CHAPTER II 



DESCRIPTION OF THE VEGETATION OF CURASAO, 



ARUBA AND BONAIRE. 



It appeared in Ch. I, p. 149 that in the three Islands no 

 sharp demarcation lines can be drawn between the various 

 types of vegetation. For this reason I shall not give an enume- 

 ration of the plants, belonging to the different vaguely distin- 

 guished regions, but prefer to describe some twenty-eight spots 

 in various parts of the islands, following entirely the locally col- 

 lected notes. 



Curasao. 



The Riff. 



This extends near Willeinstad on the West side along the 

 coast and consists of coral-lime with calcareous sand. It con- 

 tains a number of ruderal and typical literal plants along the 

 sea-coast; the small lagunes are rich in Laguncularia racemosa, 

 Avicennia nitida and Rhizophora Mangle; Philoxerus vermicularis 

 occurs there as a herb together with Sesuvium portulacastrum ; 

 also an occasional Cyperacea and Heliotropium curassavicum. 

 Morinda Royoc as a very low shrub together with Euphorbia 

 thymifolia occurs frequently on the lime grounds, while Conocar- 

 pus erecta forms whole complexes; also Gundlachia corymbosa 

 and Suriana maritima form green globular groups, while Edthalis 

 fruticosa with its shining leaves and Acacia tortuosa with its 

 sharp prickles are very frequent; the Acacia itself reaches the 

 height of a tree here. 



Round the smaller water complexes and salt-pans we find in large 

 numbers Batis maritima and Salicornia ambigua, together again 

 with Laguncularia racemosa, Conocarpus erecta and Suriana 

 maritima. Further on, on the higher parts, we also frequently 

 meet Cordia cylindrostachya, while an occasional tree rises high 

 above the shrubs, as Thespesia populnea. Also Coccoloba uvifera 

 is in some places conspicuous by a somewhat greater height. 



