I9I5-] H. N. Ridley: Botany of Gunong Tahan. 



129 



Wray had previously made collections here, an account of 

 which has been published by me in the 'Journal of the 

 Linnean Society, Botany,' xxxviii. p. 303, the plants recorded 

 therein from 3,300 feet being those collected here. The flora 

 here completely changes on reaching the ridge upon which 

 the Camp is built. Up to this point the flora is that of the 

 Teku woods, and we find such lowland plants as Calophyllum 

 spectabile, Eugenia claviflora, Hornstedtia scyphus, Memecylon 

 garcinioidcs, but along the ridge on which the Camp is built is 

 a more montane flora with some distinct plants. Here we 

 found Argostemma albociliatwn, Ridl., Sonerila suffruticosa, 

 Gaertnera violascens, n. sp., G. lanceolata, n. sp., Biilbophyllum 

 virescens, a variety of Pterhanthes coriacea, Geostachys rupestris, 

 and Pentaphragma grande. Besides these we got a number of 

 the ridge-plants, characteristic of the rocky ridge running to 

 the west. To the north of the Camp lay a deep wooded 

 valley, through the base of which ran the stream which 

 supplied water to the Camp. The most conspicuous plant 

 here was the fine palm Livistona Tahanensis, which was very 

 abundant and afforded food to wild elephants. On one of 

 these palms Mr. Robinson espied a beautiful crimson-flowered 

 shrub, which proved to be a new Pachycentria and one with 

 the largest flowers known in the genus. Here also grew 

 Rhododendron longiflorum. Descending to the stream, I 

 followed it to its junction with another, and followed this to 

 its source, then, cutting our way along the ridge at further 

 side of the valley, joined the track to Gunong Tahan, and 

 returned to Camp by it. The banks of the stream bore many 

 plants peculiar to this district, notably Xyris grandis, Canscora 

 trinervia, Tainia vegettssinin, Nephelaphyllnm pulchrum, and 

 Cystorchis aphylla. 



SKEAT'S RIDGE. 



The track to Gunong Tahan runs along a succession 

 of precipitous sandstone ridges with a distinctly xerophytic 

 flora. This flora stretches along these ridges as far as the 

 Gunong Tahan Padang, and, though part of it disappears, 

 many of the plants still occur at this place. Aroids, scarce 

 after leaving the Kuala Teku, have disappeared, with the 

 exception of Scindapsus Scortechinii. Grasses, except for one 

 or two plants of Isachne javana, and sedges, except Gahnia 

 tristis and G. javanica, are wanting. Gesneraceae are repre- 

 sented by an epiphytic Mschynanthns and Parabcea rubiginosa. 

 The palms, except Calamus elegans in the damper spots, have 

 disappeared, for the Livistona, though occurring in the damp 

 woods running up to the sides of the rocky ridge, can hardly 

 be said to enter this flora. The hygrophytic ferns, Alsophila, 

 Lastrea, Cyathea, etc., are gone, and replaced by the 

 xerophytic species of epiphytic Polypodiuni, Dipteris Horsfieldi, 

 Matonia pectinata, Oleandra neriiformis, and Schizcea M alaccana. 

 The Dipteris and Matonia were so abundant that we used 

 them for bedding. The characteristic shrubs are Boeckia, 



