300 Seifriz: Plants on Mt. Gedeh, Java 



Among the large lianes at this altitude are Vaccinium 

 varingiaefolium, (V. Teysmanni), Lonicera Lonreiri, and Schefflera 

 lutescens. 



The genus Vaccinium is remarkable because of extreme poly- 

 morphism; it exists as a tree, shrub, or liane, and ma 

 terrestrial or epiphytic. Five species occur on Mt. 

 varingiaefolium, V. coriaceum, V. lucidum, V. laurifoliiim 

 ellipticum. V. varingiaefolium is the most polymorphic c ..i 



all. It may be shrub, tree or liane and may grow terrer lly 

 or epiphytically. As a liane it was formerly known as V. Teys- 

 manni. In this form it is found in the lower half of the fourth 

 subzone (Plate 17, fig. i). In the upper section of the zone 

 it occurs only as a tree to the almost complete exclusion of all 

 other tree species. So far as I am aware botanical science is 

 totally ignorant of the cause of such polymorphism. In the 

 case of the pitcher plant Nepenthes, a conceivable factor is 

 moisture, since the dwarf form is found in bogs and the liane form 

 grows on dry soil. The same factor may possibly play a part 

 in determining the form of Vaccinium varingiaefolium, since the 

 liane is found only in the relatively moist lower half of the fourth 

 subzone, while in the much drier upper section the species 

 occurs as a tree. Schefflera lutescens may also occur as tree or 

 liane. 



The shrub Rhododendron is very abundant in this open, 

 high altitude forest. There are three species: R. retnsum with 

 red flowers, R. cilium with large yellow flowers, and R. javanicum 

 (the most common) with very large, orange-red flowers. This 

 last species is especially interesting because of its presence here 

 at 9,000 feet as a terrestrial shrub, although equally abundant 

 as an epiphyte at Tjibodas 4,000 feet lower. 



Herbs of the third subzone types are still numerous in this 

 higher region. Especially noticeable is the blue color of flowers 

 and fruits. Very prominent are the cobalt and pale green 

 blues. The berries of the shrub Lasianthus hicidus, a rubi- 

 aceous plant, are of the former color, while the clusters of berries 

 of Dichroa febrifuga, one of the Saxifragaceae, are a rich dark 

 blue. The flowers of this plant are of a striking pale blue color. 

 But the finest of the blue flowers is that of the orchid Dendrobium 

 Hasseltii. Indeed, while I am inclined to give first place to 

 Impatiens platypetala as the most beautiful of all the mountain 



