst them predominates a socially growing aconite with dull green foliage, the numerous dark-blue flowers of which are a peculiarity of the landscape. Mingled with it is a smaller allied species, and the fine Heracleum lanatum, the umbels of which are very conspicuous near the shores, especially about the rocky slopes; the beautiful Epilobium angustifolum, though it may be only in isolated specimens or small groups, and a tall gregariously growing Artemisia. Very common, but highly characteristic, is the lupine, easily recognised in our picture, and, as already men- tioned, found in isolated specimens on the slopes of the highest mountains. Its fine -light-blue and white flowers, alternating with those of aconites, contribute to some extent to the blue tinge which the shores exhibit about thistime. Several Carices and a number of beautiful grasses principally form the turf of this country. * During my repeated visits to the Arctic region, disappeared in the following or third season, when I observed similar masses of snow at the seaside, the plants, so long buried, would instantly resume which did not melt during an entire summer, but their operations of life—B. Seemann. 22 PLATE V. ISLAND OF UALAN, CAROLINE ARCHIPELAGO. | MANGROVES. December. Or the characteristic forms of the mangroves we met fine specimens in this island, lat. 5° N. This kind of forest covers the shores of the tropics as reeds and bul- rushes do the margins of our inland lakes. In this climate, wherever the shores are formed by swamps, 7. & principally at the mouths of rivers and rivulets, and at the same time protected from the surf, this form of vegetation may be ex- pected. It appears to attain its perfection and show its peculiarities most nearest to the equator, but every continent (or every one of those large longitudinal sections) possesses its own species to form these groves. They are composed, generally speaking, of the genera Rhizophora and Bruigiera, trees of indifferent height, srowing upon a soil which, as a rule, is at least during high tide covered with salt water, and throwing out numerous aérial roots. On the Indian coast are associated with them species of Sonneratia and the stemless Nipa palm (Nupa Jruticans, Thunb.), which exercise a marked influence on the physiognomy. All these plants exhibit a decided tendency towards gregariousness, quite contrary to the common character of the tropical forests. These groves are also, it would seem, destitute of the numerous creepers seen in their immediate neighbourhood.* In Ualan, and, as far as we could judge from a distance, in the larger island of Funopet, it is not so much the true mangrove trees (Rhizophora and * Perhaps Entada scandens, Bth. (= Mimosa scan- dens, L.) forms the only real exception I can call to mind. I have seen festoons of this creeper several hundred yards long in the mangrove swamps of Fiji. Guilandina Bondue and Tephrosia piscatoria, though sometimes throwing their branches over mangrove trees, if they happen to grow close to soil above high-water mark, cannot be classed with the real swamp vegetation of which the author here treats. They belong, properly speaking, to the ve- getation immediately following the mangroves, composed of Barringtonia speciosa, Calophyllum inophyllum, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Thespesia popul- nea, &e. — Berthold Seemann. a Sigs we = PATE. Va waitin! + ot MANGROVES. 23 Bruigiera) which impart to the forests their physiognomic character, but rather a species of Sonneratia. Whilst those form only low woods, this beautiful tree attains as considerable a height as most of the forest trees of the neighbourhood, spreading out the more stately as it does not form a regular stem, sympathising as it were in a neighbourly way with the Nipa palm; from its root rise several equally strong and diverging stems, the lower branches of which, with their dense foliage, almost touch the water, and the whole, so to speak, represents a huge shrub. The dark bark of these colossal masses of wood forms a fine contrast with the pale green foliage, the almost circular leaves of which have an especially cheerful look. As long as these trees are in full vigour they are only here and there covered with patches of dark green moss, an ornament rather in contradiction with all other features as reminding us of our northern forests (7c). But, as soon as they begin to die, their trunks are covered with a number of fine epiphy- tical ferns (3b). Another singular feature of these trees are the wooden pegs which, covered with a dark brown bark, rise to the height of about one foot, wherever the ground is not under water. We have not been able to discover the significance of these excrescences, which everywhere appeared to have the same form and look; they seemed to be connected with the deeper lying roots of the Sonneratia, of which we could not observe any other stage of development. The stems of the Rhizophora of this place generally grow quite erect, upon a scaffold of aérial roots, almost as in some species of Pandanus (1 | 2d; 9|10d). Just above this scaf- folding the branches diverge, mostly in a horizontal direction, sending roots down- wards, which are covered with the same kind of bark as the branches themselves. These roots look like turned pipe-stems, never have any excrescences or irregular bents, and firmly establish themselves as soon as they reach the ground, but they never form new stems, as is the case with the great fig-trees; their object seems simply to assist propping up thetree. The Bruigiera (also, as far as I know, where only represented by one species) is less social, and attains for the most part a much greater height than the Rhizophora, with which, however, it otherwise completely corresponds in the shape of the leaf and in the formation of the smaller branches. But, on the whole, its growth is more irregular and more resembles that of the common deciduous trees; its aérial roots also are less numerous and grow differently (5 ; Such groves encircle, with a few interruptions, the shores of the island of Ualan, just above the surface of the water. Where the coral reef surrounding the whole island is so low as to permit the waves to strike the land, a sandy beach is formed, with a vegetation resembling that of the coral islands: but c 4 24 ISLAND OF UALAN. where, as is the case in most places, there is between the reef and the shore an extensive sheet of shoal water to protect the land from the surf, the mangrove They are crossed by river-like Imagine forests are far advanced into the salt water. channels, serving as highways for boats, and as footpaths for passengers. the centre of our picture to be one of these channels, and the foreground the mouth of a little river. conception, for they are more in need of fresh water than is the Sonneratia, which The occurrence of the plants here shown favours this often forms at a considerable distance from the shore, quite surrounded by salt water, isolated, highly picturesque groups. In the foreground will be observed a tree, the curiously shaped and widely spread roots of which indicate the banks of such rivers as terminate in the sea (13k). It isa species of Balanopteris, and similarly formed ridges of roots have been observed by us also in other islands, especially in Luzon, but nowhere else of such height and dimensions. This peculiar labyrinth, formed of walls of gradually decreasing height, surrounds every tree. The comparatively thin walls consist of a tough kind of wood, covered with a soft, smooth, greyish-brown bark. By striking one of them, a hollow drum-like sound is produced, audible at some distance. The foliage of the tree is of a greyish-green colour, often covered with little epiphytes (Jungermanmic ?), whilst the smaller branches are clad with lichens and mosses, and the larger, as well as the stems, with fine ferns, so common about here. Amongst the latter the well-known Aspleniwm Nidus is conspicuous on account of its crown-like growth (5 | 65)" Here it represents physiognomically, as in the greater part of Polynesia, the numerous Bromeliacece, which decorate in a similar manner the trees of tropical America. The Tillandsias of that country find their representatives in the riband-like drooping ferns, which form as it were long waving veils. Extreme elegance of form in these epiphytes makes up for (what the American possess) want of gay flowers and variety. They are always of a fresh lively green, darker or lighter, whilst those of the New World often have a bluish-grey tinge, which renders the Tillandsias so much like our northern Usneas. Altogether there are amongst the * I have never been able to perceive anything resembling a nest in the aspect of this plant, as is said to be the case in the American Aspleniwm Nidus. Perhaps under this name are enumerated several quite distinct species, which possibly it may be difficult to distinguish in the herbarium. [The author is quite right in supposing that there are several distinct species comprised under the name of Asplenium Nidus, but I am surprised that he should have failed to perceive the striking resem- blance these plants bear to birds’ nests when con- sidered as a whole. They have exactly the shape, the leaves, disposed in a circle, forming the sides ; and the masses of dead leaves falling into the centre seem to render the comparison with a nest much more striking than with an antique crown or head-dress of an Indian chief.— Berthold Seemann. | MANGROVES. 25 epiphytes of this island very few phanerogamic plants. In conclusion, we must cast a glance at the beautiful Nipa palm, which, at least above the ground, never exhibits a trunk.* The few young plants can give only a poor conception of the stately appearance of the fully grown ones occupying exclusively entire districts. The only fully developed specimen, which space would permit me to introduce, exhibits the peculiar formation of the spadix, so closely resembling that of most species of Pandanus; it is quite woody, and of a rusty-brown colour, whilst the flowers, appearing simultaneously, incline towards a reddish-yellow tinge (14 | 151). * According to Teysmann (Bonplandia, vii. p. 122) the trunk, about a foot thick, creeps horizon- tally in the mud, throws out numerous little roots, and becomes divided into several branches, whilst its lower extremity gradually decays and becomes ex- posed, without injury to the plant as a whole; new roots, continually forming as the trunk increases in length, provide for the general nourishment. This, with the exception of the branching, is exactly the growth I observed in Elatis melanococca, Geertn., and Phytelephas macrocarpa, R. et Pay. in Darien. — Berthold Seemann. PLATE VI. UALAN. SWAMPY FOREST, WITH BANYAN TREES. December. IMMEDIATELY adjoining the mangroves is a description of forest peculiar to the tropics. The adjacent ground, just above high-water mark, becomes inundated in consequence of the high tide forcing back the water about to be discharged by rivers and rivulets. one with slightly cut leaves; in the centre (10 | 11 = ) , the other, the leaves of which are more deeply cut. According to information collected by Dr. Mertens (“ Voy. du Seniavine,” vol. iii.) the former is termed “ Mai” in Morilho and Fananu, the latter “ Oness,” and said to be the type of the wild plant, unchanged by cultivation, and the only one bearing fully developed seeds. As far as I know, there were in the Lugunor group in February many ripe bread-fruits, all of them with seeds, but the variety with deeply cut leaves was by no means common, and seemed to be attended to and esteemed quite as much as the others. The fruit with seeds was generally round, rather smaller than the round variety in Ualan, and had a flavour resembling that of the latter, but less fine, and the fibres were © not so tough.* No lessimportant than the fruit is the wood of the bread-fruit tree to the inhabitants of the coral islands, of which not only canoes, but all kinds of household articles, even cooking apparatus, are made; water being about here brought to the boiling point by throwing heated stones into it. The plank-like * There are several varieties of bread-fruits in reconciles the above apparently contradictory state- which the ovules become developed, which fully ments. — Berthold Seemann. xX. PLATE VIEW OF A WOODY CORAL ISLAND, SEEN FROM WITHIN. 39° excrescences of the stem, observed above the roots, are skilfully turned into boards and planks, which otherwise would be difficult to construct with the rude tools here in use. The two human figures introduced in the corner of our illustration may be presumed to be the owner of the tree, and a man, skilled in ship-building or other kinds of carpentry, consulted on the best method of turning the tree to account. If it be true what Dr. Mertens states in the above-cited place, that, according to the testimony of a sailor, W. Floyd, the wood of the variety termed “ Oness” proves too heavy for ship-building purposes, it would seem to point to an essential difference of this from other bread-fruit trees, and perhaps indicate a new species. On the left-hand side (3 =) something is shown of a tall Eugenia, apparently the same as the one termed “ Kiriar” in Ualan. In the same place of the foreground (4 ) is seen a young cocoa-nut palm, belonging to the thickets of this side of the shore, whilst the two high specimens in the back- eround indicate those of the other side. Pandanus latifolvus (7 d; 9 a} occurring isolated in Ualan, generally is common in the coral islands; it differs from Pandanus odoratissimvus not only by a more elegant growth of its broader leaves, but also by its fruit, which, when ripe, is whitish, and has very hard though edible drupes; its round heads of fruit, attached to longer stalks than those of Pandanus odoratissimus, are generally drooping (12 -). A young shrubby specimen of Barringionia speciosa grows close to the above-mentioned cocoa-nut palm (5 | 6 5): A species of Guettarda* forms middle-sized trees; we see a fully grown specimen of it (9 m), and more in front a young one (12n). At the foot of the former, several delicate creepers form a rather rich curtain. Amongst the finest flowers of this season rank the dark blossoms of a species of Crinum (2 f), with which the inhabitants ornament their hair and ears. Tacca pinnatifida ( 11 P) grows plentifully, though ungregariously, on the outskirts of the woods. * Probably Guettarda speciosa, Linn., common on the sea-shores, the geographical range of which extends from India to the Fijis.— Berthold Seemann. D 4 40 PLATE XI. GUAHAM, ONE OF THE MARIANNE ISLANDS. FOREST IN THE PLAINS OF MADREPORE, OROTA PENINSULA. March. As far as the Mariannes are represented by Guaham, the most extensive and southernmost of these islands, they are at once distinguished from the more northern Caroline group by their dry climate, which imparts to the whole country the look of a steppe. The month of March, in which our visit fell, is evidently the dry season of these regions; everywhere is aridity, very few trees with fresh foliage are seen in the forest, and perhaps the third part of all is quite leaf- less. The sea-shores are either kept supplied with moisture by rivulets from the interior, and then overgrown with Bruigiera and other mangroves, or they are sandy, and in the latter case distinguished by two forms very characteristic of this island, — Cycas revoluta (10 | 11 =) » very common hereabouts, and a shrubby pyramidal Casuarina*, which is again met with in the upper steppes of the interior, though wanting in the intermediate forest district. Banks of coral surround the shores on all sides, making this larger island, as the high Carolines, appear like mountains risen in the centre of extensive coral plains. Here and there considerable districts of these plains have been lifted by plutonic agency high above the sea level; the Oroté peninsula, confining the south-west side of the bay of Caldero de Apra, is one of these. The low, sandy shores are evidently later diluvial deposits; a few steps from the water’s edge the walls of very ancient madrepore rocks rise perpendicularly, the surface of which is as level as most coral islands, and they only seem sloping by the accumulation of vegetable mould. This plain, which, as may be supposed, is utterly destitute of springs, is never- theless covered with fine tall trees, and, although thorny underwood abounds, is * Probably Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.—Berthold Seemann. Sk YA xX S~ \\ Way 7 CRP ET OSS) / Gi my ‘hie Sy 4 = X fea Ei which in its pinnated leaves resembles a tree-fern, from which, however, it differs in its robust mode of growth, and tall slender trunk. THE END. LONDON PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CG, NEW-STREET SQUARE TE 1 eS eK Peace +. wt CEE a Sy Soa Ss EX * ee « é x = ane i Tae tee a org ute a TAN DNase, coe eT ee A. 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