THE SUB-TROPICAL ZONE. 163 



Amongst others of the summer flowers with whose names 

 we are familiar, are Ginger and Turmeric, which both be- 

 long to a family called Scitaminea; they are herbaceous 

 plants about a foot in height. The flowers of the Ginger 

 grow out of a spathe ; the corolla is tubular and irregular, 

 with six segments, in two whorls ; a very peculiar character 

 is given to the plant by the warm orange tint of the bracts. 

 -The Turmeric too has very much the same general cha- 

 racter. 



The names of the winter plants, both in the cultivated 

 and uncultivated parts of these mountains, have perhaps 

 more of interest for us when English eyes are refreshed 

 by the sight of crops of Wheat, Barley, and Oats, Beans, 

 Vetches, Mustard, Carrots, etc. etc. ; then old English scenes 

 are recalled by the sight of Potentillas and blue-belled Cam- 

 panulas, Mallows (Malva rotundifolia) , Veronicas (JF. kede- 

 rafolia), the blue Pimpernel (Anagallis carulea), the com- 

 mon Sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), and the small Snap- 

 dragon (Antirrhinum Orontium), wild Oats (Avena fatua), 

 and wild Verbena (V. officinalis], the very same species 

 that grow in England ; indeed there is reason to think that 

 some of them have been introduced with English grain. 



" In the autumn season some of the cultivated valleys in 



