M. Zollinger on the Vegetation of Java, 455 



1 . the Lucuma mammosa of Gaertner (Marmalade-tree), the Mimus- 

 ops of Schomburgk ; 2. the White Boerowe, which is the Dipholis 

 salicifolia of Alph. DC, and is known in Jamaica as Galimata ; 

 3. the Bastard Boerowe, or Lowranero, which is the Bumelia nigra 

 of Swartz ; and 4. the Neesberry Bullet-tree, or Achras Sideroxylon 

 of botanists, which yields one of the best of the Jamaica woods. 

 Sapota Mulleri grows abundantly on slightly elevated situations. 

 In collecting the milk, the trunk is surrounded with a ring of clay, 

 with elevated edges, and then an incision is made in the bark, as far 

 as the liber. The milky juice flows out immediately, and is collected 

 in the clay reservoir. The juice resembles in some respects the milk 

 of the cow ; it forms a pellicle on its surface, which is renewed after 

 removal. By the evaporation of the juice, we obtain 13 to 14 parts 

 in 100 of pure gutta percha. Six volumes of absolute alcohol, added 

 to ten of the juice, separates at once all the gutta percha which it 

 contains. Sulphuric sether acts more rapidly than alcohol. The 

 juice is not coagulated by acetic acid. This Surinam gutta percha 

 is said to be sold at Amsterdam at the same price as the best gutta 

 percha of commerce. 



II. Vegetation around the Volcanic Craters o/ the Island of Java, 

 by M. H. Zollinger. — DeCandolle, in his * Geographic Botanique,' 

 has omitted to notice among vegetable stations those around volcanic 

 craters. In Java there are more than sixty of these craters, all iso- 

 lated and surrounded by vast virgin forests. When the craters are 

 active, and send forth lava (which is not the case with the Javanese 

 volcanos), or cinders, or sand and fragments of rock, or when they 

 exhale continually vapours and gases, then there is no vegetation 

 except some Oscillarice, which are found in hot-water springs. It 

 is only when the direct volcanic action is diminished by the effect of 

 time, or the distance of the crater, that a special vegetation appears. 

 The craters of the Indian Archipelago are characterized by the ab- 

 sence of all parasitic or epiphytic plants, as well as of climbing and 

 twining plants. Woody plants only appear at a considerable distance 

 from the craters. We can easily distinguish three different regions : 

 1 . an interior zone, nearest to the centre of volcanic action ; 2. a 

 middle zone, surrounding the first ; 3. an exterior zone. 



1 . Inferior zone. — This exhibits mostly small species, scattered 

 here and there, belonging to the lower orders of plants, and to those 

 having no corolla. Among these are — Oscillaria lahyrinthiformis, 

 Ag. ?, in warm springs ; Cladonia macilentay Hoff., and Bacillaria 

 ohtusa, Schser. ; some Fungi belonging to the genus Polyporus ; a 

 Marchantia ; two or three species of Mosses ; some Ferns, such as 

 Selliyuea Feii, Borg. ;\ Polypodium triquetrum, Bl. ; Asplenium 

 tnacrophylluniy Bl. ; Asplenium mucronifolium, Bl., and Gleichenia 

 vulcanica, Bl. Among the Cyperacese, Fhacellanthus multijlorus, 

 Steud. ; and Polygonum corymbosum, Bl., is the only Dicotyledon. 



2. Middle region. — Many social Ferns occur here, some Dicoty- 

 ledons, for the most part small shrubby plants. Among the Ferns 

 arG—Polypodium Ilorsfieldii, 11. Br., 3000 to 8000 feet ; Pteris 

 aiirita, Bl. ; Blechnum pyrophilum, Bl. ; Gleichenia ferruginea, Bl.; 



