112 S. Kurz — A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Nicobar Islands. [No. 3, 



and branches of trees grow chiefly Asplenium nidus and A. macrophyllum, 

 Vittaria elongata, and a number of orchids, like Oberonia, Trichoglottis 

 quadricomuta frequently, Fhalaenopsis comu-cervi, Pholidota imbricata, 

 and Saccolabium obliquuvi. Parasites were not observed, but Henslowia 

 erythrocarpa was once met with. Owing to the darkness, mosses and 

 liver-mosses are not well-developed here, but along the rocky courses of 

 rivulets patches of Fissidens and Hypna occur. 



Where clearings take place in these forests, Scleriae chiefly occupy 

 the terrain, with other grasses, amongst which Hibiscus Abelmoschus is 

 often observed, 



4. Gbass-heaths. 



The grass-heaths, as they have been called by Dr. Diedrichsen, occupy 

 the hillocky plateaux of most of the islands of the northern group, and are 

 physiologically equivalent to the " low forests" of Pegu, more especially 

 with that variety of them in which the trees are more scattered. They form 

 park-like grass-lands,* which are made up chiefly of Scleriae, JEragrostis 

 Zeylanica, Friachne Chinensis, Bhynchospora Wallichii, FLeteropogon con- 

 tortus, several species of Fimbristylis, Imperata arundinacea, Spodiopogon 

 (very hairy) and the hairy Sorghum muticum (these two grasses grow chiefly 

 on the outskirts of the tropical forests and at the bottom of the dells, where 

 they attain a height, of 5 to 6 feet), Dimeria locally, Chrysopogon acicula- 

 tus, Fragrostis unioloides, Digitaria, and Cyperus polystachyus. Of other 

 plants associate chiefly Gleichenia dichotoma, Lycopodium curvatum, 

 Pachystoma senile, which here has always rose-coloured flowers often colour- 

 ing whole tracts red, Eulophia graminea, Urena lobata, Triumfetta rhom- 

 boidea, Desmodium polycarpum scantily and D. heterophyllum, Pycnospora 

 nervosa, TJraria lagopodioides, Lindsaea lanceolata, Hedyotis approximata, 

 H. Wallichii, and Ft. graminicola, JEvolvulus linifolius scantily, Euphorbia 

 parviflora, and some others. At the bottom of the numerous dells where 

 rivulets not more than from 2 to 3 feet in breadth have cut courses from 4 to 5 

 ft. deep, the grasses naturally grow more luxuriantly and entirely hide the water. 

 Such places are usually more or less swampy and in this case a great 

 number of other grasses and plants appear, such as Cyperus vulgaris, 

 C. Haspan, G. Iria, G. pilosus, and C. dilutus, Fimbristylis miliacea, F. coni- 

 planata, F. diphylla, Fwirena umbellata, Fhynchospora aurea, Scleria laevis, 

 S. Sumatrensis, and a white-fruited form of the last (these j)revailing), Pas- 



* The northern parts of Karnicobar are for a great part covered by Saccharum 

 spontaneum, and it seems that part of the grass-heaths of the northern part of Kamorta 

 (where the wild buffaloes occur) is also covered by this grass. At least I am informed 

 that coarse grass, cutting like a knife, occurs between Tring and Enaka. Those grass- 

 lands which I visited above Tring and of the northernmost part of Kamorta are all 

 the same as those of the southern part. 



