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R. H. COMPTOX: PLANTS FUOJI NEW CALEDONIA. 



421 



A Systematic Account of the Plants collected in New Caledonia and the 



Isle of Pines 



Mr. R. H. Compton, M.A., in 1914.— Paet II. 



G-yninosperins and Orjptogiiins. By Prof. Compton and others. 

 (Comtnunicated by Dr. A. B. Rendle, P.U.S., Sec.L.S.) 



(Plates 26, 27.) 

 [Read 4tli Msircli, 1920.] 



onia. 



The 



GYMNOSPERIVIS. 



By II. H. Compton. , 



The Gnetales and Ginkgoales are absent from New Caled 

 Cycadales are represented by a single species, which occurs only in the 

 littoral zone, and is of wide distribution throughout the Indo-Malay region 

 and Polynesia. 



Tlio ConiferuleSj on the other liand^ are developed to a quite exceptional 

 degreOj nienibers of all the sub-families except the Phjllocladoideiej Abiotere^ 

 and Taxodica3 boino- present. The AraucurioiJC include five native species of 

 Araitcaria (§ Eutacta) and three o^ Ayathis, The Podociirpese are repre- 

 sented by four species o^ Dacrydium^ av^xi or nine oi Podocarpus^ and one 

 oi AemopijJe, The range of the Taxerc is no\v extended to No a- Caledonia 

 by the new genus Austrotaxus. The Cupressoce include a Libocedrus^ a 

 CaUitris (with a yariety)^ and tlie new genus CaJUtropsis. 



In allj my collection comprises 2(j or 27 native Conifers. Guillaumiu 

 (1911) catalogues 28 distinct species, some o£ which, however^ are doubtful : 

 but if we acce[tt bis list as accurate, and add to it the three species hci'O 

 recorded for the first time we reach a total of 31 specieSj an al too-other 

 exceptional number for so small an area as New Caledonia. 



Another remarkable feature of the Coniferous flora is that apparently the 

 whole of it is endemic^. The deo-reo of endemism in the whole Phanero- 



gamic flora is exceedingly high^ but the Conifers show it to the utmost^ 

 owing; a{)[tarent]y, to the imperfection of their means of seed-distribution. 

 The isolation of the island from continental hunU masses is very great^ and 

 has apparently existed since a remote epoch ; so that the Caaifer population 

 has undergone prolonged iudependent evolution. The impression tliat one 

 derives from a consideration of the flora is that New Caledonia is the 



* The flora of the Xew Ilehrides is very iniperfectly known, or exceptions might b3 

 found to this statement, Araitcaria Cookii, A^hich occurs in the New Hebrides, is nut 

 certiiinly native there. The non-endemic species in Gnillaumin's (1911) list are open t-j 

 snspieion of errors and my own collection includes none hut endemic species (save tlie 

 planted Araucaria BidwUUi). 



LINN. JOURN* — BOTANY, VOL, XLV. 



2h 



