8 ME. H. N. EIDLET OX PLANTS 



(-t) The 3Iain Hange. — Beyond Camp IX begins the traverse of the main range, and 

 from this camp to Camp XI, Casuarina trees and violets were the most noticeable 

 features. This is at an altitude of G500 to 8000 ft. Wollaston writes : " Between 7000 

 and SOOO ft. the larger forest trees disappear, and their place is taken by Fandanus and 

 Casuarina. At about the same altitude there is a marked increase in the number of 

 herbaceous plants, particularly terrestrial orchids {Giulianetta disticha, Fterostylis), 

 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 (Mi/rlactis), a geranium, a meadowsweet {Astilbe), ever- 

 lasting flowers {Anaphalis), and rhododendrons. ]\tr. 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 

 Avith mosses which is very difficult to traverse. Among them grow up to about 10,500 ft., 

 the cuiious pine-like trees of Podocarpus papuaiius. Above 11,000 ft. the rocks become 

 so steep tliat very few 2)lants can grow at all ; here and thei'e, 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 AcronycMa, Senslowla, Pilea, Elatostana, Cypholophus, 

 Argostenima, Tbnonins, Spathoylottis, Ceratosfylis, Phreatia, and a number of represen- 

 tatives of such widely dispersed genera of orchids as JUendrobium, Bidhoplnjllum, and 

 Hahenana, and of other plants such as ~Rubus, Impatieiis, Symplocos, and Ilex, of which 

 a specimen barely distinguished from /. Savilandi Loes. of Mt. Kinabalu was obtained. 



The rest of the flora falls into three groups: — 



(1) An Australian group, illustrated by Corysanthes, Pterostylis, Astelia, Aljnnia, 

 Olearia, Fittadinia, Quintinia, Danthonia. 



(2) An Antarctic grouj), 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, Gimnera, Pltfosponim, Cojyrosma, Prat la, Erechthites, and Abrotanella, 

 the distribution of this latter being Australia, the Falkland Isles, New Zealand, and 

 llodriguez. 



(3) A Palsearctic group, represented by Spiranihes, Ranunculus, Thalictrum, Poten- 

 tilla, Epilobmm, 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 Plora 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, 



