26 THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



South African, one North Temperate, one Himalayas, and the last Cosmo- 

 politan. Three of the species, O. variabilis Jacq., O. pes-capra: L. and 

 O. pubescens H. B. & K., are reported in India only from the Nilgiri and 

 Pulney Hills; 0. telraphylla occurs there, but also in Assam; 0. lalifolia 

 H. B. & K. and O. corijmbosa DC, both in S. India and on the Himalayas, 

 two others 0. Acetosella L. and 0. Qriffithii Edgew. and Hook, f., belong in 

 India to Assam, Khasia and the Himalayas. 0. corniculata L. is widely 

 distributed. An artificial key is provided to facilitate the recognition of the 

 species, and there are 7 excellent full-page plates. The paper is a record 

 of the occurrence of these weeds in India, which will probably be of very 

 great interest in years to come, when considering how much some of these 

 species have spread to the annoyance of planter and gardener alike, it is 

 probable that the distribution of some at least will be much more general. 



P. F. F. 



Flora of New Guinea. 

 Ridley, H. N. The Botany of the Wollaston Expedition to Dutch 

 New Guinea, 1912-13. Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd, Ser. IX. I pp. 1 — 269 



and 6 pi. 



This the second expedition organised by Mr. A. F. R. Wollaston to New 

 Guinea, was to the Nassau range drained by the Utakwa river. The country 

 traversed was of the wildest description, and in the absence of maps and 

 names the various camps have to be indicated by numbers. The route followed 

 was for some 28 miles up the Utwaka river or its tributary, then over much 

 broken limestone, along ridges sometimes only 4 to 5 ft. wide, or descending 

 over a thousand feet to cross some stream. The nature of the going may be 

 guessed from the simple statement that as much as six miles were done in 

 the earlier marches, but later they shortened to little more than two. Oaks 

 occurred at 6,000 ft., and mixed forest densely clothed with moss and reeking 

 with moisture, and at about the same height a large fruited Pandanus. At 

 8 000 ft. Casuarinas draped with moss were the dominant feature of the vege- 

 tation. The limit of trees was reached at 10,900 ft., above which the rock was 

 too steep to support large growths, and just below the snow line the last flower 

 met with was a daisy (Myriactis). 



Mr. Ridley divides the country botanically into four regions : (1) the coast 

 region, up to 500 ft., where the forest is swampy and dense and the flora mostly 

 Malayan. (2) the foothill area, from 600 to 3,000 ft. (on light coloured lime- 

 stone, coral rock or gravel), where the flora is chiefly Malayan. Here occurred 

 the Anonacese, Garcinias, Olacineae, and Icacineae (except one species of 

 Gomphandra) Gardenia, Ixora, Webera, Dioscorca, Saccolabiiun and Burmannia 

 to mention only a few of the genera. A flora which reminds us of that of the 

 uppermost slopes of the mountain of South India at 5 — 6,000 ft. (3) The frontal 

 mountain zone, to 8,000 ft. and more, with palearctic forms mixing with the 

 Malayan, e, g. Viola, Omanthe, Hypericum, Evodia, Isclucmum. and Dodonea. 

 (4) The main range where, from 6,500 to 8000 ft., Casuarina trees and Violets 

 were the most noticeable features. In the open country were Orchids, 

 Myriactis, Anaphalis,.A.stibe,]and< Rhododendrons. Between 9,000 and 11,000 ft., 

 bushy Vacciniums and Rhododendrons formed a bushy jungle densely over- 

 grown with mosses and very difficult to traverse. At 10,500 grew the curious 

 Pine-like Podocarjjus papuanus, but above the rocks were so steep that but 



