294 



WII.I.IS : THE FLORA OF RJTTUALA 



!'i)]\ staehya zeylauica 

 Sarcochilus complanatus 

 Luisia teretifolia 

 Saccolabium niveum 

 Cleisostoma maculosum 

 Mystaeidium zeylanicum 

 Cottonia macrostachya 

 Taeniophyllum Alwisii 

 Podochilus saxatilis 

 Anaectochilus regalis 

 Disperis zeylanica 

 Hymenophyllum polyanthos 

 H\ Neesii 



Trichonumes , sp nov. 

 Humata pedata 

 Prosaptia Emerson i 

 Adiantum caudatum 



Thamnopteris Nidus 

 Asplenium Wightianum 

 A. tenerum 

 A. falcatum 



Aspidium subtriphyllura 

 Lastrea recedens 

 L. Blumei 



Neplirolepis cordifolia 

 N. exaltata 

 Niphobolus Gardneri 

 N. adnascens 

 Pleopeltis nigrescens 

 Antropliyum plantagineum 

 Vittaria scolopendrina 

 Hernionitis arifolia 

 < Symnopteris quercifolia 

 Lycopodiura Phlegmaria 



Pteris quadriaurita 



Here again we get an indication of the great predominance 

 that ferns and other spore-bearing plants obtain in oceanic 

 islands and in other far distant spots, provided the conditions 

 are suitable to their growth. The summit of Ritigala is almost 

 the only spot thus suitable in the north country, and they 

 have reached it, and established themselves there, in large 

 numbers. L ( 4 out of 49 wind-carried plants, and those mostly 

 common on the summit, being ferns or Lycopodiums. 



Here again, the endemic species among the ferns belongs to 

 Trichomanes, the genus which obviously lives in the most 

 sheltered spots, where the wind can hardly be imagined to 

 penetrate. Its spores consequently will be but little liable 

 to be carried off, and will very rarely indeed reach the summit 

 of Ritigala, if more than once. The endemic orchids belong, 

 the species to Bulbophyllum, the variety to the rarest species 

 of Cirrhopetalum. It may seem strange that orchids, whose 

 >eeds are so very transportable, should readily give rise to new 

 forms, but two importanl points must be remembered, (1) 



