CHAPTER III 

 MOUNTAIN REGIONS IN THE TROPICS 



i. General Considerations. The temperate rain-forest of the montane region in 

 rainy districts. Alpine region. Elfin-wood. Alpine shrub. Alpine steppe. Alpine brush- 

 wood-savannah. 2. The Regions in Eastern Asia. i. West Java. Temperate rain- 

 forest. Elfin-wood. Alpine savannah. Alpine steppe, ii. East Java. Temperate savannah- 

 forest of Casuarina. Alpine steppe. Alpine vegetation in sun and in shade, iii. Celebes. 

 Screw-pine forest on Lokon. iv. Borneo. Kinabalu. v. Ceylon. Temperate rain-forest in 

 the montane region, vi. The Nilgiris. 3. The Regions in Tropical Africa. Kiliman- 

 jaro according to Volkens. Xerophilous character of its basal region. Temperate rain- 

 forest in its montane region. Physiognomy and flora of its alpine steppe and 

 desert. 4. The Regions in Tropical America, i. The South American Cordilleras. 

 Temperate rain-forest. Elfin-wood. The paramos. Frailejon. The puna. ii. Mexico. Xero- 

 philous character of the basal region in Central Mexico. Rain-forest. Summer-forest 

 (broad-leaved and coniferous forest) in the montane region. Alpine region, iii. Brazil. 

 Coast mountains. Itatiaia-assu. Serro do Picu. 



i. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



The basal region of tropical mountains generally has a greater rainfall 

 than have the neighbouring lowlands, and is accordingly covered by forma- 

 tions that, in the latter, occupy moist stations, especially places irrigated 

 by the rivers. Rain- forest is here very widespread and frequently of 

 exceeding luxuriance. 



The montane region in its lower belts has, at the equator, a still tropical 

 although not equatorial character, but near the two tropics it has from 

 the first a temperate character. The difference between the equatorial 

 rain-forest of the basal region on the one hand, and the tropical forest 

 of the lower montane region on the other, is confined to the systematic 

 composition. In temperate montane formations, on the contrary, the lower 

 temperature is reflected in purely oeeological characteristics in the plant-life 

 and impresses upon the formations the stamp of those of higher latitudes. 

 Hence in the montane region of moist tropical mountains, sometimes at 

 a less, sometimes at a greater altitude above sea-level, the tropical rain- 

 forest is replaced by temperate rain-forest, like that with which we have 

 become acquainted in the rainy lowlands of South Japan, New Zealand, 

 and South Chili. 



The trees in it are evergreen ; they never have plank-buttresses, and they 



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