8 MR. H. N. RIDLEY ON PLANTS 
(4) The Main Range.—Beyond Camp IX begins the traverse of the main range, and 
from this eamp to Camp XI, Casuarina trees and violets were the most noticeable 
features. This is at an altitude of 6500 to 8000 ft. Wollaston writes: ** Between 7000 
and 8060 ft. the larger forest trees disappear, and their place is taken by Pandanus and 
Casuarina, At about the same altitude there is a marked increase in the number of 
herbaceous plants, particularly terrestrial orchids (Giulianetta disticha, Pterostylis), 
gentians, geraniums, and other plants of familiar appearance." 
Above Camp XI lay the open country zone, and here, Mr. Kloss tells us, were most 
conspicuous orchids, a daisy (Myriactis), a geranium, a meadowsweet (Astilbe), ever- 
lasting flowers (Anaphalis),and rhododendrons. Mr. Wollaston writes: ** Between 9000 
and 11,000 ft., the most conspicuous plants are bushy vacciniums and rhododendrons of 
several species ; these plants form a very dense bushy jungle always heavily overgrown 
with mosses which is very difficult to traverse. Among them grow up to about 10,500 ft., 
the curious pine-like trees of Podocarpus papuanus. Above 11,000 ft. the rocks become 
so steep that very few plants can grow at all; here and there, in the less precipitous 
places, a few rhododendron bushes are found up to about 13,000 ft.; above which the 
only plants found were a daisy (Myriactis) and a few grasses and mosses.” Among the 
plants collected at this altitude are a certain number of Malayan genera which have 
crept up from the base; such are Acronychia, Henslowia, Pilea, Elatostema, Cypholophus, 
Argostemma, Timonius, Spathoglottis, Ceratostylis, Phreatia, and a number of represen- 
tatives of such widely dispersed genera of orchids as Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, and 
Habenaria, and of other plants such as Rubus, Impatiens, Symplocos, and Ilex, of which 
a specimen barely distinguished from J. Havilandi Loes. of Mt. Kinabalu was obtained. 
The rest of the flora falls into three groups :— 
(1) An Australian group, illustrated by Corysanthes, Pleroetylis, Astelia, — ene 
Olearia, Vittadinia, Quintinia, Danthonia. 
(2) An Antarctic group, in which I include such genera as occur in Australia, New 
Zealand, and South America, with often outliers in the South African region. Such 
are Drimys, Gunnera, Pittosporum, Coprosma, Pratia, Erechthites, and Abrotanella, 
the distribution of this latter being Australia, the Falkland Isles, New Zealand, and 
Rodriguez. 
(3) A Palearctic group, represented by Spiranthes, Ranunculus, Thalictrum, Poten- 
tilla, Epilobium, Veronica, Euphrasia, Gaultheria, Crepis, Lithospermum, Anaphalis, 
Polygonum (Himalayan species), Gentiana, Viola, Trisetum, Deschampsia, and Poa. 
In other high mountains of New Guinea were obtained Taraxacum and Sagina. 
Some of these genera occur also in the mountains of the Philippine Islands and Java, 
and a few, Euphrasia, Gentiana, and Gnaphalium, as far as Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo. 
In view of our present limited knowledge of the Papuan flora, despite the great 
collections made in New Guinea, it would be premature to lay down any theory of the 
= origin of the Flora of New Guinea. Further research is still being made by the German _ 
= and Dutch botanists, and we may hope that the most neglected portion of the Island, - 
» 
irae pai 
SCENES 
