804 ON THE VOLCANO OP TAAL, 



Besides the above, collections were made of a few fungi, lichens,, 

 and mosses, but they have not been determined. 



The flora enumerated above is a singular one, as it is almost 

 entirely confined to the common weeds of the Indian Archipelago, 

 and plants brought into the island for cultivation and becoming 

 naturalized. It is interesting, however, to observe what a very 

 large proportion of these are plants which contain some useful or 

 highly ornamental properties. Truly it may be said of the oriental 

 flora that there is scarcely anything in the vegetable kingdom 

 which is entirely useless or unimportant. The flora of the Taal 

 volcano may be described as almost a derived one, due of course, 

 to the fact that it has been over and over again destroyed by the 

 eruptions of the mountain, and it is only those plants with 

 facilities for spreading themselves which have had time to estab- 

 lish themselves on the slopes of the volcano. Though the flora 

 of the Philippine Islands is not in general different from the 

 Malay Ai-chipelago, yet it has features of its own, none of which 

 are visible at Taal. The last eruption has probably destroyed 

 most of the species collected by the Spanish botanist and ]nyself , 

 and subsequent observers will find an entirely new flora. 



In addition to the list given above I find the following species 

 amongst my collection with no locality mentioned on them. They 

 may have come from the mainland about Tanauan : — Justicia 

 molUssima, Wall.; J. gendarussa, L. ; J. procumhens, L.; J. diffusa, 

 Willd. ; and J. dichotoma, Bl. — All Philippine but not at Manila ; 

 Asystasia coromandeliana, DC, wild in Mariquina, Luzon ; 

 Acanthus iliclfolius in estuaris ubique ; Crossandra infundihuli- 

 formis, DC, a pretty little acanthad with salmon-coloured 

 blossoms, cultivated much in Hong-kong, not common as an escape, 

 and can hardly be said to be naturalized ; Rhinacanthus covimuniSf 

 and some others. 



