INTRODUCTION. 
XI 
swamp and the absence of the sandhill flora so well represented on 
the east coast, where mangroves are nearly absent. The western 
alluvial flat is covered with a dense low-lying forest, while on the 
eastern coast the flat country forest is more open, and sandy plains 
covered with scattered bushes and patches of wood cover considerable 
areas. These sandy patches occur from Kelantan southwards to 
the east corner of Singapore, and bear a very different flora from 
that of the west coast. 
Botanical Areas .—The whole area of the Malay Peninsula as 
included in this work falls botanically into two divisions, differing 
largely in climate, soil, and flora. The northern portion from the 
above-mentioned boundary line southwards to the mouth of the 
Kedah River, including the islands of Lankawi and Terutau, 
possesses a very distinct flora, having close relations with that of 
the Siamese territory south of Tenasserim and Mergui, upwards of 
forty genera being represented in this area which are unknown south 
of this line, while more than sixty genera well represented in the 
south part of the peninsula are missing. A few of these northern 
plants have crept down the coast as far as Province Wellesley and 
Pahang, probably (speaking geologically) in recent years, while 
some of the southern types have travelled as far north as Burma, 
where they are scantily represented. “ One can gather from the 
flora that at no great distance of time the Malay Peninsula (the 
Golden Chersonese) was cut off from Burma south of Kedah by the 
sea " (Ridley, “ Account of a Botanical Expedition to Lower Siam," 
Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S. By. 57, p. 59). This is confirmed by the 
geology of the country so far as is known, and by early tradition. 
The soil of this area is sandy, with scattered masses of limestone 
rocks, and there appears to be a regular dry season which is absent 
from the south of the peninsula. The Pulau Adang group of islands, 
lying west of Terutau, however, contains more features of the 
southern flora and but little of the northern. The northern portion 
of our area is much smaller than the southern, and has only been 
botanically explored on the west side. 
South of this line the whole flora and climate is altered. The 
greater part of this area is or was one continuous dense forest of 
large trees, many of which are 150 feet tall, making a thick canopy 
of foliage through which the sun's rays penetrate only here and there. 
On the highest boughs are many epiphytes, orchids, ferns, and other 
plants, while below is a dense mass of shrubs, seedling trees, palms, 
both erect and climbing, and a certain number of herbaceous plants. 
The proportion of trees and shrubs to herbaceous plants is very 
large, whereas in the northern part the plants are largely herbs and 
low shrubs, with very few trees over 80 feet high, while ferns, 
abundant in the south, are scarce. The climate is very wet, rain 
falling nearly every day, in fact this region is a typical example of 
the Tropical Rain Forest region , such as occurs also in Western 
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