12 



THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



Roscheria melanochcetes, Verschaffidtia splendida, and Stevensonia grandifolia — five of 

 them distinct monotypic genera. It may be mentioned that the cocoa-nut palm does not 

 exist in a wild state in any of the Mascarene Islands. Shaw (Madagascar and France, 

 1885, p. 2S7), says it exists in Madagascar only near the present or former habitations of 

 foreigners. 



RODRIGUEZ. 



The present flora of this island has been recently investigated by Dr Bayley Balfour, 

 and from his report thereon (Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond., clxviii.) the following particulars 

 were gleaned. Of flowering plants considered as indigenous, there are 175 species, belong- 

 ing to 119 genera and 57 orders. The monocotyledons number 49 species, a comparatively 

 large proportion. There are 35 endemic species, or one-fifth of the whole, six of them 

 being monocotyledons ; 31 species are peculiarly Mascarene ; and of the rest 8 are African 

 plants which do not occur in Asia, whilst 14 species are found in Asia, but do not reach 

 Africa. Of the remaining 88, 22 are widely spread in the tropics of the Old World, and 

 66 are universal tropical weeds. The orders most largely represented in the indigenous 

 flora are: Gramineas, 21 species; Leguminosse, 14; Convolvulacese, 11; Malvaceae, 9; 

 Rubiaeese, Cyperacea?, and Euphorbiacese, each 8 ; Liliacese, 6 ; Composite, and Amaran- 

 taeese, 5 each. A large proportion of the Leguminosse and Convolvulaceas are very widely 

 diffused littoral plants, and there is no endemic species of either order. Perhaps the most 

 remarkable feature in this insular flora is the extraordinary heteromorphism in the foliage 

 of many of the shrubby and arboreous species in different stages of their growth. The 

 endemic plants are : l — 



RuTACE-E. 



ZantAoxylum pinnatum, 



Meliacej;. 

 fQuivisia laciniata. 



Asacaruiace^e. 

 Sdt rocarya castanea. 



Myrtace.e. 

 Eugenia balfouri. 



TURXERACEiE. 



*Mathurina pendul iflora. 



Rubiace.e. 

 fDanais corymbosa. 

 Randia heterqphylla. 

 fPyrostria trilocvlaris. 

 *Seyphoch lamys revoluta. 

 Psycholria lanceolata. 



CoMPOSITiE. 



Psiadia eoronopus. 



„ rodrigue'siana. 

 Abrotanella rhynchocarp t. 



LoBELIACEiE. 



Lobelia vagans. 



EBENACEiE. 



Diospijros diversifolia. ' 



ASCLEPIADACE-E. 



* Tamil pis sphenophylla. 

 Sareostemma odontolepis. 



ACANTHACEiE. 



Hijpoestes rodriguesiana. 

 „ incanspicua. 



VERBEXACEJ3. 



Nesogenes decumbent. 

 Glerodendron laciniatum. 



1 The genera preceded by a * are endemic ; and those preceded by a t are peculiarly Mascarene. 

 Sclerocarya, Psiadia, Listrostachys, and Aloe are African ; Sareostemma, Hypoestes, JErua, and Pandanus are 

 confined to the Old World, and the rest are generally dispersed in the tropics. 



