70 A Journey to the Salween 
the barrier ridge in which we now found ourselves pre- 
sented forests and undergrowth richer than anything we 
had yet come across. 
Amongst the dense thickets of rhododendron, many of 
them big trees thirty feet high, but none now in flower, a 
magnificent spruce was conspicuous, besides maples, birches, 
and alders. Between the forest trees and the herbaceous 
undergrowth was a second tier of shrub vegetation, Capri- 
foliaceae (Lonzcera, Viburnum, Diervilla), Saxifragaceae 
(7zbes, Deutzza), Rosaceae (Rosa, Rubus, Prunus, Spiraea), 
with Clematis montana and clumps of bamboo. 
The undergrowth itself varied considerably according 
to the nature of the forest, consisting in one place mainly 
of ferns, in another of a yellow-flowered Corydalis growing 
very rankly, but just here it was far more varied. A 
pretty pink Oxalis was conspicuous, with several species 
of Arisaema; here and there was a Listera, Monkshoods 
occurred in quantity, and numerous plants of Lzlzum 
giganteum were just showing their leaves. Indeed, the 
Liliaceae were as richly represented as any order, and 
included some very sweet-scented Oligobotryas both pink 
and white-flowered, Paris, Convallarias, and others. There 
were ferns too, as stated, Aspidiums and Aspleniums chiefly, 
but these were confined to the damper parts of the forest. 
The Aroids (species of Arisaema) were the most peculiar 
of all, for many of them had not only the spathe drawn 
Out into a flagellum several inches in length, and covered 
by a lid very similar to that of Nepenthes, but the spadix 
itself was similarly attenuated. Instead of being straight, 
however, the spadix was bent sharply down on itself, by 
which means it was brought out of the investing spathe, 
and then turned upwards again in its original direction. 
The object of this external spadix, which is coloured, is 
undoubtedly to attract and guide insects to the flower, the 
double bend being merely a mechanical device to expose 
the spadix without the necessity of raising the lid. As to 
the latter, which is simply the triangular tip of the spathe 
bent over and drawn out into a long flagellum, this is 
perhaps useful on account of the persistent rains in the 
forest where these Arums grow; but the use of the 
flagellum itself, which is the most remarkable feature of 
