The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-05-07
BURNING LAKE AIDS
FIELD OF BOTANY
Interesting Specimens Sc
cured by Explorer.

Washington.-A lake which burns
every year provided one of the
strange collecting grounds in Costa
RIGA from which DR.. Paul c. Stand
ley, botanist of the National Her
barium, under the direction of the
Smithsonian institution, has just
brought back a collection of 11,73S
plants.
The paradOxical burning lake is
Arenal in Guanacaste province, in the
northwest corner of Costa Rica. AL
though sixteen miles by four miles in
area, and thirty feet deep in spots.
Lake Arenal is so thickly grown over
with tall grass that it seems to be
a level prairie. The grass dries be-
low the tips every year, whereupon
the Costa Ricans set fire to it. there
by furnishing what is probably the
worlds sole example of a burning
lake.
The rich collection brought back
by Doctor STANDBY as the result OF
four months intensive work includes
many new species and one new
genus. This last is a tree closely re-
lated to the walnut and the hickory.
Although the natives do not eat the
nuts, they do use the wood. Since it
is fairly common tree in Costa RIGA,
the fact that 1t has not been described
before is surprising.
Two New Potato Trees.
Doctor STANDBY also found two new
kinds of the potato tree-Palo de
Papa. This is an important timber
tree, but it also produces fruit, the
kernel of which is very good to eat,
tasting like coconut. The natives
roast it like chestnuts and also grind
it to make a meal. Doctor STANDBY
has already described two kinds of
this same genus from Mexico. There
the kernel is used to furnish black
dye, and the Mexican name for the
tree is Calatola, an Aztec word mean
ing "crow WATER referring no doubt
to its use as dye.
Two thousand orchid specimens
were included in Doctor Standley's
haul. He collected these for Mr..
Cakes Ames of Boston, orchid special
list, who financed the expedition. Cos
tn RIGA produces more varieties of or
chids than any other section of this
hemisphere, 1000 different kinds hav-
ing been described from that country.
Reaches Virgin Field.
Doctor STANDBY made collections
from two regions which have never be-
fore been explored. by botanists. The
first of these was Dota, in southern
Costa Rica, a mountainous region
which includes a tableland at an ele-
walton of 10000 feet, the only one of
its kind in Central America. 1t is
cold and wind-swept, area character
lied by grassland and low bushes. An
imal life-birds, beasts and insects
is practically nonexistent there. The
other UNEMPLOYED region was Guiana
caste province, land of low eleva-
tion, extensively grazed by cattle.
Doctor Standleys expedition formed
part of the plan of the Smithsonian
institution to prepare a descriptive ac-
count of the plants of all of Central
America, which will be Of great i'm
portance to commerce as well as to
science. Before the work can get
properly under way extensive collec-
lions must be, made in Honduras and
Nicaragua, two regions which have
scarcely been touched by botanists
Funds are needed for these explora-
tons.
AS resuI, OF the two expeditions
already made to Costa RIGA, Doctor
Standby is preparing a memoir OH
the plants IF that country alone, which
will be punished by the Costa Rican
government.