COLLECTING EXPEDITION TO BATANG PADANG. 147 
how it always alights ona leaf of its exact shade of colour. 
Although so plentiful I had great difficulty in capturing a few 
specimens from this habit of rendering itself invisible. 
On the ist and 2nd of September tree felling was con- 
tinued, and | obtained 41 varieties of plants, a considerable 
portion of them being large trees. Growing as a creeper on 
one of the trees was avery pretty fruited Chrlocarpus. The 
fruit of which was ofa bright orange colour. The effect of the 
brilliantly coloured fruit amongst the shiny dark green foliage 
was very striking, and was increased by the yellow flowers and 
bright red terminal buds to the shoots. These terminal buds 
are very curious. The colour is caused by the buds being en- 
cased ina semitransparent cap of bright red resin. These caps 
may be detached and are found to be slightly flexible, but at the 
same time so brittle as to be easily crushed up into powder. 
They take the form, in a great measure, of the enclosed buds, 
which the flexibility of the material under continued pressure 
renders possible. 
A plant which deserves to be grown isa small tree with 
large velvety green leaves, bright crimson beneath. I saw one 
tree here and several more afterwards inthe valley of the 
Telum. The flowers though inconspicuous are very sweet 
scented, smelling like sandal-wood. This tree if it would 
grow in the lowlands would be a great addition to the orna- 
mental trees now grown in the Straits and though more brilli- 
ant, would have much the same effect as the copper-beach has 
in a group of ornamental trees in an English garden. 
Of other plants that | met with on Batu Puteh which would 
repay cultivation | may mention six or seven species of 
Didymocarpus and allied genera, with flowers ranging in colour 
from white to primrose yellow, and from that to shades of 
violet and deep claret. Some of the leaves being also very 
ornamental, both in colour and form. ‘The various species 
of A’schynanthus with their rich red flowers and almost equal- 
ly beautiful bell-lhke calyxes deserve far more attention than 
they receive in the Straits; and some of the Sonerilas with 
quaintly white spotted leaves, fromthe lower hills, are also 
worth cultivation. 
