THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



[SECOND SERIES.] 

 No. 65. MAY 1853. 



XXXI. — On the Occurrence of Palms and Bambus, with Pines 

 and other Forms considered Northern, at considerable elevations 

 in the Himalaija. By Major Madden, H.E.I.C.S., F.R.S.E., 

 M.R. Dublin Society*. 



Having resided for several years in the British portion of the 

 Himalaya Mountains, and more especially in the province of 

 Kemaon, which borders on the Nepalese territories, I possessed 

 opportunities for examining its botany, which up to that period 

 had been investigated by native collectors only, and was thus 

 enabled to determine the western extension of a number of plants, 

 the existence of which had hitherto been supposed to be limited 

 by Nepal. Among these were several palms, on the distribution 

 and association of which, and the inferences to be drawn there- 

 from, I propose to lay before the Botanical Society a few facts 

 for its consideration. 



1. The most common of these palms is one which Dr. Royle 

 has designated PhcBnix liumilis, and which he supposes may be 

 identical with Ph. acaulis of Roxburgh, and which is probably a 

 mere variety of Ph. sylvestris, the wild date tree of India, use- 

 less for its fruit, but yielding abundance of sap, which, in Bengal, 

 is largely employed in the manufacture of sugar. Phoenix humilis 

 occurs in great abundance and beauty in the forest belt all 

 along the base of the mountains, up the warm valleys of the 

 great rivers, and ascends the mountains to 5500 feet, being 

 plentiful at that elevation in the vicinity of Almorah, the capital 

 of the province, and in one or two instances which came under 

 my observation reaching even a thousand feet higher. In its 

 dwarfed form, Phomix humilis is found at least as far N.W. as the 

 Sutluj river, and is the only one of the family which, probably 



* Read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, March 10, 1853. 

 Ann. i^ May. N. Hist. Ser. 2. VoLxu 23 



