26 THE FLORA OF LOWER SI AM. 



of the Malay peninsula as far south as the Batu Caves of Kuala 

 Lumpur, and probably originally further, as some years ago 

 Mr. Machado showed me near Batu Pahat a spot where he 

 had found limestone at some depth below the surface soil. 



The limestone rock is not continuous south of Perlis on 

 the west coast at least, but occurs in detached islands often 

 of considerable altitude. It is extremely probable that they 

 were formerly in most cases surrounded by sea. The flora 

 of these southern outcrops of limestone while containing a 

 good many plants 1 of the Tenasserim flora, are largely now 

 covered with plants of Malayan type which seem to have 

 invaded them from the granitic woods. The limestone rocks 

 which have been .explored botanicaily in the south of the 

 Peninsula are Batu Caves Selangor; Ipoh and neighbourhood ; 

 Gunong Poridok and Lenggong in Perak and Kota Glanggi, 

 Pahang, East Coast. These show distinct traces of the 

 northern Tenasserim flora, with such genera as Calanthe 

 (Preptanthe section) Trichoglottis, Cymaria and several very 

 distinct northern species such as Livistona rupicola, (Batu 

 Caves) Arisaema fimbriatum (Kota Glanggi) Amomum testa- 

 cenm (Batu Caves). As, however, the climate of these limestone 

 rocks is very different from those of Perlis, there being no 

 dry period, it is not to be wondered at that there are not more 

 relics of the northern Perlis flora, adapted as most of it is for 

 xerophytic regions. Mr. Scrivenor tells me that the age 

 of this northern limestone is not known with certainty, but 

 expects that it would be found to be Permo-carboniferous. 

 The Geological story of this district would throw a good 

 deal of light on the origin of the flora, but unfortunately it 

 is not yet to hand. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



