168 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIX. 



condition ai rhat time as to furnish sufficient materia] for their 

 identification. Of the 345 indigenous plants abonf 30 onlv are trees 

 95 shrubs and undershrubs ; all the rest are herbs, mostly perennials. 

 Almost all the plants have a wide geographical distribution with 

 regard to the Indian as well as to flic extra-Indian region. No ende- 

 mic species has been found as yet. Dutch has over 200 species in 

 common with Sind and about KiO with Gujarat. Of the latter aboni 

 70 do not occur in Sind, whilst of the former over 80 have not been 

 found in Gujarat, If we consider thai Outch i- a eountiv with a 1oh» 

 dn season, that the soil is mostly sand\ or rocky, thai -ah is present 

 in the -oil not only along the sea shore anil in the vicinity of the 

 ( i real Rami, but more or less all over the country, we -hall find ir quite 

 natural thai most of the plants of Outch exhibit a remarkable <>eneral 

 similarity and agree in having a lower rati' of transpiration than 

 plants living in place- where plenty of water i- available ; in short 

 that the vegetation shows a distinct xerophytic character. Nearh all 

 the structural features by which transpiration i.- reduced may be 

 observed in the flora of Outch: A thick cuticle upon rite epidermis 



of the leaves, reduction of the number of -t ata, depression ol tic 



stomata, a thick covering oi ban-, reduction of the transpiring surface 

 formation of aqueous tissue, etc. In the following we -ball examine 

 a number of plant- in which the xerophytic character i- best express- 

 ed, indicating briefly the special contrivance!! bv which reduction of 

 transpiration i> obtained. 



In Tinospora cardifolia a eork\ bark is formed over the woodv 

 parts of the plant and, thus, transpiration confined in the rounger 

 parts and the leaves. 



Cocculm 1'illosnx ha.- the younger part, densely villous, also 

 flic upper and lower surface i t the leaves and tin' petioles. 

 i oemU'ii hcvba shows similar formations to those of Tinospora 

 cord/folia. Farsetia jaci/nemontii, a rigid shrub, i> covered all 

 over with appressed hair.-, which, like a thick felt, reduce 

 excessive transpiration. The Order Capparulacea show- a great 

 variety of adaptations to a dry climate. Cleouu luonophylla is 

 ed with pubescence ami even the capsules arc clothed with 

 -hort -tout hairs. Cleome stocksianu is partly protected by having 

 fleshy leaves which store up a considerable quantity of water. 



In Cleome l>racli>/earpu the younger stem* are covered "itli 



