4*8 



than once, the other two flower and fruit fairly frequently, though 

 they can hardly be said to spread. Podocarpus Cupressinus is a 

 much finer plant in the Botanic Gardens than I have ever seen 

 it wild. 



Mountain and Sea-shore Plants. 



It is well known that in many parts of the world plants are 

 found growing wild on the sea-shore, and at high altitudes in the 

 mountains and nowhere between. Thus we find Boeckea frutescens 

 on Mount Ophir and other mountains at an altitude of 4,000 feet, 

 but it is also to be found growing close to the sea on rocks in North 

 Borneo and Tringganu. Dischidia Rafflesiana, a common epiphyte 

 on the trees near the sea, is again to be met with on Mount Ophir 

 at a high elevation, though absent from the intermediate region. 

 Boeckea frutescens has been successfully cultivated on Penang Hill 

 at about 2,000 feet altitude, but speedily perishes in Singapore. 



The reasons for such plants occurring on the sea-shore and on the 

 tops of mountains only is not clear. It is obviously not a mere 

 question of distribution of species as these plants cannot be induced 

 frequently to grow when moved away from the sea inland. It may 

 be due to other atmospheric changes. 



It is interesting too to note that many mountain plants which 

 are found commonly growing at considerable altitudes (at 4,00° 

 feet or upwards) on rocks or low trees can only be induced to grow 

 in the low country on the tops of lofty trees, and not rarely occur 

 there in a wild state. Thus, Coelogyne Cumingi which grows in 

 great masses on bare rock faces on Mount Ophir, in the low country 

 occurs on the upper branches of lofty trees 150 feet tall, and is 

 very difficult to induce to thrive and flower under any circumstances 

 at sea level, even on the top of Bukit Timah Hill in Singapore 500 

 feet altitude. 



Letanopteris carnosa, a peculiar fern, grows on lofty Shorea trees 

 about 150 feet tall, and also it occurs abundantly on the Thaipmg 

 Hills at 4,000 feet and upwards. With this plant on Bukit Timah 

 grows also Rhododendron Lampongum, the only species of Rhodo- 

 dendron occurring at less than 2,000 feet elevation. Coelogyne 

 Cumingi and Polypodium stenophyllum all plants of typically high 

 elevations, and all difficult plants to cultivate at the foot of the hfll. 

 Davallia triphylla which also occurs abundantly on the upper 

 branches of these lofty trees, is somewhat peculiar in its habits. 

 It was long considered an extremely rare plant, so much so that 

 fifteen years ago very few herbaria contained dried specimens of it 

 By searching for fallen trees and boughs in the forests, plenty ot 

 specimens were obtained, its rarity being due to its extremely Iott) 

 and inaccessible habitat. Plants taken from fallen boughs were 

 planted on pieces of tree fern, trunk and rough-barked wood, ana 

 found to grow luxuriantly at the low elevation of the Gardens, and 

 it has there been established on trees only a few feet from tne 

 ground, yet this plant is never found in a wild state except on tn 

 top boughs of these lofty trees 



