Page:Flora of Kwangtung and Hongkong.djvu/17

9 and Acanthaceae abound, and here and there may be seen the great white trumpets of Lilium longiflorum or the blue cups of Platycodon. Large areas of such exposed slopes are again not infrequently occupied by thickets of dwarf bamboos. Above these slopes among the rocks and gullies of the higher peaks, Thalictrum and other genera typical of more temperate conditions show themselves, while down the torrent sides may be gathered various species of Utricularia, Gesneraceae, Drosera, Ammannia, and Eriocaulon.

Turning now to the wood flora, much remains to be discovered as to the constituents of the primeval forests which are said to survive in the interior in several parts of the province (see B. C. Henry's Lingnam and Cap. Cauquil's L'Hinterland de Quang-tchéou in the Rév. de Géogr. lv. 175). Meanwhile our knowledge of the subject depends upon the records of the examination of a few patches of forest preserved by the Chinese around their temples and villages for aesthetic or religious purposes. One such wood on low ground in Hongkong was carefully examined by Lo Quai, an officer of the Botanical and Forestry Department, and the constitution of this wood may be taken as an isolated example of such formations. On an acre were found 31 trees of Aquilaria grandiflora, 24 Sterculia lanceolata, 18 Aporvsa leptostachya, the same number of Poupartia Fordii, 10 Antidesma Bunius, 8 Nephelium Bischoffia javanica, Cinnamomum Burmanni and Ardisia quinquegona, and single trees of Litsea sebifera, Helicia erratica and Ficus Liliaceae, Piperaceae, and various grasses and ferns, while huge lianes climb over the trees and hang in weird festoons into the semidarkness of the underwood. THese lianes comprise various species of Derris and Dalbergia, besides numerous Apocynaceae and Asclepiadaceae. On the higher ground the wods are formed of Oak, Holly, Pine, Symplocos, Cordia, Ficus and various Araliaceae, Hamamelidaceae and Lauraceae.

Wood borders and hedges in the province frequently contain subarborescent Rubiaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, and Saxifragaceae and support the smaller climbers such as various Cucurbitaceae, Convolvulaceae, Vitis, Smilax and Millettia.

The general character of the flora of the province is distinctly tropical, shrubby and arborescent evergreens predominating.

Of the constituents of the flora the most important is that which is common to the greater part of South China; a distinguishable element is shared with E. Fokien, Formosa and Japan; another in common with Yunnan and Cochinchina is chiefly Indian, while a smaller constituent is Malayan and Australian.

It is probable that many of the districts of the province contain a considerable endemic element in their vegetation. The small island of Hongkong, for instance, has quite a large number of species unrepresented in the neighbouring parts of China and about 100 that are actually endemic. The same character has been noticed to a smaller degree in other parts of the province. It is possible that the drastic climatic conditions, so largely modified by peculiar local