THE PALAKOTROPK S 



239 



magnificent Begonias and Medinillas. The latter an- very 



abundant in the Philippines, and the large drooping infloi 

 cences, the flowers surrounded by big pink bracts, air extremely 

 showy. 



The northern part of Luzon is a rugged mass of mountains, with 

 a rich and varied flora. At about 3,000 feet are encountered true 

 pines (Pinus insular is), which at Baguio (5,000 ft.) form an ex- 

 tensive open forest, such as one is familiar with in the north tem- 



A B 



Fig. 67. — A. Pines (Pinus insularis), Baguio, P. I.; B. Orchid (Cypripcdium 

 Argus), and fern (Gleichenia sp.); high mountains, Northern Luzon. Photo., 

 Dr. E. B. Copeland. 



perate regions, and not at all suggestive of the tropics. Th< 

 pines are found up to nearly 8,000 feet in the drier soils, but for 

 the most part the higher forest is a dense mossy jungle, composed 

 of oaks, myrtles (Eugenia 8pp.), and Podocarpus. The I 

 draped in a profusion of mo-- 3, liverwort- ami lichens in gn 

 variety. Tree-ferns, and many others abound, and in general the 

 vegetation is much like that of the higher mountains of western 

 Java. 



