Brazilwood (_Caesalpinia echinata_), valuable for its timber and
colouring extract, and "roco" (_Bixa orellana_), the "urucu" of Brazil
which furnishes the anatto of commerce, are widely distributed in
central and southern Colombia, and another species of the first-named
genus, the _C. coariaria_, produces the "divi-divi" of the Colombian
export trade--a peculiarly shaped seed-pod, rich in tannic and gallic
acids, and used for tanning leather. The rubber-producing _Hevea
guayanensis_ is found in abundance on the Amazon tributaries, and the
_Castilloa elastica_ is common to all the Caribbean river valleys.
Southern Colombia, especially the eastern slopes of the Andes,
produces another valuable tree, the _Cinchona calisaya_, from the bark
of which quinine is made. These are but a few of the valuable cabinet
woods, dye-woods, &c., which are to be found in the forests, but have
hardly been reached by commerce because of their inaccessibility and
the unsettled state of the country. The adventurous orchid-hunter,
however, has penetrated deeply into their recesses in search of choice
varieties, and collectors of these valuable plants are largely
indebted to Colombia for their specimens of _Cattleya Mendelli_,
_Warscewiczii_ and _Trianae_; _Dowiana aurea_; _Odontoglossum
crispum_, _Pescatorei_, _vexillarium_, _odoratum_, _coronarium_,
_Harryanum_, and _blandum_; _Miltonia vexillaria_; _Oncidium
carthaginense_ and _Kramerianum_; _Masdevalliae_, _Epidendra_,
_Schomburgkiae_ and many others. Colombia is also the home of the
American "Alpine rose" (_Befaria_), which is to be found between 9000
and 11,000 ft. elevation, and grows to a height of 5-6 ft. Tree ferns
have a remarkable growth in many localities, their stems being used in
southern Cundinamarca to make corduroy roads. The South American
bamboo (_Bambusa guadia_) has a very wide range, and is found nearly
up to the limit of perpetual snow. The cactus is also widely
distributed, and is represented by several well-known species. Among
the more common fruit-trees, some of which are exotics, may be
mentioned cacao (_Theobroma_), orange, lemon, lime, pine-apple,
banana, guava (_Psidium_), breadfruit (_Artocarpus_), cashew
(_Anacardium_), alligator pear (_Persea_), with the apple, peach,
pear, and other fruits of the temperate zone on the elevated plateaus.
Other food and economic plants are coffee, rice, tobacc