162 FLORA INDICA. 



common all over India, even to the extreme south of the pe- 

 ninsula, in those provinces which have a similar climate. A 

 very few winter-flowering plants (such as Ranunculus seek* 

 ratus) are the only exceptions, and these are mostly wanderers 

 from the temperate region of the Himalaya. We have already 

 had occasion to direct attention to the remarkable uniformity 

 of the vegetation over large areas of India, and as our infor- 

 mation becomes more precise, the sameness becomes more 



striking. 



A considerable portion of the flora of the peninsula does not 

 extend to the upper Gangetic plain, because of the increased 

 cold of winter, and even within the district several plants 

 which are common in the south-eastern portion do not extend 

 to the north-west. Trichodesma Zeylanicum is common about 

 Patna, but not found in Rohilkhand. Cassytha, which is com- 

 mon in Bahar, is found at Agra, but not on the north of the 

 Ganges. The Palmyra (Borassus) is cultivated as far up the 

 Ganges as Alighar and Shahjehanpur, but is not known at 

 Meerut or Moradabad. The only wild palm in the province 

 is Phoenix sylvestris. 



Near the base of the Himalaya there is always a belt ot 

 forest of considerable width ; but as it is identical in vegeta- 

 tion with the tropical belt of the mountains, to which indeed 

 it owes its existence, it will be more convenient to notice it in 

 describing the Himalaya. 



The vegetation of the upper Gangetic plain, which was first 

 explored by Hardwicke, Go van, and Wallich, was afterwards 

 illustrated in detail by Dr. Royle, whose long residence at 

 Saharunpur gave him ample opportunity of investigating it. 

 In his ' Illustrations/ the influence of the climate upon the 

 vegetation, and the curious transition from the humid to the 

 dry country flora, are first pointed out. Our own collection* 

 are chiefly from Rohilkliand. 



18. Bengal. 



The lower part of the Gangetic plain, which constitutes the 



