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Zitierempfehlung
Alexander von Humboldt: „Beauties of Tropical Vegetation“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1806-Fragment_aus_der-20-neu> [abgerufen am 18.04.2024].
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| Titel | Beauties of Tropical Vegetation | ||||
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| Jahr | 1849 | ||||
| Ort | Bradford | ||||
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Nachweis in: The Bradford Observer 16:821 (1. November 1849), S. 3.
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| Sprache | Englisch | ||||
| Typografischer Befund | Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung; Schmuck: Kapitälchen. | ||||
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— It is under theburning rays of a tropical sun that
vegetation displays its mostmajestic forms. In the cold north
the bark of trees is coveredwith lichens and mosses, whilst
between the tropics the cym-bidium and fragrant vanilla enliven
the trunks of the anacardiaand of the gigantic fig-trees. The
fresh verdure of the pothosleaves, and of the dracontias,
contrasts with the many-colouredflowers of the orchideæ.
Climbing banhinias, passifloras, andyellow flowering
banisterias, twine round the trunks of theforest trees.
Delicate blossoms spring from the roots of thetheobroma, and
from the thick and rough bark of the crescen-tias and the
gustavia. In the midst of this profusion of flowersand fruits,
and in the luxuriant interturnings of the climbingplants, the
naturalist often finds it difficult to discover to whichstem
the different flowers and leaves really belong. A singletree
adorned with paullinias, bignonias, and dendrobium, forma group
of plants which, if disentangled and separated fromeach other,
would cover a considerable space of ground. Inthe tropics
vegetation is generally of a fresher verdure, moreluxuriant and
succulent, and adorned with larger and moreshining leaves than
in our northern climates. The “social”plants,
which often impart so uniform and monotonous a cha-racter to
European countries, are almost entirely absent in the
equatorial regions. Trees almost
as lofty as our oaks areadorned with flowers as large and
beautiful as our lilies. Onthe shady banks of the Rio Madalena
in South America, theregrows a climbing aristolochia bearing flowers four feet in cir-cumference, which the Indian boys draw over their heads insport, and wear as hats or helmets. In the islands of the IndianArchipelago, the flower of the rafflesia is nearly three feet
indiameter, and weighs above fourteen pounds.... Theseand many other of the enjoyments which nature affords arewanting to the nations of the north. Many constellations andmany vegetable forms, and of the latter those which are themost beautiful, remain for ever unknown to them. Individualplants languishing in our hot-house, can give a very faint
ideaof the majestic vegetation of the tropical zone. But
the highcultivation of our languages, the glowing fancy of the
poet,and the imitative art of the painter, open to us
sources whenceflow abundant compensations, and from whence our
imagina-tion can derive the living image of that more
vigorous naturewhich other climes display. In the frigid north,
in the midstof the barren heath, the solitary student can
appropriate men-tally all that has been discovered in the most
distant regions,and can create within himself a world free and
imperishable asthe spirit by which it is conceived.—
Humboldt’s Aspects ofNature.
Beauties of Tropical Vegetation.