The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-12-04
MEXICO'S PRIMEVAL WOODS
SOME OF THE VEGETABLE woNpERs
OF VERA CRUZ.
what N Traveller saw i'm Primevni
Forests - strange and Useful
Plants and Trees

anu
Fannie b. Ward, in letter describing
a visit to an isolated region of the state
of Vera Cruz, Mexico, says: The forest
abounds in a species of magnolia, here
known as yoloXochitl, covered with
lovely, sw et-smelling flowers, which are
pinkish white outside and yellow within.
The petals, before full blown, assume
the form of cross, and afterward Of
splendid star. The superstitious Indians
never fail to cross themselves and mutter
an ave at sight of one They tell us that
an infusion of the glittering leaves is
certain cure for vomito and diarrhTa,
and that its flowers will relieve palpita.
ton of the heart. Among the myriad vines
is one with scarlet leaves that is always
found encircling the stems of the mag
noia, the celebrated "water plant"
called by the Mexicans the EASTER
flower" In case of dire necessity, it's
large red leaves would appease hung,,,
but its chief mission is that Of natures
cup bearer. 1t treasures the priceless
dew within its followed leaves, and pre-
sents to thirsty travellers a failing
store. Our pious guides and servants,
believing it to be boon direct from
heaven, because of the cross and star
upon the yooXochitl, were perpetually
imbibing the moisture between fervent
prisons, till the wonder grew how their
distended stomachs could contain so
much.
The valuable vanilla bramfolia is indi-
genous to these humid groves, and is
carefully sought during certain seasons
by the Indians of the terra caliente. 1t
is now produced only in the States of
Vera Cruz and OaXaca. though accord
ing to Baron Humboldt, Europe received
its entire supply of this commodity
from Mexico prior to 1912. The arc
matte fruited plant was assiduously cul-
tivated by those ancient tribes, the To-
tonacs, who once inhabited all this coast
region. Though it requires little care
nothing but shade and moisture being
necessary to its existencc-and is to day
more valuable than in the days when
Montezuma and his Aztec mobiles traded
for it with the Totonacs, it is no longer
grown to any great extent. But it still
springsup out of sight in the wilderness,
and flourishes at its best in hidden Jung es
on the eastern declvity of the Vera
| Cruz Cordilleras. The Indians who re-
side hereabouts in their primitive vii
lagos are restricted by stern laws from
gathering the neglected plant at will. The
vanilla harvest begins in March and ends
in May, and during that season the al
calde of every hamlet apportions to
each man his quarto of labor and profit
carefully looking out for his own lions
/ share of the proceeds. The delicate
! pods-every one OF which has a sure
marketable value-are watched with
great soicitude while being dried in the
sun and made ready for shipping, to
! protect them from mold, mice and in
sects. Here, too the ,Iallap abounds, a
tiny plant, with slender branches and
heart shaped leaves, tinged with red.
hiding here and there blossom of VIC
let blue. it is called by the natives
toonpatl, and takes its European name
from the old town, Jalapa, near which
it was discovered in Cortez's time. This
beautiful convolvulus springs up spon-
taneously on all the mountains of South
ern Mexico, having tap roots Of pear-like
shape. Unfortuna tely, the Indians de.
stroy 1t by tearing away its tubercles,
and the day is not distant when the
drug vii! become more scarce than the
quina tree.
Among the many trees which were
hitherto unknown to us are wild guavas,
a sort of myrtle, growing naturally in
the higher attitudes of the tropics, and
here attaining a height of several feet.
Its fruit, which seldom ripens before be
ing eaten by birds and Larvae, is luscious
and ndescribably fragrant Everybody
is fond of green guavas, but few have
ever had opportunity to test their taste
with the fruit when fully ripened. They
n founr nh ctpio ba
cause of their astringent and anti febrilC
properties; and guava Jelly, as al the
world knows is one of the necessities oil
a travellers outfit. When cultivated the
shrub changes its appearance so greatly
as to be scarcely recognizable; it.
branches grow longer, its leaves acquire
a silvery lining and its fruit becomes as
large as lemons, much resembling the
latter in shape and color.
In these forests nutmeg trees are found
in great profusiou, though becoming ex.
tremely rare in other portions of Mexico
The natives use an enormous quantity
of Maucca nutmeg, both as remedy anG
condment-theirc chief medicines being
these, camphor and asafGtida, but will
characteristic improyidence they neglec
natures benefits, and buy what they
might easily raise. Here also are count
less lime trees, the wood of which i,
valued by the Indians for making thos,
various odds and ends which are sold by
thousands all over Alevico. In Europe
these trees have been so changed by
horticulture that they scarcely appear tt
belong to the same species as their breth
rem in the virgin woods. Across the
ocean the bark is used for well ropes, and
the charcoal made from it is preferred
to any other for the manu-
facture of gunpowder. Their
here is the vegetable butter" tree, the
Avocado pear, the fruit of which yields
a soft rich pulp of buttery nature. 1t i:
pearshaped, light green inside, and
called by the Indians ahuacate. 1t can
never be eaten Gs fruit, but is SO inimitA
BILE for salads that New York epicure,
frequently pay as high as 81 for single
pear, for sometimes the fruit comes tc
your markets from Cuba. Strange tC
say, this vegetable butter tree belongs tC