362 The Forests and Waste Lands of Ceylon. 



island, unless they are too rocky for tree growth, are covered with 

 trees, which form a continuous sheet from Pedro Peak to Hakgalla, 

 from thence to Totapella, and in a curved line to Kirigalpota and 

 Adam's Peak. The forests are found on both sides of the ridges, 

 but the tea estates of Bagawantalawa and Maskeliya have encroached 

 far up the slopes. It is not improbable that to these clearings is 

 due the silting up of the lower reaches of the Kelaniganga, and the 

 consequent frequent inundations which are a plague in the low 

 country. A wise rule now prevails to allow no sale of Crown lands 

 above 5000 feet, and there are not many of these left between 4000 

 and 5000 feet. The general character of the forests of the mountain 

 zone is the same as that of the dry country; the trees are flat 

 topped, not generally very tall, and the undergrowth is not unlike 

 in general appearance ; the most characteristic are several species 

 of Eugenia, Calophyllum Walkerii, Michelia nilagirica, Gordonia 

 zeylanica, Elceocarpus obovatus, E. glandulifer, Meliosma pungens, 

 Liisea (5 species), Rhododendron arboreum, &c. 



The undergrowth consists, especially above 5000 feet, mostly of 

 the numerous species of Strobilanthes, which flower and die down every 

 twelve years, and some of which reach a height of 20 feet and a girth 

 of trunk of 1 2 inches. During the flowering time the forest is a blaze 

 of colour, and swarms of bees, attracted to the flowers, produce 

 abundance of honey, which has a peculiar flavour. When the seed 

 ripens, thousands of jungle fowl suddenly appear wandering up from 

 the low country for the food, which they obtain abundantly. 



Besides these plants, there are also large quantities of the little 

 hill Bamboo (Arundinaria), species of Coleus, Hedyotis, and ferns, of 

 which the most noticeable and characteristic is the handsome tree- 

 fern Alsophila crinita, which is found in moist places, in gullies, or 

 on the face of moist rocky precipices. The stem of this occasionally 

 attains a length of 40 feet. Among others, the most interesting are 

 Lomaria Patersoni, Lastrcea Beddomii, Leptogramme Totta, Os??ntnda 

 javanica (in sunny places near streams), Diacalpe aspidioides, Doodia 

 dives, and Maranta fraxinea, the last being only found in the lower 

 portion of this zone, replacing Angiopteris evecta, which it closely 

 resembles. 



The moisture in the atmosphere causes the branches and trunks 

 of trees to be covered with epiphytic plants, such as numerous 

 mosses, ferns, of which some Hymenophyllums closely resemble the 

 mosses, and orchids, the most beautiful of which latter are Dendrobiurn 

 aureum, Cozlogyne odoratissima, and Eria bicolor, and creeping plants 

 such as Piper, Medinilla fuchsioides, &c. In this zone are found the 

 strange Balanaphoras, which are found at higher elevations only 

 within the Tropics. 



European genera are found mostly in this zone, but, on the 

 whole, they occur chiefly in well-lit localities, or in patanas, and, 

 excepting Rhododendron arboreum, the majority are shrubs or 

 herbaceous plants, such are Herberts, Cardamime, Viola, Hypericum, 



