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THE FORESTS OF ALAUSI 245
general collection ; besides,
I had to visit other
forests in quest of other sorts of Cascarilla, and I
saw the season was already passing for the flowers
and seeds of most trees. We therefore on the
following clay retraced our steps up the valley,
and after another day spent at Lucmas in drying
my paper and adding what I could to my collection,
I returned to Guataxi.
I was unable to move far from the farm for
above a fortnight afterwards, on account of the
passage of the Government troops from Quito to
Cuenca. . . .
During this interval I was obliged
myself
to content
with the flora of Guataxi. The cane-farm
is about 7000 feet above the sea ; the maximum
temperature each day was generally about 73,
though it once reached 77", and the minimum
temperature varied from 55 to 60 .
A
plateau,
about a thousand feet higher,
and produces good crops of
belongs to
grain and
the farm,
potatoes.
where under
The hills adjacent to the farm, except
cultivation and artificially irrigated, are covered
with grass, amongst which the withered remains
of a good many annuals were visible. Almost
the only annual still flourishing was, singularly
enough, a species of Monnina, with violet flowers ;
and, as most of the species of this genus are trees,
I took it for a Polygala until I saw the fruit. Tin-
" Yerba Taylor" (Herpestes c/ianKcdryoidcs, H. B. K.),
which has great fame as a remedy for snake-bites,
was frequent, but mostly scorched up. Amongst
the perennial herbs (most of which were new to
me) may be mentioned an Epilobium, a Stachys, a
Phaseolus, a Desmodium, two Crotalariai, a shaggy