'MOUNTAINS AND FJELDS. lit 



Humbolt found that on all mountains there occurs such a 

 representation of different floras, and that particular alpine 

 forms are found almost over the whole world at a particular 

 elevation. In describing the South American alpine flora 

 he says : " In the burning plains, scarce raised above the 

 level of the Southern Ocean, we find musaceae, cycadaceaa, 

 and palmse, in the greatest luxuriance; after them, shaded 

 by the lofty sides of the valleys in the Andes, arborescent 

 ferns ; next in succession, bedewed by cool misty clouds, 

 cinchonas appear. When lofty trees cease, we come to 

 aralias, thibaudias, and myrtle-leaved andromedas ; these 

 are succeeded by bej arias abounding in resin, and forming 

 a purple belt around the mountains. In the stony region 

 of the paramos, the more lofty plants and showy flowering 

 herbs disappear, and are succeded by large meadows cov- 

 ered with grasses on which the llama feeds. We now reach 

 the bare trachytic rocks, on which the lowest tribes of 

 plants flourish. Parmelias, lecideas, and leprarias, with 

 their many coloured thalli and fructification, form the 

 flora of this inhospitable zone. Patches of recently fallen 

 snow now begin to cover the last efforts of vegetable life, 

 and then the line of eternal snow begins/ 



Madden and Strachy give the following account of the 

 Himalayan vegetation, proceeding from the plains of India 

 through Kemaon to Tibet: * Ascending, we find forms 

 of temperate climates gradually introduced above 3000 

 feet, as seen in species of pinus, rosa, rubus, quercus, 

 berberis, primula, &c. At 5000 feet the arboreous vege- 

 tation of the plains is altogether superseded by such trees 

 as oaks, rhododendron, andromeda, cypress, and pine. The 

 first ridge crossed ascends to a height of 8700 feet in a 

 distance of not more than 10 or 12 miles from the termi- 

 nation of the plains. The European character of the 

 vegetation is here thoroughly established, and although 

 specific identities are comparatively rare, the representa- 

 tive forms are most abundant. From 7000 to 11,000 feet, 

 the region of t!ie alpine forest, the trees most com,mcm 



