lOS 



THE VEGETATION OF TEMPERATE AND ALPINE SIKHIM. 



Barfonchen is a quantity of Scopolia lurida, Aconitum Napclliis, Elsholtzia 

 strohiUfera and many other plants. On rocks near the river are plants 

 of Cathcartia villosa, a papaveraceous plant of localised distribution. 

 The Chola Pass itself is a barren depression, overlooking a precipitous 

 defile. Between Chamanako and Nathu La to the eastward, are two 

 spurs covered with an almost uninterrupted scrub of rhododendrons. 

 Immediately below the pass is a large extent of pasture land, marshy 

 in many places. The most striking plants are Chrysanthemum Atkinsoni, 

 with finely divided foliage and bright yellow flowers; Saussitrea of 

 many species, some with fern-like leaves resembling small Alpine 

 Asplcnium; a large Senecio ; Parnassia, Calathodes,^r\\n\o?,Q& and others. 

 Beyond Nathu La is a long transverse trough-like valley terminating 

 under Zeylap La. It contains several lakes with marshy banks ; before 

 reaching the small plain of Kapup, a deep ravine, which has to be 

 crossed, discloses a view of a magnificent lake whose surface appears 

 black from the reflection of extensive pine forests which grow down 

 to it from every side. A great part of the area on this march is 

 covered with Pohjcjonum campanulatimi ; and the spikenard [Nardos- 

 tachijs Jatamansi) is extremely common, Kapup, immediately at the 

 foot of the valley leading up to Zeylap La, is like an oasis in the 

 desert, as the hills above are rocky and bare. The plants seen during 

 the ascent are those characteristic of the elevation 13 to li.oOO 

 feet. 



The following is a table of the Dicotyledonous orders of Alpine 

 Sikhim, with the numbers of their component species: — 



An analysis of the list proves that this region does not possess any 

 Dicotyledonous order pecular to itself. Twenty-four of the orders 

 are represented more or less all over the world, generally in temperate 



