256 EAST NEPAL. Chap. XI. 



which are erect upon the very long, pensile, whip-like 

 branches ; its leaves, — now red— were falling, and covering 

 the rocky ground on which it grew, scattered amongst 

 other trees. It is called " Saar " by the Lepchas and 

 Cis-himalayan Tibetans, and " Boarga-sella " by the 

 Nepalese, who say it is found as far west as the heads of 

 the Cosi river : it does not inhabit Central or West Nepal, 

 nor the North-west Himalaya. The distribution of the 

 Himalayan pines is very remarkable. The Deodar has not 

 been seen east of Nepal, nor the Pinus Gerardiana, 

 Cupressus torulosa, or Juniper us communis. On the other 

 hand, Podocarpus is confined to the east of Katmandoo. 

 Abies Brunoniana does not occur west of the Gogra, nor the 

 larch west of the Cosi, nor funereal cypress (an introduced 

 plant, however) west of the Teesta (in Sikkim). Of the 

 twelve * Sikkim and Bhotan Coniferm (including yew, 

 junipers, and Podocarpus) eight are common to the North- 

 west Himalaya (west of Nepal), and fourf are not : of the 

 thirteen natives of the north-west provinces, again, only 

 five % are not found in Sikkim, and I have given their 

 names below, because they show how European the absent 

 ones are, either specifically or in affinity. I have stated 

 that the Deodar is possibly a variety of the Cedar of 

 Lebanon. This is now a prevalent opinion, which is 

 strengthened by the fact that so many more Himalayan 

 plants are now ascertained to be European than had been 

 supposed before they were compared with European 

 specimens ; such are the yew, Juniperus communis, Berberis 

 vulgaris, Quercus Ballota, Populus alba and Eujjhratica, &c. 



* Juniper, 3; yew, Abies Webbiana, Brunoniana, and Smithiana: Larch, Pinus 

 cxcelsa, and longifolia, and Podocarpus neriifolia. 



f Larch, Cupressus funebris, Podocarpus neriifolia, Abies Brunoniana. 



.t A juniper (the European communis), Deodar (possibly only a variety of the 

 Cedar of Lebanon and of Mount Atlas), Pinus Gerardiana, P. excelsa, and 

 Cupressus tortdosa. 



