282 FLORA VITIENSIS. 
Kunth, Enum. vol. iii. p. 583. P. fascicularis, Lamk. Encycl. vol. i. p. 372 ; Willd. Sp. Pl. vol. iv. 
p. 646; Kunth, Enum. Pl. vol. iii. p. 98. P. littoralis, Jungh. Topogr. Naturw. Reise durch Java, 
p. 61; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. vol. iii. p. 158. - P. leucanthus, Hassk. Fl. (Bot. Zeit.) 1842; Beibl. 
vol. ii. p. 14. P. Milleri, Roxb. Fl. Ind. vol. iii. p. 739; Hort. Beng. p. 71; ejusd. Icon. ined. 
vol. xv. t. 4. P. tectorius, Soland. Prim. Fl. Ins. Pacif. (ined.) p. 350, et in Parkins. Drawings of 
Tahit. Plants (ined.) t. 113. Hasskarlia leucacantha, Walp. Ann. vol. i. p. 753.—Nomina vernac. 
Vitiensia, “ Balawa” et “ Vadra."—Very common throughout Viti (Seemann! n. 649). Also in 
the Hawaiian (Seemann !), Society (Banks and Solander!), Tongan (Cook !), and most other Poly- 
nesian islands. Widely diffused through India and the Indian Archipelago. 
Mats, with which the floors of houses and sleeping-places are thickly covered, are made of two kinds 
of screw-pines: the finest, of those of the Voivoi (Pandanus caricosus, Rumph.) ; the coarsest, of the leaves 
of the Balawa (Pandanus verus, Rumph.). The Balawa, or Vadra, as it is termed in some districts, is 
a tree twenty-five feet high, indieative of poor soil, growing in exposed positions, and being one of the 
first plants appearing on newly-formed islands. Its singular habit has often been dwelt upon. The smooth 
white branches, with their dense heads of foliage, not inaptly compared to the arms of a huge candelabrum ; 
the strong aerial roots, covered with minute spines, and serving as so many props; the curious corkscrew- 
like arrangement of the foliage, the leathery, sword-shaped spiny leaves themselves; the long spikes of male, 
and the shorter branches of female flowers, their delicious perfume strongly recalling to mind that of the 
vegetable ivory of South America; finally, the bright orange-coloured drupes, formed into large heads of 
fruit, to say nothing of their insipid taste, appreciated only by natives, are all so essentially different from 
what a European traveller is aceustomed to in his own country, that his attention is involuntarily arrested, 
and he hardly ever fails to record, it. - 
III. Freycinetia, Gaud. Freyc. p. 431. t. 41-43; Endl. Gen. n. 1712. Flores pseudo-poly- 
gami. Fl. 4: Spadix simplex, typhoideus. Stamina oo; filamenta filiformia; antherz 2-loculares. 
Fl.? : Spadix simplex. Ovaria co, staminibus effoetis stipata, in phalanges connata, 1-locularia. 
Ovula co, in placentis 3 parietalibus linearibus, 2-3-seriata, e funiculis brevibus adscendentia, ana- - 
tropa. Stigmata sessilia, distincta. Baccze carnosulie, oo-sperme, ex ovariis oo connatis cc-loculares, 
nunc ovariorum parietibus pereuntibus 1-loculares. Semina co, parietalia, e funiculis brevibus erecta ; 
testa membranacea, raphe laterali carnosa, strophioleeformi. Embryo in basi albuminis dense 
carnosi minimus, orthotropus, extremitate radiculari umbilico proxima, infera.—Plantz caudice 
arborescente, sepissime radicante v. scandente; Pandanorum habitu.—Schott, Melet. p. 16; Endl. 
Fl. Norf. p. 24; Blume, Rumph. p. 156. t. 89-43; Kurz in Seem. Journ. of Bot. 1867, p. 133. 
` Besides the species enumerated below, there occur in tropical Polynesia the following, viz. 1, F. arborea, 
Gaud. Bot. Freye. t. 41 (F. scandens, Hook. et Arn., non Gaud.), from the Sandwich Islands (Seemann!) ; 
2, F. Baueriana, Endl., from Norfolk Island (Bauer); 3, F. demissa, R. Br. et Benn., (Pandanus demissus, 
Sol. Prim. Fl. Ins. Pacif. p. 352 (ined.),) from Tahiti (Banks and Solander! in Herb. Mus. Brit.); and 4, 
F. graminifolia, Seem., from New Caledonia (Vieillard! in Herb. Kew.). All the Vitian species belong to 
Brown and Bennett’s second section of the genus (Pericarpia omnia basi coalita, apicibus elongatis fibroso- 
lignosis in phalanges partiales varie connatis). 
1. F. Vitiensis, (sp. nov.) Seem. in Bonpl. 1861, p. 260 (Tab. LXXXIII.) ; foliis lineari- 
lanceolatis, versus apicem attenuatis, spinulosis, minute lepidotis; fl. 4 ign.; pedunculis 9 setosis 
3-cephalis; spadicibus subglobosis, oligocarpiis; baccis ovatis, acuminatis.—Voma Peak, Viti Levu 
(Seemann! n. 647). 
One of the smaller species. Leaves linear-lancet-shaped, clad on the midrib of the back of the leaf 
and on the edge towards the point with minute spines. Blade about 3 inches long and 6-9 lines broad. 
Female spikes in threes at the end of the branches. Flowers both of male and female unknown. 
ExPLANATION Or PrarE LXXXIII., representing F. Vitiensis, Scem.—Fig. 1, a half-ripe berry ; 2, 
the same, cut across :—both magnified. 
