INTRODUCTION. xi 



swamp and the absence of the sandhill flora so well represented on 

 the east coast, where mangroves are nearly absent. The western 

 alluvial flat is covered with a dense low-lying forest, while on the 

 eastern coast the flat country forest is more open, and sandy plains 

 covered with scattered bushes and patches of wood cover considerable 

 areas. These sandy patches occur from Kelantan southwards to 

 the east corner of Singapore, and bear a very different flora from 

 that of the west coast. 



Botanical Areas. — The whole area of the Malay Peninsula as 

 included in this work falls botanically into two divisions, differing 

 largely in climate, soil, and flora. The northern portion from the 

 above-mentioned boundary line southwards to the mouth of the 

 Kedah River, including the islands of Lankawi and Terutau, 

 possesses a very distinct flora, having close relations with that of 

 the Siamese territory south of Tenasserim and Mergui, upwards of 

 forty genera being represented in this area which are unknown south 

 of this line, while more than sixty genera well represented in the 

 south part of the peninsula are missing. A few of these northern 

 plants have crept down the coast as far as Province Wellesley and 

 Pahang, probably (speaking geologically) in recent years, while 

 some of the southern types have travelled as far north as Burma, 

 where they are scantily represented. " One can gather from the 

 flora that at no great distance of time the Malay Peninsula (the 

 Golden Chersonese) was cut off from Burma south of Kedah by the 

 sea " (Ridley, " Account of a Botanical Expedition to Lower Siam," 

 Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S. Br. 57, p. 59). This is confirmed by the 

 geology of the country so far as is known, and by early tradition. 

 The soil of this area is sandy, with scattered masses of limestone 

 rocks, and there appears to be a regular dry season which is absent 

 from the south of the peninsula. The Pulau Adang group of islands, 

 lying west of Terutau, however, contains more features of the 

 southern flora and but little of the northern. The northern portion 

 of our area is much smaller than the southern, and has only been 

 botanically explored on the west side. 



South of this line the whole flora and climate is altered. The 

 greater part of this area is or was one continuous dense forest of 

 large trees, many of which are 150 feet tall, making a thick canopy 

 of foliage through which the sun's rays penetrate only here and there. 

 On the highest boughs are many epiphytes, orchids, ferns, and other 

 plants, while below is a dense mass of shrubs, seedling trees, palms, 

 both erect and climbing, and a certain number of herbaceous plants. 

 The proportion of trees and shrubs to herbaceous plants is very 

 large, whereas in the northern part the plants are largely herbs and 

 low shrubs, with very few trees over 80 feet high, while ferns, 

 abundant in the south, are scarce. The climate is very wet, rain 

 falling nearly every day, in fact this region is a typical example of 

 the Tropical Rain Forest region, such as occurs also in Western 



