49 
inhabited by savages, and is as yet little explored botanically- 
The flora of Formosa, the northern neighbor of the Philippine 
archipelago, is, since the acquisition of that group of islands by 
the United States, of especial interest to Americans, and any 
study of Philippine plants necessitates comparison with those of 
Formosa. This part of the collection should be appreciated in 
New York. 
The Yunnan part of the collection contains about 4,500 num- 
bers, comprising probably 3,000 species. All those plants were 
collected in the years 1896 to 1900 from two stations as centers, 
Mengtse and Szemao. These are frontier customs posts, close 
respectively to the borders of Tonking and Burmah. With the 
aid of native collectors the country within a radius of 100 miles 
from each station was fairly well botanized over. Southern 
Yunnan is an entirely mountainous region, a succession of deep 
valleys and high ranges. Collecting was carried on in a wide 
range of altitude, from 1,000 feet above sea level in the deep 
defiles of the Red River to 10,000 feet, the height of many peaks, 
both to the north and south of that river. Collecting near Szemao 
touched upon the watersheds of the Mekong and of the Black 
iver. The flora of the lower levels in these regions is quite 
tropical in cane higher up, it is like that of the temperate 
parts of China, and many Ichang plants were here again met 
with. Purely alpine types scarcely occur in Yunnan even at 
10,000 feet altitude. 
The Yunnan plants are now being rane identified and 
described as regards new species at Kew : but of the natural 
orders are as yet not worked up. Still it is Ga ie to glance at 
some interesting features of the collection. The immense num- 
ber of ferns, about 250 species, is astonishing ; and they include, 
besides many new species, two new genera, one of whic 
archangiopterts, is a striking new type in the small group of 
Marattiaceae. Cheivopteris has been described as a new genus 
by Christ of Bale; but Baker regards this as merely a novel 
species of Polypodium. Whatever may be determined ultimately 
concerning the proper seat of this fern, it is very remarkable and 
distinct in several characters. Scolopendrium Delavay is a pretty 
