REPORT ON THE BOTANY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ AND MASAFUERA. 13 



similar fate seems to be overtaking the Capuchin tree (Northia seychellarwm) of the 

 Seychelles, where the dying trees of this species are one of the most striking features in 

 the landscape. 



W ith regard to the fact of no seedlings appearing after the whole of the growing 

 generation had been killed or had died off naturally, it may be accounted for in a variety 

 of ways, though the real cause may be overlooked. If Gay's statement that the trees 

 were all killed in one year be correct, the circumstance of not a single seedling surviving 

 in any part of the island is indeed quite inexplicable ; for, assuming the goats to be very 

 fond of this particular plant in a young state, there are surely nooks inaccessible even 

 to goats. But the extinction of the Juan Fernandez sandalwood was probably due 

 to another cause. Many of the Santalaceaj are known to be root-parasites at an early sta^e 

 of their existence, if not throughout life, and it is very likely that future investigations 

 Avill prove that most, if not all, of the members of this order are of the same nature. Dr 

 G. King, superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, assures us, from his own observa- 

 tion, that Santcdum album is sometimes, at least, parasitic on the roots of other plants when 

 young. This assertion is borne out by the frequent failure of cultivators to raise seedlings 

 of this plant when its seeds are sown alone, and also by the fact that its usual habitat in a 

 wild state is in hedges and thickets. Dr Brandis * mentions that it grows in gardens in 

 various parts of India, and he adds that it is mainly spread through the agency of birds, 

 and springs up abundantly in hedges and in the midst of shrubs. But that it is not always 

 so is evident from the fact that germinating seeds sent from Ceylon to Mauritius in 1877 

 have since grown and fruited twice a year. On the other hand, as we learn from an article 

 in the current volume of the Indian Forester, decaying vegetable matter is necessary for 

 the successful raising of seedling sandalwood. The editor of the serial named inserts the 

 following note (p. 205) on this subject : — " Colonel Doveton, conservator of forests, found 

 sandal seedlings growing as a root-parasite on the wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris) ; and 

 such seedlings were more vigorous than others rooted independently in the soil." Nadeaud 

 states that the Tahitian Sandal wood (Santcdum insulare, Bertero) is parasitic on the roots 

 of other trees, usually on Commersonia eclimata or Alphitonia ziziphoides. 2 



At Kew seedlings are frequently raised, but they are always very slender, and after 

 reaching about a foot in height they die. A few years ago, however, a plant of con- 

 siderable size existed in the gardens, the history of which we have not been able to 

 ascertain. It would be interesting to have the life-history of Santcdum album thoroughly 

 investigated. 



To return to the sandalwood of Juan Fernandez. The most probable cause of its 

 extinction was the absence of the conditions necessary for its reproduction from seed. The 

 enormous flocks of coats may have indirectly contributed to the destruction of the sandal- 

 wood by consuming the nurse plant. Koot-parasites, speaking generally, seem to be able to 



i Forest Flora of North- West and Central India, p. 399. 



2 Enumeration des Plantes Indigenes de l'lle de Tahiti, p. 47. 



