THE PALAEOTROPICS 215 



Borneo, many of great size. There are also other large trees, 

 especially Leguminosae. One of these, the "Tapang' : (Abauria 

 excelsa) is the tallest tree of the Bornean forest, a specimen 230 feet 

 high having been measured. 



Many species of Ficus are common, as well as species of Arto- 

 carpus, including the bread-fruits and Jack-fruit. Both the durian 

 and mangosteen are represented by wild species. Rather un- 

 expectedly there are several species of oaks, mostly in the moun- 

 tains, but some at sea-level, as is also the case in the Malay 

 States. 



The coniferous trees of Borneo are few in number, and exclu- 

 sively of southern types. The dammar-pines (Agathis), Podocar- 

 pus and Dacrydium are the only Bornean genera. 



Borneo probably has more species of palms than any other 

 area of equal extent; but many of them are small and relatively 

 inconspicuous, or else they are climbing species of the rattan-type, 

 which hardly suggest palms. There are, it is true, a considerable 

 number of tall species, like the Sago-palm and Nibong; but as a 

 rule, they do not dominate the vegetation to the same extent as in 

 equatorial America. About 130 species have been described, 

 mostly by Beccari, and all but 20 are peculiar to Borneo. 



Many screw-pines occur in Borneo both as strand-plants, and 

 in the forest up to 4,000-5,000 feet elevation. 



The Araceae are also highly developed, and much resemble those 

 of the Malay Peninsula. 



One naturally expects to find many orchids, and, in fact, they 

 are extremely numerous; but as every collector who has visited 

 the tropics, knows, the showiest orchids are usually rare, and 

 seldom abundant enough to make a striking display. Most 

 species are insignificant, and would be overlooked by any but a 

 botanist. 



There are, of course, many very beautiful orchids in Borneo and 

 other parts of the Malayan Archipelago, many of these being 

 prized in cultivation. In the gardens of Singapore and Sarawak 

 two handsome species are often seen, Vanda tens and Arundina 

 speciosa. These are both ground orchids, and apparently easily 

 grown. The genus Vanda includes many handsome species, some 

 of which, like the Javanese V. tricolor, are often seen under glass 

 in Europe and America. Perhaps the most striking of the Malayan 



