28 AN ACCOUNT OF A BOTANICAL EXPEDITION 



steam up river. The river banks were fringed with the ordinary 

 tidal river plants, among which the Nipah palm and the 

 Korma or tidal river date palm (Phoenix paludosa) were 

 conspicuous. This palm grows along the banks of all the tidal 

 rivers here in small patches. It occurs in such spots from 

 Bengal, as far south as v Lumut in the Dindings, and in Upper 

 Siam and Cochin-China, but is absent from the tidal rivers of 

 the south of the Peninsula. 



A moderately large crocodile was lying on the mud of the 

 river bank as we passed up but speedily disappeared into the 

 water. 



The town and suburbs of Alor Sta are well kept and 

 picturesque, the houses and gardens being bright and pleasant 

 to see. During my stay Mr. W. G. Maxwell and Mrs. Maxwell 

 kindly entertained me and gave me every facility for pursuing 

 my botanical researches. 



Alor Sta lies in an extensive plain of ricefields and it is 

 only in the distance that one can see any hills. Kedah Peak, 

 (Gunong Jerai) and Gunong Perak are the only ones of any 

 size to be seen, though to the North and East low ranges are 

 to be seen on the horizon. After lunch T went with the plant- 

 collector to examine the flora of the rice-fields. The paddy 

 crop was nearly all gathered in, but a few natives were em- 

 ployed in reaping the last patches. Here and there on the 

 edges of the paddy fields? and scattered over them, were 

 isolated clumps of bushes and trees. In these thickets were two 

 species of Capparis, thorny shrubs half scandent. One of these 

 had white flowers of medium size with a yellow blotch which 

 turned later of a deep madder pink on the two lower petals 

 (C. micracantha) ; the other had smaller white flowers, 

 (C. sepiaria). Both we found later common also at Perlis and 

 Setul. Coldenia procumbens is a common weed here, a prostrate 

 creeping half fleshy plant with minute flowers, I have only 

 previously seen it in Pahang near Pekan. Here we also first 

 saw the large fan palm Corypha which extends up to Perlis 

 and is a most conspicuous and handsome tree. We succeeded 

 later in gathering fallen fruits of it and saw T one or two in flower, 



Jour. Straits Branch 



