of the Keeling Islands. 339 



of grass had been introduced, {Panicum , Eleusine 



indica, and Poa plumosa,) as was stated, from Java, under an 

 impression that goats would not eat the rank herbage of the 

 island; but the settlers were surprised to find that one of 

 these animals left on the islands by Capt. Fitzroy preferred 

 the native to the imported species. 



As the flora of the island of Timor, which lies nearly due 

 west of the Keelings without any intervening land, has lately 

 been described by Mons. Decaisne, I have placed a (T) in 

 the following list opposite those species which he has recorded 

 in his very excellent c Herbarium Timorense/ 



List of the Plants Indigenous to the Keelings. 



Malvaceae. ■ Cinchonace.e. 



1. Paritium tiliaceum, St. Hil. T. 11. Guettarda speciosa, Linn. T. 



TlLIACE^E. CoRDIACEiE. 



2. Triumfetta procumbens, Forst. 12. Cordia orientalis, R.Brown. T. 

 LythracejE. Boraginace.<e ? 



3. Pemphis acidula, Forst. T. 13. TournefortiaargenteajLmw. T. 



PoRTULACACEjE. AcANTHACEiE. 



4. Portulaca oleracea. 14. Dicliptera Burmanni, (var. ?) 

 Leguminosje. Nees. 



5. GuilandinaBonduc,//or£.iTett>. Apocynace^:. 



T. 15. Ochrosia parviflora. 



6. Acacia (Farnesiana?) Linn. T. Gramine-e. 



Urticace^. 16. Panicum sanguinale, (var. T) 



7. Urera Gaudichaudiana, n. s. Linn. T. 

 AmaranthacejE. 17. Stenotaphrum lepturoide, n. s. 



8. Achyranthes argentea (var.?) 18. Lepturus repens, Forst. 

 Lam. T. Palm^e. 



Nyctaginace^e. 19. Cocos nucifera, Linn. T. 



9. Boerhavia difiusa, Willd. T. Musci. 



var. /3. ? 20. Hypnum rufescens, Hooker. 



var. y. ? Fungi. 



Scjevolace,e. 21. Polyporus lucidus. 



10. Scaevola Kcenigii, Vald. T. 22. \ Two trees of which no spe- 



23. J cimens were procured. 



1. Paritium tiliaceum. — Leaves large, and the linear pore 

 upon one to five of the nerves on the under side. 



" Common on one of the islands. It is exceedingly useful 

 throughout the Pacific ; and in Otaheite particularly, the bark 

 is employed in the manufacture of cordage, whilst the light 

 wood is used by the fishermen for floats. The natives readily 

 procure fire from the wood by friction." — C. Darwin. 



2. Triumfetta procumbens. Forster, Prod. n. 204. — This 

 species is placed by De Candolle among those " non satis 

 notae." By Mr. Brown's kindness I have satisfactorily iden- 



z 2 



