THE WONDERS OF SIKKIM. 83 



ascends, begin to mingle with the tropical vegetation., and to 

 impart new charms to the forest ; oaks and walnuts are here 

 seen thriving near palms and arborescent ferns ; mighty rhodo- 

 dendrons expand over thickets of tropical herbage ; parasitical 

 orchids adorn the trunks of the oaks, while thalictrons and 

 geraniums blossom underneath. 



At a height of about 7,000 feet the forest, assuming a de- 

 cidedly temperate physiognomy, is chiefly composed of oaks, 

 magnolias, chestnuts, laurels, and walnuts. In many parts ar- 

 borescent rhododendrons prevail, and ferns are generally very 

 abundant. 



About 10,000 feet above the level of the sea begins a 

 zone or belt of coniferse, chiefly characterised by the silver fir 

 {Abies Webbiana) and the Abies Brunoniana, a beautiful 

 species, forming a stately pyramid, with branches spreading 

 like the cedar, but not so stiff, and drooping gracefully on all 

 sides. Only at intervals other trees, such as willows, magnolias, 

 ashes, birches, poplars, apple and cherry trees, appear among 

 the thick pine-woods. The shrubbery and herbaceous plants 

 of this zone are representatives of the whole temperate flora of 

 Europe and America, intermixed with many Chinese, Japanese, 

 and Malayan plants in the richest variety. Several epiphytic 

 orchids grow to an elevation of 10,000 feet, and large spaces 

 are frequently occupied by rhododendrons, which either ascend 

 from the temperate zone into the coniferous belt, or first appear 

 in the latter. But very few trees, such as the willows, birches, 

 maples, and ashes, rise above the coniferous forest, which 

 reaches an upper limit of about 3 3,000 feet. Most arboreal 

 plants now appear only in a dwarfed condition; but the 

 willows still rise in powerful growth over the many Alpine 

 shrubs — juniperus, rosa, lonicera, potentilla, rhododendron — 

 which cover the ground; and single specimens, though low 

 and stunted, are even found at a height of 16,000 feet. 



The whole zone between the extreme limits of arboreal vege- 

 tation and the upper boundary of shrubs, generally occupies an 

 elevation of from 13,500 to 16,000 feet, and may justly be 

 called the region of the Alpine rhododendrons : these plants 

 are here by far the most numerous, and frequently belt the 

 mountains with a girdle of richly coloured blossoms, even to 

 the verge of the perennial snows. 



Q 2 



