254 MERRILL. 



although opt'ii grass couiitrv is visihlc Iroiii the high ridges to the south 

 of the mountain. The liigh forest, Diptcrocarpus typo is fairly well 

 tleveloped, extending up to an altitude of at least 500 meters, but even 

 this ty])e is quite changed ])y its environinejit; terrestrial ferns, orchids 

 and her!)aceous plants Ix'ing comparatively alnindant and epiphytic plants 

 numerous. The ])revailing species of Dljitcrocarpns, SJiorea, etc., disap- 

 pear ahove an altitmlc of ."iiid inctcrs. and (Jiicrcus lldiiosii, various species 

 of Jjt II raced', Acer p/iilippiitiim, Aralia, (Jasuarina sp., Englehardt'm 

 spiraia. Artocarpus, Unona. Poiyalilua, Weiniiiannia. Elieovarpus and 

 many other alxu'esccnt genci'a appear, and ciiiiihyt ic jdants become more 

 abunihint. No less than twenty-two sj)ecies of the genera Ilymenophy- 

 llum and TricJioinaiies are known from TTalcon. 



At anil above an -altitude of l.oon meters, the mossy forest tyi)e is 

 ciicoiiutcred on the exj)osed ridges, at first confined entirely to the crest 

 line, but as altitude is gained, extending down the lateral slopes for a 

 greater or less distance. These crest-line forests are characterized by 

 arl)orescent genera such as Agatliis, Podocarpus, Dacrydium, Phyllocladus , 

 rinanga. Myrica, Drimys, lllicium, Neoliisea, Ilomalcmthus, Ilex, Elie- 

 0(arpus, Eurya, Ternstroemia, Adinandra, Mearnsia, Clethra, Vaccinium, 

 Rhododendron, SympJocos, and others, numerous species of epiphytic 

 orchids, ferns and. other plants, and some terrestrial species, notably 

 Burmannia longifolia, the ground, tree trunks and branches being densely 

 covered with thick masses of mosses, lichens, etc., forming an ideal 

 habitat for the abundant species of epiphytic and pseudo-epiph}i:ic plants. 

 The trees are more or less stunted and as altitude is gained this character 

 Iiecomes emphasized. Scandent or semiscandent species of Vaccinium, 

 Diplycosia, Schefjiera, Smilax, Ccdamus and Nepenthes clamber every- 

 where through the dense ridge thickets and the fern Oleandra coluhrina 

 Copel., alone forms such dense masses that it is frequently difficult for 

 the traveler to force his way through them. There is a constant change 

 in the vegetation of these ridges as altitude is gained, some genera such 

 as Drimys, Podocarpus, Nepenthes, Phyllocladus, Agathis, Symplocos, 

 etc., persisting unaltered from an altitude of 1,000 nu'ters to the summit 

 of the highest peak, b\it terrestrial aiul epipliytic ordiiils, fci-ns and 

 other plants entirely change, those at the higher altitudes being (piite 

 different from those at the lower ones. Mosses and lichens Ix'come moi-e 

 altuudant and form niiidi thicker and denser masses on the gi'ound 

 and ii'ces, whereas Sphaginnii appeal's in tli<' ground cover. 'IMiere is 

 less diversity in conslituent species on tlic liiglicsl i-idges above "^,100 

 meters than at lower allitmlcs, hut the tiTcs and shrubs on them are 

 greatly stunted, being reduced to montane In-usb wbicli larely exceeds 

 a height of 3 meters. I'^piplntic and terrestrial plants become I'eiluced to 

 comparatively few species and individuals, while mosses ami scale mosses 

 eori'espondingly increase in abunilance ami diversity of f<u"ms. 



