40 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
From the Burmese frontier in the south-west, and running across 
the province in a north-easterly direction into Szechwan, is a narrow 
volcanic belt, easily defined by numerous boiling springs and local 
seismic disturbances. The water of the springs is heavily charged 
with sulphur and other minerals, has certain medicinal properties, 
and is largely utilized by the local Chinese in the cure of many ail- 
ments. This volcanic belt can also be traced by many species peculiar 
to it, such as Ilex Pernyi, Eremunis chinensis, forms of Lilium Brownii, 
giant Lobelias, Primula malacoides, and many lovely species of the 
families Liliaceae, Scitamineae, and Orchidaceae. 
The Tali range, in the Mekong basin and within this volcanic 
area, is one of the most prolific of the west. For forty miles it forms 
the western bulwark of the Tali valley, enclosing the beautiful lake 
called Erh-hai. Owing to its great bulk acting as a rain-screen, the 
rainfall on the western flank is greatly in excess of that on the eastern 
side. As a result the vegetation on the west is much more luxuriant 
and of quite a different character. Though on both flanks there is 
a decided pine belt from about 10,000 to 12,000 feet, the spurs and 
ridges on the east, from their bases to the higher alps, are mostly of 
a pastoral character, with the arborescent vegetation confined to the 
gullies and lateral valleys (fig. 6). On the west the vegetation is prin- 
cipally arborescent, so dense in places as to be almost impenetrable ; it 
attains a much greater altitude, and is carried right to the base. That 
part of the range has never been explored to any extent, and, judging by 
the results of two short and hasty journeys in 1906, and one in recent 
years, the collections of which are so far undetermined, it carries many 
interesting and new species. During these journeys were found the 
following : Buddleia myriantha, a shrub of 10 feet, allied to B. variabilis, 
but with deeper-coloured blooms ; a new Berberis, named B. centi- 
folia, an excellent rock shrub of 2-5 feet, with charming yellow blooms, 
and an interesting new species of Diapensia, D. Bulky ana, also a rock 
shrub, and peculiar in having bright yellow flowers instead of the 
normal purple-red. Leptodermis glauca, a dwarf shrub 2 feet in height 
with beautiful lavender flowers, was also rediscovered. There also, 
in moist open situations amongst scrub, was found the beautiful 
Pieris Forrestii with its pure waxy-white fragrant blooms. On the 
cliffs the dominant shrub was Rhododendron crassum, its large white 
fragrant blossoms showing most freely. Many fine herbaceous plants 
were secured ; in the shady gorges the damp moss-covered boulders 
and cliffs bore many terrestrial Orchids, such as Pleione Delavayi 
(fig. 7), with purplish-rose flowers marked a deep crimson ; P. grandi- 
flora, with snow-white blooms blotched a deep crimson-lake ; and 
a remarkably fine new species, P. Forrestii, having orange-yellow 
blooms laced and marked deep brown. The colouring of the 
last is unique, the precocious flowers arising from the deep green 
moss having all the appearance of our yellow Crocus at first sight. 
A new genus of Orchidaceae was also discovered, typified by Bulleyia 
yunnanensis. 
