19^0] WILSON, PHYTOGEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF FORMOSA 29 



very 



by its very small fruit on a short peduncle and also by its small leaves. Its 



distribution is very local and unfortunately I did not see this tree. An 

 endemic species of Walnut grows high up on the mountains west of Karenko, 

 and round Ari-san and elsewhere a species of Sassafras, making the third 

 known species of the genus. Several species of Willow are indigenous in 

 Formosa, but no Poj^lar, Birch nor Chestnut have yet been discovered, 

 neither has any species of Magnolia though representatives of the related 

 genera Michelia and lUicium are common forest trees. 



In general the climate of Formosa is warm-temperate; at sea-level many 

 sub-tropical species are found and high up on the mountains grow many 

 cool-temperate plants. There is the usual coastal fringe of species wide- 

 spread within the sub-tropical regions, and, in the extreme south especially, 

 quite a number of Thilippine species occur. Among trees two such typical 

 Japanese genera as Chamaecyparis and Trochodendron are important and 

 prominent forest-features. Nevertheless, among the woody plants Chinese 

 forms abundantly predominate and, as will be demonstrated later, the real 

 affinity of the Formosan flora is with that of central and western China. 



Before proceeding with an account of my own observations it may l)e 

 well to record the present state of our knowledge of the flora as told in 



books. 



Prior to the ceding of Formosa to Japan by China in 1895 our only knowl- 

 edge of its flora was from small collections made chiefly by various ofl^icers 

 of the British Consular Service and of the Chinese Imperial INIaritime Cus- 

 toms Service. The first plants were collected round Tamsui by R. Fortune 

 in April 1854, and in 1858 Charles Wilford collected at various places on 

 the north coast. These pioneers were followed by R. Oldham, R. Swinhoe, 

 W. Hancock, G. M. Playfair, T. Watters, C. Ford, Steere, Warburg and 

 others who made small collections near the coast. In 1893 and 1894 A. 

 Henry collected round Takao and through a lighthouse-keeper, named 

 Schmuser, secured a number of plants from savage territory round tlie 

 South Cape (Garambi). In 189G Henry pubHshed in the Transactions of 

 the Asiatic Society of Japan (xxiv. Suppl.) with descriptive notes a " List 

 of Plants from Formosa." This list includes 1429 plants of which 1283 are 

 flowering plants, 131 Ferns and 15 Fern-allies. In the Kew Bulletin of 

 Miscellaneous Information for ^Farch, 1896, there is iniblishcd an account 

 of the flora of Formosa by A, Henry, taken from the Foreign Office Report 

 on Formosa prepared by Mr. Perkins of the British Consular Service sta- 

 tioned at Anping (F. O. Commercial No. 1, 189G), These two accounts of 

 Henry's re])resent the state of our knowledge of the flora of Fornuysa up to 

 the acquisition of the island by Japan in 1895. In 1904 the Government of 

 Formosa decided to carry out a botanical survey of the whole island the 

 results to be pul>lished over a period of fifteen years under the title of 

 Icones riantariim Formosanaruui. This survey and the publication of re- 

 sults is still in progress. In the Actes du III^ Congrcs International de 

 Botariique, Bruxelles, 1910, there is published a very interesting accoimt of 



