298 WILLIS : THE FLORA OF RITIGALA : 



Calamus Thwaitesii (?). How this plant with its large 

 scaly fruit is carried must remain- doubtful. Being a low 

 country plant, it may also have travelled in easy stages, for 

 1 am certain that there are species of Calamus, though whet her 

 the same I know not, under some of the tank bunds. 



Gyperus sp. nov. — Only three members of this large family 

 have reached the top of Ritigala, and one of these has given 

 rise to an endemic species— or it may be that this species ha^' 

 arisen from one of the other two. The fruits probably travel 

 in mud. 



Fimbristylis asperrima. — This may possibly occur in the dry 

 zone also, and in any case is a low country plant which might 

 come by easy stages. 



Carex leucantha. — The seeds probably travel in mud. 



Panicum ovali folium, P. pilipes, and P. patens. It is 

 rather curious that out of the eight species which represent 

 this enormous family, no less than three should belong to 

 this one genus. Someone showed that the shoots of species 

 of Panicum could be eaten by animals and the nodes 

 voided in a state fit to grow, and perhaps this is the expla- 

 nation in the present case. P. ovalifolium probably occurs in 

 tlit dry zone also, and probably should not be included here. 



Lophatherum gracile. — Probably carried in mud. 



Centolheca lappacea. — Probably carried in mud. Perhaps 

 occurs in the dry /.our. and any how is a low country species 

 which could travel in easy sti-.-. 



When we go over this list with care, we arc thus confronted 

 with some very striking facts. There arc only 30 of these 

 species in any ruse, and if we exclude tin- low country species 

 as being capable of travelling in easy stages, there are only 24. 

 Yei out. of these, there arc no fewer than nine which are 

 endemic -either as species (3) or as varieties (<>> to (he little 

 of .i feu aores on the summit of Ritigala. One of the 

 ipeoiee (Glochidion) is not perhaps strictly endemic, as it 



-•■'■in- also Lu occur in South India hut leaving tin- out of 



