INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 235 



well wooded dells possess a uniformly hot climate, and closely 

 resemble similar spots on the Eastern Archipelago. Vaccinia 

 are plentiful, and there are many representatives of the Ma- 



Myristica, Henslovia (W 



ens 



Medini lla 



m 



ceras, and Tacca. 



Higher up, temperate climate forms become common, 

 chiefly oaks (of which, including chesnuts, sixteen species 

 are known), Styrax, Magnolia, Garcinia, Sphcerocarya, and 

 Lauracece. Acanthacea form a great part of the underwood, 

 and balsams are very numerous. The open hill-sides are 

 covered with a luxuriant herbage, remarkably rich in species ; 

 and at elevations above 5000 feet there is a remarkable pre- 

 dominance of northern forms, which are common on the Hi- 

 malaya at greater elevations. Most of the large Himalayan 

 genera are there represented. We find species of Ranunculus, 

 Anemone, Thalictrum, Delphinium, Coryda/is, Geranium, Par- 

 nassia, Rubus, Potentilla, Sanguisorba, Astragalus, Saxifraga, 

 Astilbe, Umbelliferce, Valeriana, Senecio, Cirsium, Pedicularis, 

 Primula, Tofieldia, and Iris. Of many of the genera which 

 abound in the temperate Himalaya there are only single spe- 

 cies, of others there are several. Rhododendron is represented 

 by several species. One of these, the common R. arboreum, 

 has a very wide range in India : the others belong to the more 

 eastern forms of the genus, and, like the species of Java, de- 

 scend to very low elevations : of Rosa also, the only species is 

 the Peninsular and Chinese R. sempe rvirens . 



We have elsewhere (page 105) alluded to the prevalence of 

 Chinese and Japan forms in Eastern India ; many of these are 

 Himalayan, but some are quite peculiar to the Khasia. Of 

 these, Pinus Sinensis, Nymphaa ptjgmaa, Aralia aculeata, Ha- 

 mamelis Chinensis, Nepenthes phyllamphora, and Bowringia 

 of Hooker (a curious genus of ferns) are all Cliinese species, 

 which in India are almost confined to the Khasia. Reeve- 

 sia and lllicium are eencra confined, so far as is hitherto 



