COLLECTED ON MT. RUWENZORI. 229 
and higher altitudes, the highest camp being at about 12,500 ft., whence 
plants were collected to the snow-level, which may roughly be said to be at 
14,500 ft. on the east side of the mountains. The time of year was from 
January to July : January was а month of fine weather ; February, March 
and April were very wet in the mountains. From the middle of April, when 
a move was made to the lower camp near Lake Ruisamba, the weather was 
almost continuously fine. Most of the flowering plants had ceased to blossom 
by the end of. May, and butterflies, which were exceedingly abundant during 
the latter part of April and May, were almost absent from the lower 
slopes in June. 
The following is a brief summary of the general aspect of the country 
and the more striking forms of the vegetation seen at various altitudes. 
It will be seen that the present collections illustrate the botany only of a 
restricted portion of this great mountain-range, confined to Mt. Kyanga 
(recently named Mt. Baker by the Duke of Abruzzi) and the valleys leading 
up to it. It remains for future explorers to provide means for the study of 
the botany of the other large mountains to the north and west. 
3000—4000 feet. Beyond the wide belt of papyrus and swamp, which 
surrounds Lake Ruisamba, is a park-like country of shortish grass with 
scattered trees, mostly acacias, and intersected by deep ravines, in which is 
found a thick jungle of two species of fleshy euphorbia, a large-leaved fig 
(Spathodea campanulata) with magnificent clusters of scarlet flowers, a tangle 
of vines and asclepiads and a conspicuous white sweet-scented jasmine 
(Jasminum Schimperi). Two species of epiphytic orchids were found in these 
jungles. 
The plants collected include a number of wide-spread tropical species, 
such as Sida spinosa, Hibiscus cannabinus and H. micranthus, Melia Azedarach, 
Desmodium lasiocarpum, Cassia mimosoides, Evolvulus alsinoides, Plumbago 
zeylanica, Ipomwa calycina, Amaranthus caudatus, Euphorbia hypericifolia and 
Panicum pileatum; Acacia Catechu and Ipomea Wightii are of eastern affinity, 
occurring in tropical Asia but not passing into west tropical Africa. Others 
are more or less widely spread tropical African or tropical South African 
species, as Pavonia macrophylla, Corchorus trilocularis, Vernonia cinerascens, 
Craterostigma plantagineum, Striga hermonthica, Sopubia ramosa, Ruellia 
patula, Celosia trigyna, and Ornithogalum Eckloni. Other species are east 
tropical African, such as Grewia similis (at 4000 ft.) and Hibiscus ethiopicus 
(also South Atrican), while Hibiscus crassinervis, Turræa nilotica, Helinus 
mystacinus, Jasminum Schimperi (Abyssinia), Barleria Grantii, are more 
northern * Nile Land” types, and Mellera lobulata, Adhatoda Engleriana, 
Lissochilus | .Livingstonianus of more southerly distribution (Uganda, the 
Mozambique distriet and British Central Africa). A western affinity is 
represented by Spathodea campanulata, a west tropical African species which 
finds the eastern limit of its distribution on Mt. Ruwenzori, Thunbergia 
LINN. JOURN.—BOTANY, VOL. XXXVIII. R 
