THE FLORA OF MOUNT ITAr>OON. 255 



On the main ridge at an altitude of 2,400 meters the montane brush 

 of the exposed ridges becomes reduced to a mere heath, characterized by 

 open hinds with a scant cover of grasses and sedges, with scattered 

 dwarfed undershrul:»s and l)ushcs and some very characteristic jierbaceous 

 plants, a mixture of northern or continental, Bornean and Australian 

 types. These heath lands cover considerable areas on the south slopes 

 of the main range of Halcon, l)ut do not extend down to the noi-fh slope. 

 'I'he cliaracteristic species are Lycopodium halconense. Cope;!, L. cer- 

 iiiiuin Linn., forma, GleicJienm diairpa R. Br., Dipteris conjugala var. 

 alpina Christ, Miscanthus sinensis And., Isachne heneclcei Hack., 7. 

 myosotis ISTees, Schoenvs melanostnchys E. Br., Cladium latifolium Merr., 

 Gahnia javanica Mor., Centrolepis philippinensis ]\Ierr., Eriocaulon hrevi- 

 pedunculatum Merr., Dianella ensifolia DC, Liriope hrachyphylla 

 Merr., Patersonia lowii Stapf., Drosera spathulata Labill., D. peltata Sm., 

 Ruhus rolfei Vid., HalorrJiagis halconensis Merr., H. micrantha R. Br., 

 Didiscus saniculcefolius Merr., Vaccinmm hanksii Merr., V. villarii Yid., 

 V. whitfordii Merr., Rapanea retusa Merr., Utricidaria orhiculata Wall, 

 Hedyotis montana Merr., Leptospei-mum amhoinense Bl., Rliododendron 

 quadrasianwn Vid., and Adinandra sp. 



The botanical exploration of Halcon has added representatives of two 

 families new to the Archipelago to our knowledge to the Philippine 

 flora, seven genera new to the Islands, fifteen species previously des- 

 cribed from surrounding regions, and many new to science. Consider- 

 ing the proximity of Borneo to the Philippines, and the connecting 

 chains of islands, the Sulu Arcliipelago at the south, Balabac, Palawan, 

 the Calamianes, and the Mindoro chain extending to the north, Bornean 

 types in the Philippine Hora are comparatively rare, but it is not at all 

 surprising to find a considerable num1)er of cluiracteristic Bornean plants 

 on Halcon, althougli Copeland* in the 200 species and varieties of 

 vascular cryptogams known from Halcon considered 1nit one Ophioglos- 

 siiin lutenncdluui . to ])v of prol»il)le Bornean origin. Dncrydiinii fdJcl- 

 forme Pilger, Patcrsonui loii'ii 8tapf, and IHdisrus sanicula'folias Merr., 

 are known only from Mindoro and Borneo, iSclioenus mehinnsta-cliys R. 

 Br., from Mindoro, Borneo and Australia, Burmaiuiia louglfolui Becc. 

 from Mindoro, Borneo and Malayan Peninsula, Syiiiplocos adenophyUa 

 Wall., from ]\Iindoro, Borneo, Banca, Singapore and Penang, while 

 Hedyotis eucapitata Merr., is closely related to a species known only from 

 North Borneo. On the other hand there is a rather remarkal)le assem- 

 blage of Australian types on Halcon, all at high altitudes. Among these 

 may be mentioned Sclioenus ntehtitostachys R. Br., Australia, Borneo and 

 Mindor, the genus being largely developed in Australia, with few species 

 occurring in the ISTorthern Hemisphere, Centrolepis pliilippinemi.s Merr., 



*Lnc. oil., 121. 



