60 AN ACCOUNT OF A BOTANICAL EXPEDITION 



Malay Peninsula as far south at least as the Batu Caves in 

 Selangor on one side, and Kota Glanggi in Pahang on the 

 other. Denudation from the hills of the interior silted up the 

 sea round these islands and included them in the now widened 

 area of the Peninsula. Owing to the change of climate, 

 due probably to the growth of forests on the new flat land 

 along the coasts, many of the limestone plants of the north 

 disappeared from the rocks of the Batu Caves but enough 

 remain, especially on the highest points, to establish a con- 

 nection with the flora of the limestone rocks of Lower Siam. 



Meanwhile from the north denudation of the hills brought 

 down silt to such an extent as to form dry land round the 

 limestone islands of Perlis and Setul, and to connect Tenas- 

 se'rim by land with the Malay Peninsula. The wave of 

 vegetation which covered this new land came from the North, 

 and is of Burmese and Cochin-Chinese origin; a few plants 

 passed northwards from the Malay flora, but the greater part 

 of this flora is Burmese. 



Of the limestone islands remaining isolated we have left 

 the Lankawi smaller islands, Terutau, and many others to the 

 north. Silting up round the Lanka w T i islands is continuing 

 and the sea is gradually shallowing between the mainland and 

 the islands, so that in time they will be standing in a flat land 

 plain like the islands of Perlis and Setul. In the sea north of 

 the Malayan region formerly lay some granitic islands which, 

 isolated far from Tenasserim, bore a Malay flora. Some of 

 these, such as Kedah Peak, and Gunong Perak were long ago 

 surrounded by silt and are well inside the Malay Peninsula as 

 we have it now. Some others Penang and the Pulau Song 

 Song group still remain detached. Their flora contains no 

 admixture of Burmese elements! it is typically Malayan. 



Eanunculaceae. 

 Naravclia , axillaris, n. sp. 



A slender pubescent climber. Leaves trifoliolate 

 with 2 ovate leaflets 2 inches long t>y li inch wide, with 

 3 nerves, which are pubescent, the third leaflet a slender 



Jour. Straits Branch 



