Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

IN THE ECUADOREAN ANDES 207
far beyond what other botanists have supposed to
be likely, but no one had ever before given the
same close attention to the species of forest-trees
over so large an area as Spruce had done.]
To Mr. George Benthani
AMBATO, June 22, 1858.
I have just completed packing up three cases of
plants to be dispatched to you.
. . .
There are a few specimens of a Balanophorea which I have
included in the general collection, and a single specimen (being
all I could find) of a plant allied to Rafflesiaceae, which please
give to Dr. Hooker. The latter grew on the root of a tree in the
forest on Mount Tunguragua ; when fresh the involucre was dull
purple and the florets violet it "has shrunk about half in drying.
I only guess at its affinities, for I did not wish to injure the specimen
by examining it.
The Phanerogamic collection is not so interesting as I could
wish. As I mentioned in a previous letter, I was prevented from
gathering many interesting trees about Baiios by having filled all
my paper. I have lately revisited Baiios and spent a month
there, but the weather was very gloomy and rainy, and there were
scarcely any flowers. In consequence of this I found it impracticable
to procure plants of the fine Orchids I have found on Tunguragua.
Nor did I find a single moss that I had not gathered
during my previous residence there so eagerly, it seems, I had
searched for them though I got twenty-one ferns and a lew
Hepaticre which had previously escaped me.
What a fine chance there is now for your friend
Dr. Caapanema, or for any other wealthy and
scientific Brazilian not afraid of heat, rains, and
mosquitoes, to explore the Amazon and its tributaries
in a small steamer, where everything neces-
sary could be carried, and their collections preserved
and stowed away !
I have lately been calculating the number of