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The Imperial Gazetteer of India

THE INDIAN EMPIRE 164

A glance delimit at the these [CHAP. of India shows that, in the attempt to map botanical Regions geographically, large areas some cases difficult to apportion: as, for example, Kathiawar, of which the N W. half is probably referable botaniIt is not possible to cally to Sind, the SE. to the Konkan? are in draw a bounding line between the Flora of the Indus and of the Gangetic Plains that is, between the Flora of the affluents (in the plains) of the Sutlej and of the Jumna rivers. Extensive tracts of land with characteristic Upper Gangetic plants intrude into: the Indus Plain, and desert areas of Rajputana intrude into the Gangetic Plain. The eastern limit of the Malabar Region is undefinable, because of the number of spurs and valleys from which project far into the Deccan Region, sometimes almost crossing it, carrying with them types of the Malabar Flora, which towards its northern limit mingles with those of the Deccan and of the Indus and Gangetic Plains. The Flora its hills of the trans-Indus mountains bounding the Indus Plain Region on the which the eastern flanks are British Indian, west, of is To have botanically in one valley only, the Kurram. referred this either to the Western Himalayan Region, or to known Afghanistan, would be premature of in an Appendix (A) to this Sketch

It; is as is therefore treated also the Flora of Baluchistan (Appendix B), which differs considerably from that of any other botanical Region of India. British These Regions coincide roughly with the areas of comparative humidity or dryness, indicated by Major Prain in his Plants of Bengal (Introduction, p. 2) as follows

India Deserta Sind, Rajputana,; and the Punjab.

(The Indus Plain Region.) India Diluvia Plain,; with its chief development in the Gangetic of the territory that constitutes comprising much politically the United Provinces and Bengal

(The Gangetic Plain Region.)the wet forest tracts along the Western Ghats from Gujarat to Tiavancore, which receive all the force of the SW. monsoon. (The Malabar Region.)

India Aquosa;the wet forest tracts along with the Western Ghats from Gujarat to Travancore, which receive all the force of thye SW monsoon. (The malabar Region)

India Vera; the dry but not desert triangle between the Western and the Eastern Ghats of the Peninsula, with its apex in Tinnevelly, and Plain. its base skirting the Gangetic (The Deccan Region.)

India Subaquosa ; the Eastern Ghats and the strip between them and the sea. (The Coromandel Sub-region.)