THE ZONES.

107

falling in twenty-four hours are by no means uncommon,
while one case is recorded of over 31 inches being registered
in a day!
With such climatic variations correspondingly wide differences
 in the character of the forest are the consequence,
Pure forests, or forests entirely of one species, are unknown
in the country, and though several species occur gregariously,
 yet in no part of the country do they constitute large
and unbroken areas, thus rendering the work of the forester
one of no little difficulty where his aim is to obtain a
large supply of a given kind.
} Each zone, however, may be said to possess its characteristic
 types of flora, notwithstanding the enormous mass of
species that go to build up the forest vegetation of Ceylon.
Taking them in their order, the typical species in each zone
may be briefly described.
Arid Zone—Typical species: Salvadora persica, Acacia
planifrons, Randia dumetorum, Zizyphus Juiuba. Z. rugosa.
and Tribulus terrestris.
The Dry Zone—Typical species: Crateeva Roxburghii,
Cassia fistula, Mimusops hexandra, Chloroxylon Swietenia
(satinwood), Diospyros Ebenum (ebony), Berrya Ammonilla
(Trincomalee wood), Polyalthia longifolia, Schleichera trijuja,
Adina cordifolia, Gyrocarpus Jacquini, Strychnos Nuxvomica,
 Euphorbia antiquorum, Hemicyclia sepiaria, besides
very many characteristic shrubs and a few ferns.
The Intermediate Zone.—Typical species: Albizzia odoratissima,
 Holoptelea integrifolia, Tetrameles nudiflora, and
frequently species that extend into the dry zone.
The Wet Zone—~Typical species: Wormia triquetra,
Garcinia terpnophylla, Vateria acuminata, Vatica Roxburghiana,
 Dipterocarpus zeylanicus, Shorea Oblongifolia,
El®ocarpus serratus, Enodia Roxburghiana, Campnosperma
zeylanicum, Pericopsis Mooniana, Anisophyllea zeylanica,
Palaguium grandis, P. petiolare, Diospyros Gardneri, Myristica
 laurifolia, M. Horsfieldia, Machilus macrantha,
Glochidion zeylanicum, besides numbers of grasses, shrubs,
and orchids, of which last Dendrobium macarthiz is
perhaps the finest and most representative.
The Mountain Zone.—~Typical species: Michelia nilagirica,
 Calophyllum Walkeri, Gordonia zeylanica, Eleeocarpus
serratus, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, several of the Styraces,
Rhododendron arboreum, besides many Rubiaceous shrubs,
are distinctly characteristic of the high altitude, quite apart
from the more vivid colouring of mountain flowers.
The limits of this brief review admit only of a general
description of the forest flora of the country, without any