82 



BORNEO. 



[crap. f. 



eix flowers, spirally 



arranged upon a slen- 

 der tliread-like stalk. 



Speciiiions grown in 



our English hot-houses 



have piTtduceil tlower- 



Bpikes of uquiil Icngtli, 



and with a much larger 



nnniher of blossoms. 

 Flowers were scarce, 



as is usual in equatorial 



forests, and it was only 



at rare intewals that I 



met with anything 



striking. A few fine 



climbers were some- 

 times seen, especially 

 a handsome crimson 

 and yellow j3Esch}Tiaii- 

 thus, and a fine legu- 

 minous plant with 

 clasters of large Cassia- 

 like flowers of a rich 

 purple colour. Once 

 I found a number of 

 small Anonaceous trees of the genus 

 Polyalthea, producing a most striking 

 effect in tlic gloomy forest shades. They 

 were about thirty feet high, and their 

 slender trunks were covered with large 

 star-like crimson flowers, which clus- 

 tered over them like garlands, and 

 resembled some artificial decoration 

 more than a natural product. (See 

 illustmtion, next page.) 



The forests abound with gigantic 

 trees with cylindrical buttressed, or 

 farrowed stems, whde occasionally the 

 traveller comes upon a wonderful fig-tree, whose trunk is 

 itself a forest of stems and aerial roots. Still more rarely 

 are found ti'eea which appear to have begun gi-owing in 



