418 
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 1 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 foun<^ growing close to the sea on rocks in North 
Borneo and Tringganu. Dischidia Rafflesiatia , 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. 
Bceckea 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 4,000 
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 states 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 ana flower under any circumstances 
at sea level, even on the top of Bukit Timah Hill in Singapore 500 
feet altitude. 
Recanopteris carnosa, a peculiar fern, grows on lofty Shorea trees 
about 150 feet tall, and also it occurs abundantly on the Thaiping 
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 hill. 
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 frees and boughs in the forests, plenty of 
specimens were obtained, its rarity being due to its extremely lofty 
and inaccessible habitat. Plants taken from fallen boughs were 
planted on pieces of tree fern, trunk and rough-barked wood, and 
found to grow luxuriantly at the low elevation of the Gardens, and 
it has there been established on trees only a few feet from the 
ground, yet this plant is never found in a wild state except on the 
top boughs of these lofty trees. 
