-thehouses,' and are said to last above; twenty years ;Ahe leaves of thisdnee
■are long^apdbecome narrow towards' the PflbtjSJtalk; the.flowers are.said
iloyconsist of fivepetals, of a purple colour, succeeded JducJjerrieSi; •>»
The Purpledieart tree, when fresh cut down, is of a dark reddish colour«;
hut its wood, wlienthesap becomesdry,changes into a fine purple. ..This
wood, kyatshandsome colour» .as well as by jtp-i make
•most elegant furjiiturebut in course of time it.grows darker, and becomes
at last as black as ebony. This tree grows to tkeijsja3>of.abpu!t six<tyif£et
h igh ; its bark is o f a dark brown colour j ' its branches grow on the highest
part.; the leayes are of.a middle .size* oval, and of a dark greefi colour; the
blossoms are said to be o f areddish cploui|3eon$i.stij% of five petals, and
succeeded, by suwU. red berries, which contain the. seeds.
■ The Green-heart tree has its name from the interior part of its.wood being
of a. greenish colour; hut there is; anpt^^ soft, the, bofeuf ofwili ehis
-of. a yellow easily .--The wood is esteemed for its durability; its leayes are
large, narrow, and.pointed, and, whatis seldom found in this part of the
world, ;it. is said tba.tjthis tree changes its foliage; twice.in.jtbe a
■year ; thg flowers are, o f a yellowish white -eplouj'ii tetrapetaloo^ apd’^UCr
ceeded by a small farinaceous fruit, of which, it is said, the Indians sometimes
make bread, but o f jm insipid, taste»:
The dope-tree grows about tha height of;fprtry ;feet, and1 eight; feet in
Seireumfei?eace?i“*its bark is.of a rough texture, hnd of aTightl^j^ coteh^
The tree is divided into many branches, and the leaves, are smooth, about
four inches in length and two in width, and o f a light green colour. The
wood is esteemed as being light, and not difEculttto work; its colour is
o f a light brown, and almost all domestic furniture is .made, from;ithi»
wood.
Tbe .Cedar-tree o f Surinam is greatly esteemed, as jt is of a fine: light
brown colour, possesses a fragrant pleasant smell, the taste is hitter, and is
therefore not attacked by insects, and is easily worked; its leaves are flat
and ovalj not like the common cedar. In all my walk s in the forests of different
wood plantations in the, colony o f Surinam, I never saw a tree that
had any leaves like those belonging to the species of the pine.
The Mangrove-tree, of which there are two species, the red and the
.white: the former is the first tree perceived on coming to .the colony ;of
Surinam, â'sâtf ^ ro ^ sM é n ^ the^côàst afld^ihë bànfes o f the rivéré^requiriitg
a low ahd wet soil? and th é greettedt*part oFtfeVroots-imn along thesurface
of.%he: ground^ its wêbB ièestëetóéd'^ being very durable!; thé barlMs of a
Hghtigraysâçloüx?j:feïÉ theiitteriok part is réd, andusiftll for tanniUg leather ;
its leaves alfésaboiÉt fctub^ inches: long;!and' two wide, OVal^and of a dark
gPeen ç é lïp r ; «the Bowér’iéiéittâll Ôf**! b»otWbèîllMlè'Ièïl-i3|,^|s- ëalysf coèéfetd
ïri four petals, süéééedfed hy a brOwn flat bud, which contain the seeds, and
are of the shape of beans ; but what is pecüji&r' té îhi# tFéeid$,ithat- from a
nutabér o f lts bi%ntMrèS ii^ééU^siMêfets abévéjt^ôdachés ib^lfeùuiférehé^
dfla •verÿ tough texture? and-whîeh?. bave tîeitber branclféS nor leaves, shoot
down to\mrd$';&e^#0dted,' and thd êbfth take* rodé
and a new tree 1 grows up, forming5 h e e t t e than almost Impenetrable» forest,
not.only securingtfnétenéthëMdtime oflWundatkxa?bat strengthening at>
the ^ùà'e firad *|ie banks of.the rive!#, so tliat th e viol en t c u rren ts ca nno t
bteàk'itbFQugh.ï Th®admirable intenifikftÿéfiJiatur©; in thó-förmafeion‘é f this»
thee i® the raore perceived? fis th e whitfeiàâangiév^treejswhidtogrôrfâ in the
higher paotfof rthfe coéÉferyy whe^A.inUiiditMnfc takelplj^ee? diastool this
remarkable quality^ as it does not need thesé supports. I
Tlie;Sill&Gott®h tree, of which »the Indians make thfe largest» Canoes, ié’
said to grow sometimes to thé hfeightk óf onto'hundred feet, and< to be
above twelve feet in diameter ; its roots, spread along-: the surfacei of the
gaswhd: to »the distane© o f fourteen feet tand' more y thesdvhnk Is-cohered
vdtbfa lig k tg ra y , and very thick terkpà^dhsëtAwithi'shôEt îpricfctes f th e
branches, which only grow fn the upper part öf thé trge, hâve oblong but
nârrow léàves, which îtisheds every yéarî; and whemthe trèö is.uneoFerèd
there appear a number of plants giowing*! on the branchés, which are called
by the natives the wild pine plant,* and give; this tree a Very singular look.
The blossoms of the silk-dee? it isfsaid^ appear only every th ird yearjj and
consist of a green calyx, with five white folliculi, and theepetals, with five
stamina ; this blossom is succeeded by a h u dw h ic h contains a’ fine silky
cotton öf a grayish White-Colour, b u t of stoo short a texture.For the mahu^»
* TheJ^avts ofthis-plantgrow in theshapeof an aloe^ tod jt issaid that the partitions between
the foliage are always filled with a fine : clear, water, winch serves the -birds.in the dry season as a,
natural cistern. '