570 
THE BOTANY OF ASSAM. 
almost entirely formed at Sadiy&, a plain 
intersected by narrow belts of jungle. 
“ The peculiar feature of especially 
its lovver and central divisions, consists in the 
vegetation of its churs, or tracts of sand, very 
often of great extent, which are stretcher) 
along the Bitrhampootur . The breadth of 
these tracts, taken together, is, in some places, 
from 8 to 10 miles. '1 hey may be said to be 
throughout their whole extent exclusively 
clothed with dense grass juaule. 
Up to Run^poor the eye meets nothing but 
grasses, and an occasional Bombax, a tree 
remarkable for its ramificaiion, the branches 
being nearly apptoxirnaled in whorls, and 
forming right angles with the trunk. About 
Bii^gooa Mookh. lielts of. jungle begin to ap- 
pear, here and there approaching to the banks 
of the river. From this place upwards the 
belts increase in extent and number, and from 
Seloni Mookh just below the confluence of tlie 
Dihong with the Burhamyootur to Sndii/ti, 
they preponderate much over the grassy tracts. 
Above Sadiy(i^ these tracts recommence at 
least on the northern bank, but they disap- 
pear soon entirely: the grasses that clothe the 
churs are, especially thioughoul Lower and 
Central Assam, of gigantic size, some of them 
often measuring 20 feet in height. 'I'hey con- 
sist of four or five species of Saccharum, the 
kuggra, mog, (white,) molaha, (red) and 
telee, (blackish,) of the Assamese, and a 
species of Ai undo, which is perhaps the long- 
est of all, the nul (or podomolee* ) of the na- 
tives. Towards however, very large 
tracts are covered with Imperata Cylindrica. 
the ooloo-kher of Assam^ which grows to the 
heightof5to7 feel. As tiie genus Saccharum 
far preponderates over the others, and is per- 
haps during its inflorescence one of the most 
conspicuous genera of the order, the appear- 
ance presented by the churs during the flower- 
ing of their occupants, can be more easily 
conceived than described. 
It may perhaps be convenient to consider 
the botany of Assam under the following 
heads. 
1. Botany of the Burhampoolur^ including 
the churs. 
Of these, Gramineae form, as I have said, 
almost exclusively the Flora. Of the imme- 
diate banks, the predominant order is,— Com- 
posit®, Polygone®, Scrophularine®, Grami- 
ne®, (among which is a species of Alopecu- 
rus,) Boragine®, have several representatives 
from Jorhath upwards to Dihoroo Mookh, a 
large annual Ranunculus occurs extensively, 
and throughout the same distance large 
patches not uncommonly occur of a species 
of Irematodon,, (I. sahulosns, mihi.) a species 
of Polentilla is also not uncommonly met 
with. 
IL Botany of the plains. 
Predominant plants. Gramine®; of these 
the most common about Sadiyd are Imperata 
cylindrica, Saccharum spontaneum, Sac- 
charum fuscum (Rosb.) in wet places, and 
a probably new, large, and coarse species of 
See Buchanan’s Diwc/p***** ?• 168 — Ed. 
Panicum, Among these may be found two 
or three Orchide®, Pnlygone®, Leguminos®, 
Cyperace®, one Viola, and a species of Exa- 
cum which is particularly conspicuous from 
its bright blue flower.s. 
Those parts of the plains which have at a 
previou-i periorJ been cleared for cultivation, 
but are now unoccupied, present the usual 
tropical features; and are occupied ciiiefly 
by Cyperace®, among which occur one or 
two Gramine®, several annual Scrophulari- 
ne®, and small Alismace®. 
III. Botany of the belts of jungle. • 
IV- Botany of the foot of the boundary 
hil is- 
On this last I a.m not able to offer any re- 
marks. It will be found excessively rich in 
feins, and next to these perhaps in Cyrthan- 
drace®. I hecmly opportunity that has hither- 
to been allowed me of visiting any portion of 
these boundaries above Gawahatti, occurred 
at Giibi 0(1 Purhiit ; and I was then fortunate 
enough to meet with an Alsophila 30 feet 
higli, a Sollyana, (mihi.) and Kaulfussia 
Asamica. Of the thud division, the botany 
is very varied ; so much so, that no one pro- 
minent feature seems to present itself. It is 
to this section that by far the greater number 
of species contained in the collection vrill be 
found to belong; and 1 shall hence pass in 
review tire orders composing it — reserving the 
few observations I have to make on the most 
interesting plants to a subsequent part of this 
paper. 
To those o'dets. the presence of which in- 
dicates the climate of northern latitudes, or 
of a tropical one at considerable elevations, I 
have appended an asterisk ; and to those 
which, though iisually iiopical, include plants 
whi* h have hitireito only been found at com- 
paiativeiy high elevations, I have appended 
a cross. 
DICOTYLEDONES. 
• Ranuncu'a< ese, 3 
• Magnoliace®, . I 
Auonace®, 6 
• Umbel lifer®, 7 
Araliace®, 3 
Ampelide®, 15 
Onagrari®, I 
Loranthace®, I 
Alangie®, I 
Metastomace®, 6 
Meinecyle®, a 
IVlyrtace®, .... 4 
Cucurr itace®, 19 
Begoiiiac.e®, I 
• Crucifer®, 3 
Capparide®, 3 
• Violarie® 9 
Guttifer®, . . . . 2 
• Temstr®miace®, 3 
Sapindace®, 3 
• Hippocastaue®, | 
Hercuiiace®, 1 
Bythneriace®, l 
Ma vac.e®, .• 4 
Dipterocarpe®, 9 
Ti iace®, 5 
El®ocariie®, 1 
Lythrarie®, I 
tVleliace®, 8 
Aurantiace®, 7 
Rhatnne®, 5 
Euphorbiace®, !5 
