REPORT ON THE BOTANY OF THE ATLANTIC ISLANDS. 63 



FRANKENIACE^E. 

 Frankenia portulacaefolia, Spreng. 



Frankenia portulacmfolia, Spreng., Syst. Veg., ii. p. 134; Hook., Io. PI., xi. t. 1058; Melliss, St 



Hel., p. 239, t. 15 (the dissections copied from Hooker). 

 Frankenia heatsonia, Schult. in Rcem. et Scliult. Syst. Veg., vii. p. 70. 

 Beatsonia portulacaifolia, Roxb. in Beatson's St Helena Tracts, p. 300; DC, Prodr., i. p. 350. 



St Helena. — Endemic. Rocks on Lot's Ridge — Burchell, 84 ; dry rocks — Bennett; 

 Sandy Bay Barn — Melliss; without locality — Morris, in 1883. 



" St Helena Tea." 



"It still exists plentifully in the southern and eastern sides of the island, growing on 

 the barren, dry, rocky ground near the sea-coast at altitudes of 500 to 1000 feet. It is 

 most abundant at Sandy Bay Barn and near the Asses' Ears, and, excepting a few stray 

 plants on the eastern side of the High Knoll, does not exist on the northern side of the 

 island." — Melliss. 



CARYOPHYLLACE^E. 

 Polycarpon tetraphyllum, Linn. 



Polycarpon tetraphyllum, Linn, f . ; DC, Prodr., iii. p. 376; Oliver, Fl. Trop. Afr., i. p. 144. 



St Helena. — Introduced? Common — Burchell; Melliss; Lyall. 



Almost everywhere in temperate and subtropical regions where man has settled. 



PORTULACE^E. 

 Portulaca oleracea, Linn. 



Porhdaca oleracea, Linn., Sp. PI., ed. 1, p. 445, et Amcen. Acad., vii. p. 505 ; Oliver, Fl. Trop. 

 Afr., i. p. 148; Melliss, St Hel., p. 240. 



St Helena. — Introduced ? Common — Roxburgh ; Melliss. 



More widely diffused even than Polycarpon tetraphyllum ; and Melliss expresses the 

 opinion that it is indigenous in St Helena ; but it is noteworthy that Burchell did not 

 collect it. Plants of this class, that colonise so freely, must always occupy a doubtful 

 position in relation to the indigenous element of the vegetation of a country. See remarks 

 on this plant at p. 35 of this report. 



STERCULIACEiB. 

 Melhania melanoxylon, Ait. 



Melhania melanoxylon, Ait., Hort. Kew, ed. 2, iv. p. 146 ; Melliss, St Hel., p. 245, t. 29. 



Pentapetes erythroxylon, Bot. Mag., t. 1000, non Ait., Hort. Kew, ed. 1, ii. p. 438. 



Dombeya erythroxylon, Andr., Bot. Rep., t. 389. 



Dombeya melanoxylon, Roxb. in Beatson's St Helena Tracts, p. 307. 



Trochetia melanoxylon, Benth. et Hook, f., Gen. Plant., i. p. 222. 



Alcea arbor populnea, &c, Pluk., Almag. Mant., p. 6, et Amalth., t. 333, fig. 3. 



St Helena. — Endemic. Barren rocks near the sea, and not far from Sandy Bay — 

 Roxburgh; at Man and Horse and High Hill — Burchell. 



