120 FLORA INDICA. 



A dense forest clothes all the humid southern and western 

 parts of the island, composed of plants eminently character- 

 istic of Malabar. The vegetation of the upper and lofty dis- 

 tricts is more mixed with temperate forms, and is extremely 

 luxuriant, containing many, and indeed composed almost ex- 

 clusively, of the species of the great Peninsular chain. Be- 

 sides the mountain-slopes being covered with dense forests, 

 there arc open and undulating lofty table-lands wJiich appear, 

 like those of the Nilghiri and Khasia, to be clothed with large 

 clumps of shrubs, swards of grass, and a rich herbaceous ve- 

 getation, the large trees being confined to the ravines. In 

 these places, Terns trcemiacea, Rhododendron arboreum, Vac- 

 cinia, Gaaltheria, Symploci, Michelia, Goughia, and Gomphan- 

 dra, seem as frequent as they are on analogous elevations of 

 the continental ranges. 



Though the Flora of Ceylon (which probably does not con- 

 tain 3000 phamogamic plants) is on the whole identical witli 

 that of the peninsula, it presents a considerable number of 

 endemic species, and a few genera, especially tropical ones, 

 which are not found in the peninsula. Dilleniacece, Anonacetf, 

 Garciniacea, Balsaminea, are all abundant in Ceylon. I ts 

 most remarkable deficiencies are Scitaminece, Oaks, Willow, 

 Nipa, Gnetum, Pinus, Podocarpus, Cycas. It presents also but 

 few Palms : amongst these the most conspicuous are Cocoa- 

 nut (cultivated only) , Corypha umbraculifera, Borassus flabel- 

 liformis, Plmnix farinifera, Caryota urens, an Arenga, Areca, 

 and several Calami. This is a remarkably small number, 

 when the Flora is contrasted with the Malayan*. 



The Cingalese Flora has been investigated by a succession 

 of industrious botanists, but no attempt at an enumeration 01 



The adaptation of the soil and climate of the lowest and hottest parts o 

 Ceylon to the ripening of grapes, ig a most remarkable fact connected with 

 cultivation of the vine. Mr. Edgar Layard (whose zoological researches 

 Ceylon are so well known and appreciated) informs us that at Jaflnaj a 

 northern extreme, the grape is grown successfully. The cold weather or no 

 east monsoon seta in there early in November, and the " sweet water 

 in May and in October, and the "black cluster" in September j after fruiting, 



