110 DR. O. STAPF ON THE FLORA OF MOUNT KINABALU. 
the affinity of the floras of Kinabalu and of the Owen Stanley Range rests mainly on 
the presence of certain—and numerous—Ericaces and of a number of Anstral-Antarctic 
forms which, however, are mostly Boreal in a wider sense. That the Austral-Antarctic 
element is so much richer on the Owen Stanley Range is only what we might expect 
from the geographical position of these mountains. The absence of composites in the 
highland flora of Kinabalu, whilst they are so numerous on the Owen Stanley Range, 
is remarkable ; but most of the composites in Sir Ferdinand von Mueller's list seem to 
belong to Austral-Antarctic types, only Taraxacum officinale, Myriactis bellidiformis, and 
perhaps Anaphalis Marie being Boreal. 
VII. MEANS OF DISPERSION AND DISTRIBUTION. 
I have already pointed to the large proportion of plants producing fleshy fruits in the 
flora of Kinabalu. It amounts to 35-40 per cent., whilst those the fruits or seeds of 
which are apparently adapted: by their smalJness or certain contrivances for dispersion 
by wind partake with 25 to 28 per cent. I have alluded to the prominent share of 
the endemic element in both classes as a strong reason against the assumption that 
these “ means of dispersion” might generally account for the wider or more limited 
distribution of species. I wish to dwell on this point more especially in this place. 
The following table shows the comparative share of those two classes and of the 
remainder, consisting of plants having no particular means of distribution, in the flora of 
the three principal formations. The three columns to the right are added to show the 
proportion of the endemic element in each of these classes and formations. S stands for 
plants possessing fleshy fruits (sarcocarpous plants); C for plants having very minute 
seeds, like dust (coniospermous plants); P for plants having fruits or seeds provided with 
some flying contrivance (pterocarpous plants); and O for plants having no particular 
means of dispersion. C and P are represented by a single column, as both are generally 
looked at as special adaptations for dispersion by wind, and as the plants referable to 
P are so very few. 
Percentage calculated from | Percentage of Endemic 
total Vegetation. Species. 
Formations. 
5 | Gr 0. S. C.F: 0. 
Secondary forest (hill zone) .......... 46:5 18:6 32:5 15 Sate 36 
Primary forest (2nd zone)............ 45 29 26 53 70 46 
i uc (8rd ROME) fs eol. 50 32 18 70 70 7 
$5 S CHR sone) N. 59 30 11 75 75 66 
or SS n D. 26 74 Dus 37°5 24 
_ A glance at this table shows the very different character of each of the three principal 
formations. The secondary forest of the hill zone approaches the primary forest of the 
second zone, so far as the figures in the first three columns are concerned, the difference 
