INSULAR FLORAS. 377 



thophcenix to Mauritius and Bourbon. Latania belongs to 

 the Borasseae and all the rest to the Arecinese. As stated 

 before, there is no parallel to this in insular floras of other 

 parts of the world. Polynesia, both the eastern and western, 

 is relatively poor in palms, and the West Indian Islands 

 possess few endemic species ; but, as explained a few pages 

 back, Lord Howe Island possesses four endemic species 

 of palms belonging to Australian and endemic genera. 



Coming down to species we find that Cordemoy de- 

 scribes about 200 new ones, which, with those previously 

 known as endemic, would make probably not less than 25 

 per cent, of the vascular plants endemic. It is probable 

 that this number — the number of new species — maybe subject 

 to some reduction, especially in such groups as the ferns 

 and grasses in which so many species have a wide range ; 

 yet 25 per cent, of endemic species is possibly below 

 rather than above the mark. Nineteen grasses are de- 

 scribed as new. Considering, however, the general distribu- 

 tion of grasses, and that only four species are regarded as 

 endemic in Mauritius, there are good grounds for suspect- 

 ing that many of the Bourbon species are not really new. 



Orchids, epiphytal and terrestrial combined, contribute 

 no fewer than seventy new species ; and the total number 

 of orchids thus exceeds the total indigenous species of any 

 other two natural orders. In Mauritius, orchids are more 

 numerous than any other order of flowering plants, but 

 they only occupy the first place by a majority of about ten. 

 As I have shown elsewhere (64) orchids are exceedingly 

 rare or entirely wanting in oceanic islands, and such pro- 

 portions as Cordemoy's enumeration gives would hardly 

 be found in the richest orchid districts of Asia or America. 

 Continental tropical Africa, so far as known, is relatively 

 poor, whilst in Madagascar, according to Baron's tabulation 

 (65), orchids stand third, being exceeded by Compositae and 

 Euphorbiaceae. It is true that I have estimated (66) that 

 orchids are numerically more strongly represented in British 

 India than any other order of flowering plants, and my 

 estimate has proved correct in the subsequent elaboration 

 of this order (67) by Sir Joseph Hooker. It may be in- 



