From Ferdinand von Mueller to the Gardeners' Chronicle   [July 1889]

The ascent of the Owen Stanley Ranges in New Guinea to their very summit, recently accomplished by Sir William Macgregor, demonstrates the occurrence of an almost alpine vegetation between elevations of 11,000 and 13,000 feet; and, more than this, it renders known for the first time an extraordinary and significant admixture of forms, some characteristic of the northern, others of the southern hemisphere. On the crest of the range above the limits of forests occur, as we now learn, though so near to the equator, such mainly extratropical genera as Ranunculus, Hypericum, Arenaria, Patentilla,¹ Rubus, Epilobium, Aster, Erigeron, Helichrysum, Senecio, Gentiana, Veronica, Euphrasia, Scirpus, Schoenus, Carex, Agrostis, Aira, Poa, and Festuca. Many of these approach in their affinity to forms familiar to us in Europe, a few even being identical with British species, and which reach in New Guinea seemingly their most southern geographical limits. But on the other hand, many of these Papuan highland plants are of far southern type, such as Drimys, Drapetes, Donatia, Styphelia, Phyllocladus, Libertia, Carpha, Dawsonia; indeed, some of the species are absolutely the same or congeneric with those of the Australian and New Zealand Alps. In the collection, which necessarily, during this first attempt at the exploration of the Papuan highlands exploration, could not be very rich in specific forms, Ericeae (of the genera Rhododendrons, Agapetes, and Vaccinium), are rather prominent. Another remarkable fact now established is the identity of several plants of the Owen Stanley Ranges with such as were described by Sir Joseph Hooker from Kinu-Balu, in Northern Borneo, where they were discovered by Sir Hugh Low at elevations of about 8000 feet — for instance, Drapetes ericoides and Drimys piperita.² The four Conifers, gathered during Sir Will. Macgregor's expedition, consist of Araucaria Cunninghami,³ a Podocarpus, a Phyllocladus, and what may possibly be a Libocedrus; of the latter, however, no fruit was obtained, so far as the material before us allows to judge, the individuality in the alpine vegetation of New Guinea seems far less extensive than might have been supposed. The writer of these lines pointed out some years ago, in opposition to the views of a distinguished naturalist,⁴ that, although the main characteristics of the Papuan flora in the lowlands and midlands might, notwithstanding the occurrence of Eucalypts and phyllodineous Acacias be regarded as Malayan, yet it would not be accurate to ascribe the same general characteritics⁵ to the highland vegetation as well, when Araucaria had already come within reach. The fact that the Papuan alpine flora contained so large a proportion of Australian elements, must lead to many far-reaching scientific generalisations in other departments of science besides botany.

Agapetes

Agrostis

Aira

Araucaria Cunninghami

Arenaria

Aster

Carex

Carpha

Dawsonia

Donatia

Drapetes ericoides

Drimys piperita

Epilobium

Erigeron

Eucalyptus

Euphrasia

Festuca

Gentiana

Helichrysum

Hypericum

Libertia

Libocedrus

Patentilla

Phyllocladus

Poa

Podocarpus

Ranunculus

Rhododendron

Rubus

Schoenus

Scirpus

Senecio

Styphelia

Vaccinium

Veronica

Acacia