424 Floristik und Systematik der Phanerogamen. 



in India few cliaracteristic assemblages of species, giving a character 

 to the landscape over wide areas (exception: Dipterocarpi of Burma), 

 the Coniferons forests of the Himalaya resembling those of other 

 northern countries, wiiilst the teak forests present no special features. 

 The most conspicuous gregarious trees are Shorea robusta, Dipterocarpus 

 turbinatus, Dalbergta Lissoo, Acacia Catechu and A. arabica. Indige- 

 nous Palms are relatively few (Cotypha, Phoenix silvestris and Borassiis 

 flabellifer, Cocos), but erect or climbing palms (Calami) frequent the 

 humid, evergreen forests; bamboos are important features (more than 120 

 species in India). — The most important gregarious shrubs are the 

 Rhododendrons and the genus Strobilanthes, as well as three local palms 

 with very short stems (Phoenix farinifera of the C o r o m an d e 1 C o a s t. 

 Naunorhops Ritchieana of extreme N. W. India, and Nipa fruticans of 

 the Sundarbans); whilst among the herbaceous plants the genus Im- 

 patiens abounds in all humid districts except the Malay Penin sula, 

 although its species are remarkably local. 



There are about 17 000 species of flowering plants in India, be- 

 longing to 176 natural orders and probably 600 species of ferns and their 

 allies. The ten dominant orders of flowering plants in British India 

 are in order: Orchideae, Legnminosae, Gramineae, Rubiaceae, Euphorbia- 

 ceae, Acanthaceae, Compositae, Cyperaceae, Labiatae, Ürticaceae. — 

 British India is divisible into 3 botanical areas: a Himalayan, an 

 eastern and a western. The following characterisation oi these areas is 

 given: „the Himalayan presents a rieh, tropical, temperate, and alpine 

 flora, with forests of Conifers, many oaks, and a profusion of Orchids ; 

 the eastern has no alpine flora, a very restricted temperate one , few 

 Conifers, many oaks and Palms-, and a great preponderance of Orchids; 

 the western has only one (very local) Conifer, no oaks, few Palms, and 

 comparatively few Orchids. Further^ the Himalayan flora abounds in 

 European genera ; the eastern in Chinese and M a 1 a y a n ; the western 

 in European, Oriental, and African". These 3 areas are divided 

 into nine botanical provinces, for which reference must be made to the 

 original. F. E. Fritsch. 



Malme, Gust. 0. A., Beiträge zur Kenntniss der süd- 

 amerikanischen Aristolochiaceen. (Arkiv för Botanik, 

 Stockholm. Vol. I. March 5, 1904. p. 521— 551. with 3 pl. 

 and 4 figs. in the text.) 



During his journey in Brasilia in 1901-03 the author has studied 

 the Aristolochiaceae in living condition and has collected a series of 

 these plants preserved in alcohol. Based upon this material as well as 

 upon the previous collections in Stockholm and in other herbaria he 

 gives some general remarks concerning the question of which characters 

 shouid be taken as systematically valuable. At iirst he mentions^ that 

 in some species the vegetative axillary bud bears a cataphyllum (pseudo- 

 stipule) of a particulir shape, while in others such a leaf is not deve- 

 loped; a further character of specifical value is the number and deve- 

 lopment of the nervature of the perigon. 



One species of Holostylis and 13 sp. of Aristolochia have been 

 thoroughly examined by the author; of these he gives exhaustive dia- 

 gnoses (in Latin) with many systematical remarks taking the earlier 

 literature in consideration. Analytical figures of the flowers and seeds 

 elucidate most of the species. New to science are the following species: 

 Aristolochia Lingua Malme, A. ciirviflora Malme, A. barbata subsp. Bene- 

 dicti Malme; new name : A. sessilifolia (Klotzsch) Malme emend. 



C. H. Ostenfeld. 



Malme, Gust. 0. A., Die Gentianaceen der zweiten Reg- 

 nell'schen Reise, f Arkiv för Botanik, Stockholm. Vol. III. 

 July 21. 1904. No. 12. 23 pp. With 2 pl.) 



