WCP3727

[1]

Old Orchard,

Broadstone,

Wimbourne.

July 8th 1909

J. S. Gamble¹ Esq

Dear Sir,

In his Sketch of the Flora of Brit. India² (1906 – p. 53) Sir J. Hooker³ says that Mr Ridley⁴ informs him that the Singapore Herbarium contains 4547 Phanerogams from the Malay Peninsula, besides 368 Ferns &c. If you know of any ^important additions since this enumeration, or any collections of which sets are not at Singapore, you may perhaps be able to give a rought [2] estimate of the actually known flora, which will answer my purpose just as well as the most accurate, at the present time.

I am also collecting facts of especially rich small areas say from 10 to 100 square miles. The richest I have yet found are Lagoa Santa in Central Brazil, 2500 species in 66 square miles (3 years collecting by Professor Eng. Warming⁵) 2.400 species in Kambangan Is. (S. Java)

area — 30 square miles.

by Professor Koorders⁶ — but he says "collected "in an area of" 3 square kilometres" = 2 sq. miles [3] which seems to me impossible. He gives details - "600 trees," 1800 scrubs & herbs".

Do you know of any similar rich area that has been described, anywhere. I think nothing extra-tropical can equal it; but it is possible that the Equatorial forest, in some parts of the Amazon valley, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra or Borneo, or New Guinea, may be even richer.

My friend, the late Dr. R.Spruce,⁷ after 8 years collecting in Amazonia when he obtained 8000 species (single handed, & collecting 20-30 sets) – estimated, that at distances of one [4] degree apart, in any dis direction he found that half the species were different – and he was a most careful observer. Have you any facts hearing upon this?

In about a year collecting in any of his stations – he usually got about 1000 species. Of course a collector with ample assistants & not bound to collect sets for a living, might have got many more species. He was often ^obliged to pan for new species, in order to secure the new genera.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]