Page:Isaiah Bowman - Desert Trails of Atacama (1924).pdf/290

 of dense woodland with patches of true forest marked by tall, wide-spreading, moss-draped trees and an abundance of vines, heavy undergrowth, and the like, all with a distinct subtropical aspect both in type and in density. The abundance

. 95-—-The outer shell of a cactus called cardón. Lt is used in place of lumber for window frames, door lintels, furniture, and the like. The left-hand figure represents the inside of the piece; the right-hand figure, the outside; and the center, the edge. The scale is one-half natural size.

and variety of the woodland flora reflect the ample seasonal rains, but the stands of timber from place to place lack that touch of luxuriance characteristic of the true tropical forestand shown not only in the height of the tallest trees but in exuber- ant undergrowths and a top story of specialized climbers. At 5500 feet the tree growth stops, not altogether abruptly but so definitely that the outliers at the upper edge of the forest are