TH^NOGAMIC YEaETATION OF RODRIGrKZ. 9 



siderably over one third have been introduced, and many of the 

 remainder are widely spread weeds in the tropics of both hemi- 

 spheres. In this number I include many plants which have escaped 

 from, or are relics of, former cultivation, and ought perhaps to be 

 expunged from the list ; but I record their presence, as it is pos- 

 sible that, in time, many of tliem may occupy a more prominent 

 position in the flora. 



The prevailing natural orders of the flowering plants are Legu- 

 minos9e,Convolvulaceae,Solanacese, Malvaceae, Compositse, Euplior- 

 biacea), EubiacesD, Cyperacese, Myrtaceae, Liliacea>, and Eutaceae. 

 All but the last three are, it will be observed, orders which, as a 

 rule, compose a great part of the flora of any tropical islands 

 reached by civilization. There are 35 endemic species of Phaeno- 

 gams, and 31 species which occur nowhere out of the Mascarene 

 islands- The 35 peculiar species belong to 30 genera, and are in- 

 cluded in 21 natural orders. Monocotyledons constitute six of 

 these species, or about one sixth of the whole. Of the endemic 

 species hitherto undescribed diagnoses are now given. Of the 

 natural orders in which peculiar species occur, Eubiaceae, which 

 constitutes one thirtieth of the whole flora, is most largely repre- 

 sented in them, including 5 species belonging to as many genera- 

 Altogether ten Kubiaceous plants are found in Rodriguez. Two of 

 these are introduced — Co^ea arahica, a relic of cultivation, and the 

 common Vangueria edulis\ and of the remaining 8, 3 {Oldenlandia 

 Sieherij Fernelia huxifolia, andAntirrhoeaff^anffiilacea) are Masca- 

 rene only ; whilst 5 are peculiar, though 3 of them have repre- 

 eentatives in other Mascarene islands. 



Of 11 Compositae, 3 species belonging to two genera are ende- 

 mic, 2 belonging to Fsiadia^ and the third is a species of the 

 curious genus Abrofanella ; and a fourth, a species of Senecio, is 



Mascarene. 



Other Dicotyledonous orders containing peculiar plants are : 

 Myrtaceae, including a peculiar Eugenia-, Euphorbiaceae, embra- 

 cing a new Euphorhia and a Phyllanthus found by Commerson ; 

 Piperaceae, represented by 3 new species oi Peperomia ; Eutaceae, 

 of which a Zanthoxylon occurs ; Meliaceae possessing a character- 

 istic species of the Mascarene genus Quivisia ; Turneraceae, having 

 a peculiar genus with Central- American affinities ; Verbenaceae, 

 of which the Polynesian hitherto mouotypic Nesogenes is repre- 

 i^enled by a new species, and there is also a Clerodendron ; Ascle-.^ 



