112 DR. O. STAPF ON THE FLORA OF MOUNT KINABALU, 
successful in widening their areas, as more than two-thirds of the species of these genera, 
found on Kinabalu, are endemic on the mountain. The orchids are in a similar 
position, only two species out of twelve which were collected on the ridge of the main 
range being non-endemic. ‘Thus almost every circumstance seems to be in favour of 
stability and individuality, and contrary to change and exchange. This apparently 
explains sufficiently the extreme endemism of the highland flora of Kinabalu, but it does 
not render the prevalence of sarcocarpous and the great number of coniospermous plants 
more intelligible. It is, a priori, highly improbable that the production of berries or of 
dust-like seeds should not play some prominent part in the life-history of these plants, 
or, as we put it teleologically, not have a distinct design. It is obvious that any con- 
trivance which favours the dispersion of seeds and thereby prevents the accumulation 
of seedlings within reach of the mother-plant is eo ipso an advantage to the species, and 
it is at the same time a well-established fact that these contrivances have in numerous 
cases the desired effect, if I may say so. But this does not necessarily involve dispersion 
over wide areas,and particularly dispersion over areas which are separated by sea or by 
regions of more or less different physical characters. No doubt, dispersion of this kind 
takes place amid favouring circumstances, but it implies the existence of some appropriate 
active means of spreading, be it wind, or birds or some other animals, and its success always 
depends on the presence of conditions favourable to the final settling of the species in 
the new home. Thus the problem is actually very complex, much more so, indeed, than 
often is admitted in speculations on the distribution and migration of plants. I myself 
have no doubt that the presence of many widely distributed elements in the secondary 
vegetation of the hill zone is partly due to the development of particular “ means of 
dispersion,” as berries, very minute seeds, or flying contrivances, and that it might be 
brought about even under such conditions as now exist, This cannot be said with regard to 
the flora of the primary forest, however favourable the frequent presence of berries or of 
dust-like seeds may have been to wide dispersion under different conditions. 
The third column from the left (in the table on p. 110) contains the figures representing 
the element that does not possess any particular means of dispersion. The figures are 
probably too high, as some of the plants referred to this class may possess some 
contrivance which acts as a passive means of dispersion without our knowing it or being 
able to know it unless by means of observation on the spot. The fruits and seeds of 
others might, although actually not adapted in any way to a particular mode of dispersion, 
be scattered about accidentally. Yet the normal way of widening or shifting their area 
would always be by spreading slowly—so to say, inch by inch or foot by foot. True, 
very vigorous and flexible or plastic types of this kind might—like any others—thus 
push on a considerable distance even in the absence of any powerful impulse from 
without ; but this is certainly quite exceptional, and we may safely say that the present 
distribution of this element is still more unintelligible under the present conditions 
than the distribution of the plants of class S or class C and P. The flora of the 
bogs and rocks, subjected to a similar examination, leads to the same result, although it 
differs considerably from the forest flora so far as the proportional share of the three 
biological classes now under consideration is concerned. ‘There are no sarcocarpous 
