FLORA OF THE NICOBAR ISLANDS. 9 
receiving a remarkable feature from the very frequent Atap (Nipa 
Jruticans), a stemless, palm-like plant, having its large fruit often 
ripening under the water. As soon as the river side rises several feet 
above the water, the Atap disappears altogether, and the vegetation be- 
comes very beautiful; the rich, still open forests contain Pandani and 
Areca-palms, and are succeeded occasionally by open tracts of luxu- 
riant shrubby or arboreous ferns, Melastomee, high grass, Rubus, Ca- 
vica Papaya, or occupied by the little, partly enclosed gardens of the 
natives, in whieh the Sugar-cane, the Cocoa-nut, Oranges, Bananas, 
Yams (Calocasia indica and Caladium nympheifolium) thrive to a 
degree of perfection, which points at this tract as the most fertile on 
the island, and as that which, in case of colonization, would be the 
principal land to cultivate, the coral-land being almost entirely occupied 
already. 
Finally, the coral-land is interrupted occasionally by rocks projecting 
into the reef, which is inundated during flood-tide. Here the elevated 
sea-beach does not exist ; and the almost bare rocks are characterized 
by a very common Casuarina, and also a Callicarpa and a pine 
( Celtis vestimentaria, Kamphóvener). 
It will be noticed, in the accompanying list of genera of plants found 
on the Nicobars, that a number of forms are wanting which, con- 
sidering the geographical position of the islands, might have been 
expected in it; for instance :—Ceratopteris, Marsilea, Stratiotes, Nepen- 
thes,and Quercus, all of which occur on the neighbouring Pulo Penang, 
to the extent of nine species of the Oak alone. This deficiency may 
be owing, in part, to there being no open stagnant water on any of the 
groupe (excepting, perhaps, Trice); and partly also to our brief ex- 
amination having taken place during the dry season, and not reaching 
at all to the extensive, wooded heights of the islands. 
Enumeration of 261 Genera found on the Nicobars, distributed into - 
ninety-nine Natural Orders :— 
Mimosee : Inga, Acacia, Entada, Mimosa.—Leguminose : Bauhinia, 
Cassia, Tamarindus, Guilandina, Sophora; Dalbergia, Pangamia, Abrus, 
Flemingia, Numismia, Cajanus, Dolichos, Mucuna, Canavalia, Clitoria, _ 
Alysicarpus, Dicerma, Desmodium, Uraria, Smithia, Orotalaria.—Ro- — 
saceæ: Rubus—Myrtacee: Barringtonia, Eugenia, Psidium. — Mela- 
stomeæ: Dissochete, Osbeckia, Melastoma. —@Œnothereæ : Jussieua:— — 
VOL. II. c | 
