340 ZONES AND REGIONS [Pt. Ill, Sect. I 



Nevertheless, as was stated before 1 , saprophytic fungal vegetation in 

 tropical forests is much less striking than it is in the cool forests of higher 

 latitudes, for in the tropics it is chiefly composed of small and even 

 microscopic forms, and includes but few large Hymenomycetes. Alfred 

 Moller, in his mycological contributions from South Brazil -, has, however, 

 proved that very striking and large forms of fungi are not wanting among 

 tropical humus-plants. 



Phanerogamic saprophytes are in the number of species much more 

 numerous between the tropics than beyond them, and are largely inhabi- 

 tants of the dampest and shadiest rain -forest. Yet even there they do 

 not strike the eye, but this is partly due to the fact that the commonest 

 species are for the most part very small and delicate, so that even when 

 very numerous they do not make much show. The few larger forms — 

 those about the size of our Neottia or of Monotropa are to be reckoned 

 amongst them — as far as my observations go, occur only singly, whilst 

 many of the small forms grow socially and occur sporadically in abundance ; 

 for instance the orchidaceous Wullschlagelia aphylla and the burmanni- 

 aceous Apteria setacea, in Dominica ; the gentianaceous Voyria trinitatis, 

 in Trinidad ; Lecanorchis javanica and Burmannia (Gonyanthes) Candida, 

 neither of which is quite devoid of chlorophyll, in Java. These, however, 

 are isolated productions. I have often roamed for hours through tropical 

 rain-forests in America and Java without seeing a single phanerogamic 

 saprophyte 3 . 



The saprophytes of the tropical rain-forest occur both on firm, mainly 

 mineral, soil which is however permeated with humus-solutions, as well 

 as on loose, slightly decomposed mould and on still coherent though 

 rotting stems and branches. Thus, in Dominica, we found Burmannia 

 capitata on decomposing stems and branches, and the sole habitat on 

 which I found Epipogon nutans in Java was the rotten trunk of a tree, 

 which in Germany might have led me to expect Buxbaumia indusiata 

 but not a saprophytic orchid. I found however on this trunk, crowded 

 together as in a nest, twenty specimens of this remarkable Epipogon in all 

 stages of development. 



In respect to their occurrence as revealed by the naked eye, holoparasites 

 show relations not very different from those presented by saprophytes, but 

 large forms are more frequent among them. For instance, I observed 

 far more numerous large parasitic Polyporeae on trees than large sapro- 

 phytic fungi. Among phanerogamic parasites, as among saprophytes, 

 social species are common. This is, for instance, true to a large extent 

 of the Javanese Balanophora elongata, but I know this plant only in the 



1 See p. 226. 2 Alf. Moller, II-V. 



s Even the sharp eyes of Pa-Idang, the excellent guide to the Javanese forest, could not 

 in such cases discover ' white orchids.' 



