MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. im 



At lower elevations during the early Autumm are found the white anemone 

 flowers, A. polyanthes ; yellow buttercups, JRanunculus diffusus ; white honey- 

 lotus, Melilotus alba ; the handsome light yellow Les'pedeza jimcea ; yellow 

 purple-lined yEschynome^ie indica and bluish Smithia ciliata ; purple TJraria 

 iiegleeta ; pink Desmodum podosarpwrn ; pink and red Vigna vexillata ; yellow 

 Atylosia 'platycavpa ; yellow purple-veined Rhynchosia himalensis, and pink 

 or white Flemingia fiuticulona ; white sundew, Drosera lunata ; purple or 

 white Erigeron ; the strongscented yellow Cavpesium abrotanoides used to 

 dye silk ; the bur-marigold, JSidens pilosa ; yellow and purple wormwood, 

 Artemisia Absinthium ; blue Mazus mgosus ; yellow Sopubta trijida ; pink 

 Amphicome arguta ; green and purple Achyranthes aspera ; blue Strobilanthes 

 f/lutinosus, and red-purple Justicia pubigera. 



No mention can be made of the flora of Kashmir without including the 

 trees, the finest of them is the cJienar plane, Platanus orientalis, which attains 

 a great height and girth ; it was introduced by the Emperor Jehangir from 

 Persia early in the Seventeenth century and is now to be found all over the 

 valley ; it buds in April, blooms in May, and in October the five-pointed leaves 

 turn from green to the richest red and yellow colours. The walnut, Juglan" 

 regia, is also a splendid tree, the green flower appearing in May, and the 

 two-valved nut ripening in September. The box tree, Buxus sempervirens, 

 is found at a height of about 6,000 feet in cold damp glens facing the north : 

 its yellow-green flowers are to be seen in April and the small seeds in 

 October. The deodar, Cedrus deodara, a variety of the cedar of Lebanon : 

 the common pine, Pinus longifolia ; the horsechestnut, JEsculus indica ; the 

 hawthorn, Crataegus oxyaeantha, and the bay-tree, Daphne oleoides, range 

 from 6,000 to 7,000 feet ; above them the blue pine, Pinus excelsa ; silver fir. 

 Picea morinda, and at 10,500 feet, the very top of the forests, Abies Webbiana, 

 the dark foliage of which gives the name Kala ban, black forest, to the 

 neighbourhood, and among these trees is found the white barked birch. 

 Betula utilis. The common ivy, Hedera helix is found above 6,000 feet ; its 

 autumn greenish flower and winter black yellow and red berries make it 

 quite a feature of the woods in those seasons. There are 10 genera of 

 ferns and about 80 species to be found commonly in the valley, a complete 

 list of which was included in a little book called " Hints on travelling in 

 Kashmir," published by the Pioneer Press, Allahabad, that in addition 

 gives much useful advice for visitors to the State. 



Kashmir is considered a place where a summer can be pleasantly spent 

 in shooting, painting its lovely scenery, or playing polo and the fascinating 

 game of golf, but the varied richly-coloured wild flowers are also a great 

 attraction, though one is no botanist, and its geological features are full of 

 interest even for an amateur in the science. 



J. H. A. IVENS. 

 23rd; September 1911. 



