/2) 



The Floras of Hill Tops in Ceylon. 



BY 



J. C. WILLIS. 



(AVithaMap.) 



THE case of the flora of Ritigala, described in two previous 

 papers, is by no means isolated, though one cannot often 

 be so fortunate as to find two species side by side, the one 

 evidently most nearly related to the other, and yet impossible of 

 derivation from a common ancestor by infinitesimal variation. 

 I hope shortly to have completed the floras of at least two 

 other hill tops in the Island, which have not yet been botani- 

 cally worked out, and which both appear to contain endemic 

 species confined to the one spot ; but in the meantime it may be 

 of interest to record from the known flora of the Island, which 

 has been very thoroughly worked by botanists, the plants 

 found only on isolated hill tops, including in that term groups 

 of hills which form a somewhat more extended " top " than 

 that of Ritigala, for instance. 



We give a rough contour map, which shows these isolated 

 hill-top areas. It \vill be noticed that there are two of some- 

 \\\\sX large size, which we may call the central area and the 

 north-east area. The former includes the country from the 

 upper end of Maturata, through the mountain capital of 

 Nuwara Eliya, by Elk Plains to Horton Plains, and includes 

 the three highest mountains in Ceylon, Pedurutalagala (which 

 has itself one or two species confined to it), Kirigalpota, and 

 Totapella. The latter lies north-east of Kandj-, and though 

 an important planting district, does not include any towns or 

 well-known resorts. The other isolated districts are mostly 

 very small, such as Adam's Peak, Hunasgiriya, Hinidunkanda, 

 Ritigala, and so on. 



In considering the number of forms to be found upon these 

 mountains, the course of the monsoon^ must be remembered. 

 These blow (and must have blown for countless years) regu- 

 larly from north-east and south-west alternately in each 



AnnalB of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeuiya, Vol. IV.. Part IV., Dec, 1908.] 



