Seifriz: Plants on Mt. Gedeh, Java 295 



may find the pitcher plant, Nepenthes melamphora, with brilliant, 

 purplish red, pendent pitchers. One wonders why a plant such 

 as Nepenthes occurs in a locality so poor in insect life as the upper 

 mountain regions of these forests. The pitcher of Nepenthes is 

 a nicely planned mechanism for attracting, catching, and digest- 

 ing insects, but of little use in the high altitudes of the third 

 subzone where insect life is sparse. When the pitchers of 

 Nepenthes are emptied they are found to contain but few and 

 only small insects. As the plant thrives wonderfully well, an 

 organic diet appears unnecessary. A further point of interest 

 in connection with Nepenthes is the extreme polymorphism of 

 the species. In the bogs where the plant is met with under 

 foot in the third subzone, it is of a very compact form not rising 

 over 8 inches from the ground. In other and drier regions of 

 this zone Nepenthes occurs as a liane reaching a maximum length 

 of 25 feet. The tendrils are extended leaf midribs. On the 

 vines few, sometimes no, pitchers are formed. Numerous tran- 

 sitional forms occur between the two extreme types. 



III. The Herbaceous SubzOne 



(7,000-8,000 feet) 



The transition from the second to the third subzone is gradual. 

 The change in type of vegetation with increase in altitude is 

 noticeable throughout the second subzone, the upper limits of 

 which begin to assume third subzone characters. The epiphytic 

 pandanaceous Freycinetia and the tall herb Strobilanthes cernuus, 

 typical third subzone species, begin to appear in the upper limits 

 of the second subzone, while second subzone genera, such as 

 Podocarpus and the bird's nest fern, Asplenium nidus, last far 

 into the third subzone. 



The third subzone is open in character. The undergrowth, 

 therefore, receives more light. Being at a high altitude the zone 

 is frequently enveloped in clouds, and being, further, just below 

 the gap between Gedeh and Pangerango, it is protected from 

 wind. The zone is, consequently, very moist. Abundant 

 light and moisture permit a luxuriant flora of tender herbs. 



The trees of the third subzone are not distinctive. The 

 open forest formation is made up of tree genera which are 

 characteristic of the two neighboring zones. The second zone 

 genera Quercus and Schima are abundant, and Podocarpus 



