18 A SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO TEMENGOH. 
banks as was possible in the day. The flora here was rather 
richer than along the Temengoh woods and the trees on the 
river bank and on the islets were more abundantly weeded 
with epiphytes. Coelogyne aspera was abundant here and in 
flower. It is a very widely distributed orchid over this region 
and in Sumatra, where I have seen in the river woods of Siak 
immense abundance, the clumps being so large that it was 
difficult to find any small enough for our dug-out to carry. 
Along the Kertai too we found the pretty Leea simplicifolia 
with its large leaves purple beneath, a most unvine-like tree 
vine. 
faffesia we found in flower in the wocds at Kuala 
Temengoh and at the upper camp at Ulu Temengoh. I had 
never seen fully opened flowers of any species of Rafilesia before, 
though it appears to be common in some parts of Perak, the 
Malays collecting it for medicine. It is a most wonderful 
object with its bright red petals ornarmented with irregular 
raised white bosses. The scent was not strong, a faint odour 
of Amophophallus, something like a decayi ing animal. Only 
two flowers were seen. 
From the Ulu Temengoh village I and Amat with a few 
carriers went a day further into the forest and camped for a 
few days in the hopes of finding afresh type of flora, but there 
was little difference. The best collecting was done by wading 
up the river. There was very little to be found in the inner 
parts of the forest but the river edge was much more 
productive. The work of wading up these gravelly and 
stony rivers with a strong current is hard, but it is the most 
productive way of botanizing as these are more trees 
and shrubs in flower, overhanging the water. On the return 
journey we collected and examined the rocks of the Perak river 
below Kuala Temengoh, which however were very barren. 
The flora consists of many common weeds. Merremia hastata 
Celosia cristata, some common grasses and other weeds, 
Utricularia bifida, ete. The most interesting plants were 
Crotalaria chinensis, apparently its only known locality in the 
peninsula, and Melothria heterophylla, a weedy cucurbit. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
