34 



I 



typical oak, but are serrated for half their length 

 trom the tip. These are not so marked in the 

 upper leaves, and at the very top the leaf is less 

 acuminate and entire. While it is glossy green above, 

 below it has an attractive coppery bloom. lis overall 

 height rarely exceeds 50 feet, or its girth 6^ feet, and 

 were it to grow singly, like the trees of the lowland 

 rain forest, it would not strike the eye. It is that it 

 occurs in almost pure formation that makes it remark- 

 able. Its timber has a bright silver grain on the 

 quarter, is otherwise of a light oak colour, and, like that 

 timber, is fissile on the quarter. It is not durable, 

 having been tried as house posts. It is hard to cut, 

 and would make a good beam, but should be only used 

 under cover from the weather. 



No. 220, siri, and No. 221, lala, are both pronounced 

 foothill types, and they make big trees, and carry a de- 

 cided understory, among which the Garconia, bearing a 

 green plum (No. 224), is a common tree. No. 263, an 

 Albizzia, with a soft woolly timber, is the largest of the 

 trees, and this species is found both in the rain forests 

 on the Purari, Vailala, and Baroi, and up in the mid- 

 mountain forests. It attains its largest size and widest 

 spread of crown, and altogether its noblest habit, be- 

 tween 4,000 and 5,000 feet. The only conifer that 

 grows in the foothills is a Podocarp, No. 238, which 

 appears to be the same as that growing on the Baroi 

 River. It is an unimportant brown-pine type of tree. 

 A fig, with very weeping, fruiting panicles, reminding 

 one of the willow pattern on the china, is a common 



tree. Several elaeocarps occur, of which the two largest 



pericarp is full of oil, and makes a tasty dish when 



boiled up with taro, yams, or sweet potatoes. Two 

 clipterocarps occur, of which No. 113 (Hopea papuana) 

 is perhaps the commonest. As well as the Garcinia of 

 the foothills, two in! rude from the lowland, or at any 

 rate are found in both localities. These are No. 115, 

 moka, (G. Ifollriiiif/ii), which yields a white latex, and 

 No. 116, noru, which yields a yellow Latex. One Har- 

 rington ia climbs to a higher elevation, i.e., No. 12^, 

 niea. An intermediate species is No. 225 (Cyathocalyx 



l>oh)carpum). On the whole, I think it prefers the 

 hills to the lowlands?. No. 226, lalagi (Wormia qnerci- 



folio), shows its bright salmon paper-barked trunk 



up to 3,000 feet. No. 227, saruka, (Achradotypus sp.) , 



the sorcerer's tree,, grows more freely in the rocky hills 

 than on the plains of Dobodura; also No. 229, pianga, 

 another aromatic resin-yielding species. No. 334, 

 kavea (Homalium pachj/Jhan) is a floribundant species. 

 It makes but a poor tree in the hills; its home is on 

 the alluvium. There are doubtless many more species 

 to record, but as the quality was so poor, I made no 

 surveys in the areas of foothill country I traversed, and 

 so made no collections of material except those that 1 

 have recorded. 



The forests of the foothills are very dissimilar from 

 those of the lowlands so far as epynhites are concerned. 

 The aerial gardens are not so pronounced, and the 

 lianas are not so large. Orchids abound, but they are 

 less plentiful than in the rain forests proper. The soil 

 cover is more ferny, filmy ferns being very common. 

 I have already mentioned those two lovely climbers, 



trees are No. 355, with its bright blue fruit, and No. Agapctes Moorhon&iana and ffoi/a dimorpha ; in addi- 



354, with a scolloped edge nut; both yields soft woods, tion, there are several upland Freycinetia, and at the 



At the lower elevations of the foothills No. 9, cedar, is higher elevations the mountain species is well established, 



met with, but this popular species does not occur at any A beautiful leguminous creeper, with an orange flower, 



height. There are a number of Myrtaceae, of which the 



occurs here and there. I took it to be a Mucuna, but 



genus Eugenia is well represented, and of them No. 428 it turned out to be Strogyloiloti lucidus. Several 



Mucuna occur also, of which the cream one is perhaps 



the commonest. A big climbing Araceae, with its stem 



is probably the most striking. I call it the armadillo 

 tree, for its bark hangs in overlapping, hard, persistent 

 scales, like the armour of that quadruped. Several 

 trees of the Lauraceae family are also met with — two 



flattened against the trunk of a tree, and its leaves torn 

 to tatters, carries a large, yellow, fleshy flower, like 



cinnamon types and a Cryptoearva. No. 309, Archiden- and immense "lord and lady/' and is very showy. 



</ro?i, a (Tin. A. ehrt/socarpinn !, with its magnificent La wyer canes (Calamus), while common, are not so long 



panicles of caulifloral flowers, which smother the trunk and stout as in the lowlands, and a very fine slender 



and branches, is a very beautiful, though rather rare species gradually takes the place of all others as one 



object 



Another beautiful tree of the foothills is No 



420, (JreviUea densiflora. Of the rain forest species 

 that intrude into the foothills the commonest is No. 6, 

 meneia (Arfocarpus sp.). This climbs to quite a high 



rises above 4,000 feet. That large genus of the nettle 

 family, the Elatostema, begin to be seen at this 

 height, and their number increases as you rise to the 

 cloud belt. Here and there they cover the ground to 



altitude, and occurs on very steep slopes indeed. No. 7, the exclusion of all other plants, except the mountain 



okoia, too, which yields the resin most prized by the 

 lower tribes for their tattooing, is common up to 4,000 

 feet. No. 10, melila, (Afzelia hijufja) becomes rare 

 very soon, and can hardly be said to intrude beyond 

 the first 2,000 feet. No. 11, manoi, the scent tree is met 



palm, which only grows a few feet high, and is very 

 ornamental. Of flowering shrubs the Melastomaceae 

 are commonest, and are conspicuous, both owing to their 

 flowers and their leaves; also a balsam (Impatiens), 

 with a beautiful and very varied coloured flower. At 



with here and there. No. 12, hodava, (Trrminalia sp.), lower ^titudes the palms abound, but as one rises this 

 I did not see growing, but the natives had the empty family decreases rapidly, until it is only represented 



by the pretty mountain species I have already referred 



to. 



The foothill forests are as wide a belt of country as 

 probably any forest region in Papua. The topography 

 of the belt is, however, so dreadfully broken, the hills 

 are often so sharp, the ground so stony, that the quality 

 cf the timber is not high. The general impression one 

 gets from it is a forest of scrubby pole woods. Owing 

 to its good climate — it is not so high as to be very cold 

 at night, or so low as to be malarious — it will always 

 remain a populated region. All good patches of land 

 will be cultivated, and most of the poorer land as well, 

 as the population increases. It is fairly certain that 



shells of the nuts tied to their drums, and assured me 

 that the tree grew in the hills. No. 13, sihu (Ptrro- 

 cymb'mm sp.), gives place to other Sterculiaceae, but 

 No. 24. Ptcrygota forhesli, occurs here and there. While 



I came across no Flindersia fruits, I expect that this 

 genus will be found hereabouts. Several Evodia climb 

 up from the lowlands, of which E. accident and E. 

 Iloirichii are the commonest. The former in lull 

 flower is a wonderful sight. No. 36 and 135. 

 okaka (Termni'tlia catappoides) , is rare, but occurs 



The ubiquitous No. 47, waia- 

 mahasi (Cell is philippmenm*) , is found almost to 



the cloud belt. The cabbage tree Gnetum, Nos. 80 and 



242, provides greens to the villagers up to 3,000 feet. as time goes on it will become grass land. This has 



Artot "ftrpt/s incis'i, the bread fruit, is left behind at already occurred wherever the population is dense 



.".,000 feet, while the Pandanus of the plain gives v ay enough, and, like the grass lands of the plains behind 



to the hill variety, with its 2-ft. long, red, fruity Buna, the use of fire is the main cause of the conversion 



spikes, closely studded with little oily fruits. These to grass land. That areas of grass land occur in many 



form a valuable addition to the native diet, for the parts of the foothills, where the population is very 



even at 4,000 feet. 



