38 RELATION BETWEEN CLIMATE AND VEGETATION. 



(Hypericum mysorense), bearing large yellow flowers. The 

 dry open banks are covered with Violets and Lysimachise, while 

 in the open plains are to be found two species of Potentilla, an 

 Anemone, a Geranium, two kinds of Eanunculus or Butter-cup, 

 a Ladies' Mantle not unlike the Alchemilla vulgaris of England, 

 a little blue star-blossomed Gentian, two species of Sun-dew or 

 Drosera, a Campanula, a Valeriana, and in the bogs several 

 kinds of Juncus and Carex. 



At the health station on the plain of Newera-Ellia, which is 

 about 6200 feet above the level of the sea, there are several 

 gardens in whicli most of the vegetables of Europe grow freely. 

 European fruit trees have also been tried, but no success has 

 attended the experiment : nor was such a thing to be expected, 

 for although during the cold season the tiiermometer falls occa- 

 sionally in the morning to nearly the freezing point — the annual 

 range being from 35^" to 80% with a mean daily variation of 

 11° — , the cold is not sufficiently intense nor of long enough 

 continuation to give those trees the period of rest which they 

 require. In place of losing their leaves for nearly six months 

 of tlie year, the Peach and the Cherry are here evergreens, and 

 are hence kept in such a continued state of excitement as to pre- 

 vent their bearing. The Peach does, indeed, give a poor crop of 

 fruit of a very inferior quality, but although the Cherry blos- 

 soms annually its fruit never comes to perfection. 



Although the Neelgherry range, from its near geographical 

 position, has more species in common with the tracts of a similar 

 elevation in Ceylon than any other part of India, yet these from 

 their small numbers are evidently only stragglers northward : the 

 very great number of species peculiar to the mountains of 

 Ceylon, and to them alone, proves that these mountains form a 

 distinct centre of creation. This I shall illustrate by a few 

 examples from some of the better known natural orders and 

 genera of plants. Beginning with Ranunculaoeae, we find three 

 species of Ranunculus belonging to the Flora of the Neelgher- 

 ries, and two to that of the mountains of Ceylon, one species 

 only being common to both countries. Of MagnoliacesB, Ceylon 

 possesses four or five species of Michelia, all of which are different 

 from the solitary one which is found on the Neelgherries, Each 

 country has a Violet peculiar to itself, with another that is 

 common to them both. Both places possess about half a dozen 

 species of Elseocarpese each, but only one is held in common ; 

 and the same is the case witli the order to which the Tea be- 

 longs — TernstromiaceEe. The genus Impatiens, that to which 

 the garden Balsam belongs, affords one of tiie strongest argu- 

 ments which can be offered in favour of the fact I am now illus- 

 trating, for while each country possesses upwards of twenty 

 peciesj certainly not more than three are common to bolh, and 



