FLORA of the South and East of Asia has been largely described by sotne of the most eminent of the botanists of the world, whose names will be seen under the article Botany. But the most complete recent view given of the plants of this South-Eastern region is by Drs. (Sir) J. D. Hooker and T. Thomson in their Flom Indica. There is a striking resemblance between the vegetation of tropical Africa and tropical Asia; but India con tains representatives of every natural family on the globe, a very few small American, Australian, and S. African orders being the chief exceptions. Many North African or Arabian forms, such as Pegtmum, Harmala, Fagonia cretica, Balanites Egyptiaca, Acacia. Arabica, Alhaji, Crangea, Calotropis, and Salvadora Persica extend through the drier parts of India; and others, Cleonte, Balsamodendron, Astragalus hamatus, Cueumis colocynthis, Berthelotin, Anticharis Ambica, etc., have a less extensive range, In the humid parts of tropical India, as in the impenetrable green jungles of the equable and rainy Malayan Penin sula, of Eastern I3engal, the west coast of the Madras Presidency, and of Ceylon, the Bora con trast strongly with that of the drier parts of the intertropical zone, and still more so with the loosely timbered districts of Central India and of the base of the Western Himalaya. Many tropical genem and families, as most palms, Cycas, Dip terocarpete, except Vatica, Aurantiacete, Conna racem, Meliacem, Myrtacem, Rubiaceaa, Ebenacem, and many more, which are sensitive to cold, are comparatively local when found beyond the tropics. Many Leguminosm (viz. Benham, Acacia, Erythrina, Butea, Dalbergia, and Milletia), Bombax, Vatica, Nauclea, Combretacem, Verben acem, Lagerstrcemia, Grislea, Jasminew, and Bignonia Indica, are indifferent to the cold of winter provided they experience a great summer heat ; and they advance far beyond the tropics, and lend a more or less tropical aspect to the flora even of the base of the North-Western Himalaya, in lat. 35° N. On the other hand, the perennially humid forests are uniformly characterized by the prevalence of ferns ; and at elevations below 5000 to 7000 feet, by the immense number of epiphytal Orchidem, Orontiacem, and Scitaminem. They contain a far greater amount of species than the drier forests, and a,re further characterized by Zin giberacem, Xyrideae, palms, Pandanem, Dracmna, Piper, Chloranthus, Urticacem, especially Arto carpem, and Fici, Araliacem, Apocynem, shrubby Rubiacea3, Aurantacem, Garciniacem, Anonacem, nutmegs, and DipterocarpeM, The bulk of the flora of the perennially humid regions of India, as of the whole Malayan Peninsula, the Upper Assam valley, the Khassya mountains, the forests at the base of the Himalaya from the Brahmaputra to Nepal, of the Malabar coast and of Ceylon, axe of one type, which includes a very large proportion of the Indian genera.
In India the number of peculiar families largely represented in it is very limited ; the Aurantiacem, Dipteracem, Balsaminem, Ebenacere, Jasminem,and Cyrtandracem are the only orders which are largely developed in India, and sparingly elsewhere, and of these few contain one hundred Indian species. The total number of Indian species are estimated at 12,000 to 15,000. The species are much scattered. It is believed that nowhere in India could more than 2000 flowering plants be found in a radius of ten miles ; and there is in India an almost complete absence of absolutely local plants. The plains of India are everywhere poor in species ; and such. as abound in individuals are usually of a weedy character. Indeed, there are few other countries in which the vegetation of the more accessible parts presents so little beauty or such short seasons of bloom. The great number of 222 British plants extend into India. Many North African and Arabian forms occur. Several Australian species are found in the Malayan Peninsula. Many of the Himalaya, Neilgherries, Khassya, and Ceylon species are found in the Malay Peninsula and in Java. Gaul theria nummularia extends from the N.W. Hima laya to the Java mountains ; and common to India and Java are Sedgwickia cerasifolia, Griff.,Marlea, Cardiopteris lobata, several oaks and chestnuts, Antidesmem, a willow, and Myrica. The Chinese type is abundant in the temperate region of the Himalaya, and plants of N. America west of the Rocky Mountains also occur. An immense pro portion of annual plants, which vegetate during the last rainy seasons in the plains and ascend tbe lofty mountains, are uniformly distributed through out India. Of these the most conspicuous are Graminem, Cyperacem, a vast number of small Leguminosm and Scrophularinm, Compositm, some Labiatm, Amaranthacem, Cenvolvulacem, and Acanthacem.