124 BOTANY OF INDIA. 



and beautiful woman." It will be at once felt how strik- 

 ingly these princes of the vegetable kingdom must charac- 

 terize the aspect of those districts where they most abound. 

 IVor must we forget to particularly admire in the scenery of 

 this country the several kinds of Bambusa, all passing un- 

 der the popular name of bamboo. The bamboo is a native 

 of tropical regions, and though a gramineous plant, attains 

 almost an arborescent character : it is from thirty to a hun- 

 dred feet in height ; and, when bending gracefully before 

 the wind, is aiSrmed by Humboldt to be one of the most 

 remarkable objects in a tropical landscape. 



The tanks and streams in India present a variety of 

 beautiful flowers, mostly belonging to the genera Nelumbo, 

 Nymphcea, and YiUarsia, but going under the general de- 

 nomination of water-lilies. These delight in a warm at- 

 mosphere, but the shade afforded by the surrounding groves 

 is at the same time congenial to their nature ; and their 

 broad blossoms of various hues, as thej- float on the surface 

 of the quiet water, are the admiration of natives as well as 

 of foreigners. 



As we leave the plains and ascend the hilly country, the 

 vegetable forms are obsened to change, and when we at- 

 tain an elevation of about 5000 feet we begin to find a flora 

 characteristic of a temperate region. " On arriving at 

 ■what maj' be called the mountains, though they are not 

 separated from the low hills by any distinct boundary, we 

 have a very elevated region, consisting of one mountain 

 heaped on another, and rising to a great height ; so that 

 when any fall happens in winter their tops are for a short 

 time covered with snow. The inhabited valleys between 

 these are in general very narrow, and are of various degrees 

 of elevation, probably from 3000 to 6000 feet of perpendicular 

 height above the plains of Puraniya. Of course they differ 

 very much in their temperature ; so that some of them 

 abound in the ratan and bamboo, both of enormous dimen- 

 sion, while others produce only oaks and pines. Some 

 ripen the pine-apple and sugar-cane, while others produce 

 only barley, millet, and other grains. The timber-trees 

 consist of various oaks, pines, firs, walnut, chestnut, horn- 

 beam, yew, laurels, hollies, birches, Gordonias, Michclias, 

 &c., most of them species hitherto unnoticed by bota- 

 nists."* 



* Hamilton's Account of Nepaul. 



