CHAP. XV THE ALPINE ZOAES 291 



This zone of Kenya did not yield very much of botanical 

 interest, no doubt because during our traverse through it there 

 was no time to collect. The bamboos as a rule leave no space 

 for anything except mosses, but in places the soil was covered 

 by Iceland moss {Selaginella) and the maidenhair fern, of a 

 species which Mr. Carruthers identifies with that living on 

 our southern coasts. 



7. The Lower Alpine Zone. — From the forests and jungle 

 of the Bamboo Zone, it is a great relief to emerge on to the 

 Alpine meadows above. These appear to be divisible into two 

 zones, the Lower and Upper Alpine zones. 



The Lower Alpine Zone occurs on Kenya between 10,000 

 and 11,500 feet. In its lower part it contains a few small 

 bamboos and scattered forest trees, outliers from the zone 

 below. Its most conspicuous features are shrubs and meadow 

 plants. The former consist largely of heaths, belonging to the 

 genera Erica and Blceria^ of which the species are not yet 

 described. In protected situations these may grow to the 

 height of I 5 feet, but on exposed slopes they occur mainly as 

 low bushes, about the height of gorse. 



The most striking flowering plants are sessile thistles, 

 yellow composites much like the dandelion, gladiolus {G. 

 ivatsonioides), and meadow orchids {Disa Gregoriana, Rdle.) 

 A tree lobelia of a species very different from those of the 

 zone above, and in growth more like the L. Deckenii of Kilima 

 Njaro, occurs here. 



8. TJie Upper Alpine Zone. — This zone extends from about 

 11,500 to 14,000 feet. The most typical plants in it are the 

 tree groundsels {Senecio kenicnsis, Baker fil.) which grow in 

 groves along the slopes of the valley. These, though belonging 

 to the same genus as our common ragwort and groundsels, are 

 extraordinarily different in form, consisting of fluted trunks of 

 soft brittle wood, which branch once or twice, and sometimes a 

 third time. The branches each support a great cabbage-like 

 rosette of leaves, from which arise long spikes of groundsel 

 flowers. Two tree lobelias {L. Telekii, Schw., and L. Gregoriana, 

 Baker fil.) also occur in this zone. The most conspicuous 

 plants associated with them are the " everlasting flowers " of 

 the Cape and Abyssinia, belonging to the genus Helichrysiini. 



9. The Snoivfields. — The eighth zone now ends at the height 



