H. V. ROSENDAHL, ON TWO COLLECTIONS OF PERNS. 3 



interior of the country into a very liilly landscape. On the 

 beach itself there are sandbanks with a forest behind of 

 Pandanus and palms, principally Chrysalidocarpus, as domin- 

 ating elements. Beyond the forest extend rather sterile 

 plains of sand or large swamps with low species o( Pa7idanus, 

 Typhonodorum (Araceae), thinly growing Raphia etc. All the 

 year round there is a considerable rainfall, amounting to 

 2,500 mm or more. 



The Mora manga territory, also situated on the east 

 side between the capital Antananarivo and the sea, with 

 an altitude of 700 — 800 m, is on the whole very hilly and 

 covered with thick rain-wood. Here and there small plains 

 and other woodless spaces are to be found. The eastern slopes 

 of the hills are woody, where as the western slopes are bare. 

 Aloramanga is situated on the upper (west) border of a 

 large coherent extension of primeval forest, lining a great 

 part of the east side of Madagascar on this level and 

 reaching down to the coast only at a few places. The rain- 

 fall is perhaps somewhat greater than in the Tamatava 

 territory. 



The Maj unga territory on the northwest side, traversed 

 by the rivers Makaobi and Baziboka, is thinly wooded 

 and has a relativly dry climate. The rainy season comes in 

 November— March. The rainfall in a year is about 1,200 

 mm. Some small parts of the primeval forest, which are 

 damp all the year and whose principal characteristic plant 

 is Raphia Rnffia, abound in individual ferns. 



The Tullear territory on the south east side has a 

 particularh' dry climate, especiall}' at the coast, where no 

 fixed rainy season exists. It consists principally of plat 

 plateaus gently rising towards the interior of the country. 

 The vegetation on these plateaus is thin, low and shrubby 

 near the coast. The farther one gets into the country, the 

 greater is the rainfall and though it is always inconsiderable, 

 it is possibly already at Manasoa Tanony to speak of a 

 short but plainly marked rainy season during Dec— Febr. 

 The vegetation also changes in the interior of the country. 

 It gets higher and thicker. Low, shrubby fousts alternate 

 with dry grassy plains, partly of the savannah-type. 



According to the following list the number of different 

 ferns amounts to 90- 



