ON THE FLORA OF FIJI. 15 
A Contribution to the Flora of Fiji. By W. В. TURRILL. 
(Communicated by Dr. Отто Srapr, F.R.S., Sec.L.S.) 
[Read 2nd April, 1914.) 
SINCE the publication of Seemann’s ‘Flora Vitiensis ? (1865-1873), the 
only important works dealing with the flora of the Fiji Islands are Horne’s 
‘A Year in Fiji,” and Miss Gibbs’s paper “The Montane Flora of Fiji,” 
published in Journ. Linn. Soc., Bot. vol. xxxix. (1909). The present paper 
deals with part of the interesting collection made by Sir Everard im Thurn, 
K.C.M.G., in Fiji during the years 1905-1907, namely the Phanerogams 
excluding the Orchidaceæ, which latter are still under examination. The 
former consist of 72 species, and of these 24 are described here for the first 
time. That one-third of the plants are new to science is partly explained by 
the fact that comparatively little of the interior of Fiji has been botanically 
explored. Seemann’s journeys were restricted to the coastal districts, except 
for one journey through the mountain region of Namosi. Horne’s collections 
have been very imperfectly worked out and, indeed, many of his specimens 
are so incomplete and badly preserved as to be practically useless. Miss 
Gibbs spent three months at Nandarivatu and thoroughly explored only a 
limited area round that centre. Sir Everard im Thurn had the advantage 
of being resident in the islands for several years and of visiting a number 
of localities at several seasons. The majority of the new species come from 
the Nandarivatu district and Kandavu. 
The relatively large number of Rubiacez and the absence of Leguminose, 
Composite (excepting introduced weeds), and Glumaceæ are peculiarities of 
the collection, and must not be taken as in any way indicating the proportion 
of the Orders to the Flora as a whole. The collection is too small for any 
conclusions on this subject to be drawn from it. It is interesting to note - 
that about one in every seven of the Dicotyledons (excluding those with 
truly unisexual flowers) shows various stages in the reduction of either the 
androecium or gynæceum. Sometimes, as in Calophyllum vitiense, several 
states are found on the same plant, but more often, as in Symplocos lepto- 
phylla and the two species of Litsea, all the flowers on the same specimen 
show a similar stage of reduction of either the male or female organs, 
The most interesting of the facts disclosed by the collection are undoubtedly 
those connected with geographical distribution. In the first place mention 
must be made of Aermadecia vitiensis, a new species of a genus hitherto only 
known to contain three species, all of which are endemic to New Caledonia. 
It is the first Proteacea to be recorded from Fiji, and moreover, indicates an 
eastern extension of the known distribution of the order. Embelia gracilis 
is the first member of this Indo- Malayan and African genus to be found in 
