Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries Part 69

Konyar is a rather large village, well ornamented with trees, in rather a fine sort of valley, every inch of which is cultivated. The tank adjacent to the village is well stocked with Nelumbium.

To Syree, the distance is eight and a half to nine miles. The road crosses the Konyar village and valley, then ascends to the south-east, and continues ascending gradually by an excellent road for a considerable way, then it skirts a ridge and comes on the grand Soobathoo road. From this a short but steep ascent, followed by a descent of a mile and a quarter, conducts you to the bungalow.

No change occurs in the vegetation. The hills are more gra.s.sy and more bare of trees, especially near Syree, but this is partly owing to cultivation. The princ.i.p.al woody feature is Euphorbia antiquorum.

The plants before noticed occur throughout, except about Syree, where scarcely a shrub is to be seen, nothing but burnt up gra.s.ses.

At Sahi, Roylea appears, also an odd-looking Modeeca and a Deeringia.

Near these is also an Asplenium, Echites. At Konyar, Prinsepia appears, and continues becoming more and more frequent up to Syree. Towards this place V. reniformis is seen, not a single northern gra.s.s, although Syree must be nearly 5,000 feet high.

At Sahi, Pinus longifolia, Phoenix, Salix, and Polygonum of Chugur-Serai; this is common as far as Konyar. Acacia, Carandas, Urtica nivea. Rice cultivated.

About three miles beyond it, there is a beautiful ravine with dense jungle and fine trees, chiefly Laurinea, and I think a Rhus; this is the only spot I have seen reminding me of the Himalaya to the eastward.

At Konyar--Toon, Morus, Musa, Deeringia, Berberis, Briedleia.

The hills are as usual marked with wavy parallel lines, on which nothing appears to grow. These lines are united by smaller oblique ones, whence their origin?

_30th_.--To Simla. The road extends over undulated ground along ridges until the foot of the great ascent is reached; this is long and steep, especially steep at the first, or b.u.t.tiara pa.s.s, where it turns to the face of the mountain, and extends through beautiful woods. The ground frozen, with some snow; from this to Simla the road is tolerably level, and defended on the _Khudd_, or precipice side by a railing. It then pa.s.ses through fir woods, etc. in which the exceedingly pretty Jay of Bharowli is common.

The vegetation to the foot of the ascent, and nearly half-way up, is unchanged. Andropogoneous gra.s.ses forming the prevailing feature; but little arboreus or shrubby vegetation occurs. About halfway between Syree and this an ascent takes place, on which Daphne, Hyperic.u.m, and Echinops occur.

Near Syree--Bombax, Ruta albiflora, Daphne, Pteris aquilina, Clutia, Aspidium, Polytrichum nanum and aloides, Hyperic.u.m, Berberis, Rubus, Prinsepia, Rosa, Jubrung, Grislea, (rare,) Clematis, Cerasus, _Datura_, _Bukhein_, Citrus, Spermacoce, Poederia azurea, and Andropogon bambusifolia were observed. Ficus two species, Ficus repens, Pommereullioid spicis longis, Rubia Mungista, Galium, Polygonum of Chugur, Carissa, (rare,) Amaranthaceae, Conyza.

The great ascent is very instructive; half-way up observed Gaultheria, conspicuous from its blood-coloured leaves; an oak occurs commonly but stunted, and a few stunted Pinus longifolia.

Buddlaeoides occurs two-thirds of the way up, with Mespilus microphyllus, Alpina, l.a.b.i.ata and Pyrus.

The oaks and Gaultheria increase in number and size towards Bithuria, Conaria.

The first to cease is Euphorbia.

At the summit Berberis, Polygonum of Chugur, Rubus deltoideus, Conyza and Prinsepia may be found, but to no extent. From this to Simla the vegetation is chiefly northern.

Nothing definite is observable with regard to the distribution of forests about Simla. The princ.i.p.al secondary ranges, including the Choor, which is quite void of shrubby vegetation, is about north-east and south-west; generally the southern aspects of those ridges on which forests occur is bare; of this, there is a notable instance--Muha.s.soo.

Mount Jacka, which looks east and west by its broad faces, has both densely enough wooded with oak, Euonymus, Rhododendron, Gaultheria, and Ilex, but the ridge which looks to the plains is bare.

Some ridges again are quite bare, as that lowish one between Mounts Jacka and Muha.s.soo.

The thickest and most humid woods decidedly occur on the northern faces of the ridges; and all about Simla instances of this occur. Such spots are at Simla so much sheltered from the sun, that the snow which fell on the 23rd November is scarcely diminished.

Even in these there is no comparison in luxuriance and variety of vegetation with the Mishmee or Bootan portions of the same stupendous chain.

The trees are few in number as regards species, the only ones I have observed are a species of oak which is very common, forming the chief vegetation of the northern faces, and of both those of Mount Jacka.

The scarlet Rhododendron which occurs in the highest parts of the woods, an occasional Pyrus, Benthamia, Euonymus, Gaultheria very common, also Pinus Deodara, longifolia, and excelsa; of these the Deodar is most common. Ilex, a pretty tree, occurring on Mount Jacka.

The following forms also I have noticed--Saxifraga ciliata, Berberis asiatica, and Gnaphalia three or four species, which are chiefly confined to gra.s.sy naked ridges. Thymus is also confined to these.

Ruta albiflora is very common in woods; Dipsacea and Artemisia on exposed gra.s.sy spots; Swertia is common in damp places; Spiraea bella, Ledum, Stemodia, Epilobium, Viola, Saccharum rubrum, Valeriana, Fragaria, Galium, Clematis, Rosa, Rubus, Rumex, Leguminosae, Coronilloid, Smilax.

Acanthaceae, Androsaceae, particularly a Gnaphalioides common on the exposed ridge of Mount Jacka; Myrsinea frutex, Parna.s.sia common, Salix fruticosa; on Prospect Point, Lycopodium, Herminioid, Epipactis, Orchideae aliae, 2 Scitamineae.

Elaeagnus, Mespilus microphyllus, Polygonum of Chugur; 2 or 3 Amaranthaceae; Prinsepia, rare; very little variety in ferns; Pteris chrysocarpa, Aspidium pungens, and another are the most common; nor is there any variety in Epiphytous ferns, and very few Jungermannias. The Mosses are Bartramia, Catharinea, Polytrichum aloides on banks with Fissidens, otherwise Hypna are the most prevalent. A Neckera hangs from every tree, and a Pterogonio Neckeroid covers almost every trunk, a Brachymenium is likewise common.

Altogether, though numerous, there is no great variety in form.

On the summit of Chaka, Quercus, Gaultheria, and Rhododendron are common; with here and there a Deodar.

On the east face of that mountain consisting of a long ridge, gra.s.ses form the chief vegetation, among which Andropogons and Schoenanthus are not uncommon, Gnaphalia and Artemisia occur; Thymus, Androsace gnaphalioides, Potentilla, Coronilloid, l.a.b.i.ata frutex, Jasminum, Rosa, Mespilus microphyllus, Clematis, Cnicus, Rubus, l.a.b.i.ata alia, Galium, Swertia, Salvia were noticed.

Of the tropical forms, Andropogoneous gra.s.ses are most common, Saccharum rubrum of the Khasyah Mountains, Desmodium, Acanthaceae, and Elaeagnus, which last occurs on Prospect Point.

Saccharum rubrum extends up to 8,000 feet.

The woods generally on the surface are matted down with gra.s.ses or Carexes, so that there is no variety of surface for the lower orders; in such places, Ophiopogon is very common.

Regarding the Coniferae, Pinus excelsa is the rarest, Deodar is the most common; longifolia occurs princ.i.p.ally on a southern projection from Chaka, and on the south face of the Mall ridge.

_December 5th_, _1840_.--Went to Mount f.a.goo. After pa.s.sing Mount Jacka, or Chaka, you come on a bare country which continues at least on all the southern aspects until you reach the ascent to Muha.s.soo, which is at first steep, then gradual and long; the vegetation remains unchanged until the Muha.s.soo ascent is begun upon; then Rhododendron, Quercus and Gaultheria soon cease, and their places are occupied by a Quercus much like Q. semecarpifolius, Pinus excelsa also occurs rather abundantly, and of good size, the other vegetation continues.

The first part of Muha.s.soo, along which the road runs for some hundred yards under its crest, is occupied by gra.s.sy vegetation, chiefly Andropogon and Schoenanthus; Gnaphalia, Buddlaea, l.a.b.i.ata, Polygonum of Chugur, Thymus, etc., and the crest of the same is chiefly occupied by the undescribed oak.

But where the ridge takes a north and south direction, the west face becomes almost exclusively occupied by Deodars, among which as one proceeds up, Pinus Smithiana occurs; after turning again close to the little Bazar on the north face, the road continues on this side to f.a.goo, extending through a heavy and magnificent forest of Pinus Smithiana and Quercus semecarpifolius, the Deodar almost ceasing to appear; occasional knolls are pa.s.sed, on which gra.s.ses, Gnaphalium, etc. occur, the scenery is very beautiful, the trees being ornamented with the grey pendulous lichen, and with Neckerae, particularly the dark Neckera pendula. The underwood consists here and there of shrubs, but generally herbaceous vegetation, as gra.s.ses, Gnaphalia, etc.

In fact Muha.s.soo is genuinely Himalayan.

From f.a.goo eastward the country is bare, except at great elevations; near Muttiara to the north, forest-clad mountains occur, also at Huttoo, and far away to the eastward other fir-clad ridges appear.

It may be said that the really fine forests are restricted above, within 8,000 feet.

The Smithia pine is a really fine tree, often 100 feet high, and three to five feet in diameter, known by its downward curved branches, pendulous branchlets, and pendulous oblong cones: many dead trees from the effects of barking were observed. It is worthy of remark, that potatoes are now cultivated in these woods.

The Deodar is not so large as Smithia, and is known by its tabular branches and ovoid erect cones.

Andropogoneous gra.s.ses occur high up; even at the summit Acanthaceae occur, scarcely any change in the terrestrial ferns, among which Adiantum is found in profusion along the road, little change in Mosses, a Polytrichum occurs at the higher elevations, also a Dicranum on dead trunks of trees.

The only new arboreous vegetation consists in an Acer, which is a small tree, also a small Poplar and Quercus semecarpifolius, this varies greatly, Pinus Smithiana, Limonia laureola, a shrubby Rhododendron.

f.a.goo is only 5,600 feet above the adjacent heights.

On the edge of the forest, the following genera, etc. were noticed--Spiraea bella and S. aruncus,* Berberis asiatica, Swertia, gra.s.ses common, Gnaphalium, Senecio., Epilobium, Pteris chysocarpa, P. aquilina, Adiantum, Aspidium, Rumex, the l.a.b.i.ata fruticosa of Jacka, Potentilla sanguinea, Artemisia, Coronilloid, Androsacea, Gnaphalioid, Epipactis, Carex, Cnicus, Viola, Valerianum, Jasminum,* Viburnum,* V. aliud, Populus,* Silene, Mespilus microphyllus, Verbasc.u.m, Thapsia, Ilex, Euonymus, Loniceroid, Acer,* Eriogonoid,* Geranium scandens.*

Bupleuroid, Polytrichum, Rosa, Rubus, Salex fruticosa,* Fragaria, Crataegus,* Saxifraga cra.s.sifolia, Visc.u.m, Rubia cordifolia.

* Means alt.i.tudinal.