04 
NOTES FROM A JOURNEY TO NEPAL 
Just iM^th of the pine forests of the Chores Ghiti come the wetter 
Sal forests towards Hettaunda. They are very like the Sdl forest? on 
the edge of the hills of Sikkim : Hedyotis $cand^ns, Leucas molitsstmQ, 
Cullicarpa m^^cr^phylla and Laggera fiava are common plants in each 
country ; AnthU^iria gigantea is a characteristic grass in each ; and 
the Leguminosae are similar, e,g,^ Pde Monet^rum cucullatumy MimosiU 
rubrtcaults and Afacta pennata^ though they become rare in the Tista 
valley, north pf the Tista Bridge ; Castanopsis indica is found bordering 
on the Sal in both places ; De^modtum confertum is common in tho 
Nepil forests, and locally«common in the Sikkim Sdl forests, but chiefly 
above the Tista Bridge. In this damp Sdl forest of Hettiunda I found 
more epiplytic orchids than in the S4l forest of the plain. 
Again beyond Hettdunda the tangle of vegetation present fn the 
Bbiinsa Duhan gorge is like that of Sikkim. The abundance pf trees 
of the peculiar DiA(iLhFng^ sonnet atioides and tall Bomh^x tnalaharU 
cum alone would make the forests in a measure aUke \ in addition 
there is the conspicuous creeper Combretum decandrum in both places ; 
there is the abundance of Strobilantk^s ^apifutus and ^latostema 
rupestre\ the presence of Kalanchoe on rocks, of Qroxyl^m indteum 
with its enormous pods, of Hamltomd suaveolens^ of Anthacephalus 
Cudutuha^ of Terminaliu tomentosoiyOi Antid^sn^a diandrum^ and of 
Mussaenda Rojfhurghn. Pandanus furcatuSy local in the Bhdinsa 
Duhdn gorge, is far more abun lant in the Tista valley ^ while the 
reverse is the case in regard to Kalanchoe. Pkqphtdophora glauca is 
Ujlso more abundant in the Sikkim valleys. Gynocardia odoratay which 
occurs along the Tista valley is apparojjtly absent frpm the Bb^insa 
Puhdn gorge. Urtica parviflora is enormously plentiful in both 
p’aces, and so is canyasoides ; while Qirardinia heterophylld 
is common enough. Arundina- bambusifolia is equally found in both 
countries. Associated with Arundina in Sikkim and common, ia 
Exacum teresy but it was not observed by me in Nepil, though found 
on the Nepdl border near B^ir%nia. 
In the upper part pf the Bhiinsa Duhdn gorge the si md^ity to 
Sikkim continues in the presence of Rubus elltpticus Colehrookia 
oppositifolia. Hohnskioldia sanguine a is more common in Nepdl than 
in Sikkim. Thunbergia grandiflora is absent from Nepdl; and 
Thunbergia a feature pf the hills under Tindh^ria in Sikkim, 
seems to be less common in Nepal than in Sikkim* 
The abnndance of Nephrolepis tuherosa at the upper limits of the 
tropical forest belt i? alike .in both countries. 
The cultivation belt both in Nep^l and Sikkim in common is 
characterised by the abundance S^chima Walliekiiy Pteris aquilinay 
