226 OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



arc all volcanic, those in the west forming a more or less continuous 

 mass; at the east are several isolated peaks, including the loftiest 

 mountain, Merapi, about 12,000 feet high. 



In general, the rainfall in Java is heavy, especially in the western 

 mountains, and in the southern part of the island. While in all 

 parts of Java, the period from November to March, the west 

 monsoon, shows the greatest precipitation, there is no pronounced 

 dry season, although in eastern Java the rainfall is scanty during 

 several months, and the vegetation is very different from that of 

 the wet western mountains. 



The approach to Batavia, the old capital, is through a swampy 

 region in which the Nipa-palms are a conspicuous feature. The 

 residence district, outside the old town, is attractive, the gardens 

 full of fine foliage and flowers, but the surrounding country being 

 closely cultivated, offers little to the botanist who is likely to seek 

 the mountains as soon as possible. 



The great centre of botanical activity is the famous botanical 

 garden at Buitenzorg, some forty miles from Batavia, at an eleva- 

 tion of about 1,000 feet. From Buitenzorg the richest botanical 

 regions are within easy reach, and together with the immense 

 collections in the garden, afford unequalled opportunities for the 

 study of equatorial vegetation. 



In these gardens may be seen an unrivalled collection of tropical 

 plants, drawn from everj' quarter of the world. Java has been a 

 centre of botanical research for more than a century, and the col- 

 lectors have brought to the gardens plants from all over the Archi- 

 pelago, many new species having their types now growing in the 

 gardens. The conditions for tropical vegetation are ideal. The 

 average temperature hardly varies throughout the year, and is 

 about 78°F. A rainfall approaching 200 inches annually, an 

 absence of a marked dry season, and rich soil, give these gardens 

 a great advantage over any of the other important tropical 

 botanical gardens. 



The country immediately about Buitenzorg is mostly under 

 cultivation, but nevertheless many interesting native plants may 

 be found growing outside the cultivated areas; and within a short 

 distance, on the lower slopes of the great volcano Salak, a magnif- 

 icent forest of the most pronounced tropical type can be found. 



Compared with the lowland forests of Sumatra and Borneo, 



