5 2 
H. Taheda . 
yellow flower, which though it has a similar appearance to A. 
sulphured, belongs to a different subgenus. This plant is endemic 
to Japan and occurs only on the summits of a few high mountains 
and in the Kurile Islands. When, in the late summer or early 
autumn, the frost has made the leaves of Arctous alpina bright 
red, a mountaineer will enjoy ripe fruits of various species of 
Vaccinium, Primus, Lonicera, and Empetrum. In rather dry sandy 
places one often finds species of Adenofrhora, Arnica, Draha, 
Euphrasia, Gentiana Loiseleuria, Oxytropis, Potentilla, and some 
grasses such as Deschampsia and Festuca, while in humid localities 
Alchemilla, Fauria, Pedicularis, Phyllodoce, Sibbaldia, Swertia, 
Tofieldia, and Veratrum are to be found. The ferns growing on 
the rocks are few, but elegant, and include Asplenium viride, 
Cryptogramme crispa, Polystichmn Lachenense and Woods in ilvensis. 
While most of these ferns occur in Europe, the Polystichum is 
only known from the Himalayas. Botrychium Lunaria, not at all 
uncommon in Europe, is comparatively rare in Japan, and B. 
lanceolatum is perhaps the rarest. A good many new species of 
plants have been discovered and described from the Japanese Alps, 
while many known species have been found and added to the flora. 
On the whole the Alpine flora of Japan is mostly composed of 
arctic plants, some of which are not seen on the European Alps. 
Finally the aquatic vegetation of the middle region may be 
mentioned. There is a great diversity in the representatives of 
aquatic plants. The commonest genera which we find in nearly 
every pond, ditch, or lake are perhaps as follows:— Alisma, 
Ceratophyllum, Hydrilla, Hydrocharis, Lenina, Monocharia, Myrio- 
phyllum, Ntiphar, Nymphaea, Ottelia, Phraginitis, Potamogeton, 
Rotala, Sagittaria, Scirpus, Trapa, Typha, Utricularia, Vallisneria 
and Zizania. Besides these flowering plants, water ferns such as 
Azolla, Marsilia, and Salvinia occur in the stagnant water. Isoetes 
japonica, which is one of the largest species of this genus, is to be 
met with in running water in certain places. 
3. Southern Region. We will now pass to the Southern 
Region, where, even at its northern limit, Kyushu, the vegetation is 
quite sub-tropical. Particularly on the sea-coasts, which are 
washed by the warm current, various Indo-Malayan strand plants 
are to be met with. In the Loochoos, Bruguiera gymnorhiza forms 
the mangrove-forest in the tidal estuaries. Well-developed man¬ 
grove-forests are to be seen in Formosa, which are composed of 
