— 241 — 



Pes caprce formation is found. Ipomcea pes caprce (L.) Sw. had 

 here long runners 15 — 20 metres or more in length, lying on the 

 sand; they bear short erect lateral shoots, from the base of 

 which emerge numerous roots, and also long shoots similar to 

 the mother-shoots, and when the latter are developed in great 

 numbers and cross tendrils of other plants, a perfect network 

 is formed, which altogether covers the sand. The thick fleshy 

 leaves are as the photograph shows obliquely erect, and the two 

 lobes are bent towards each other at almost right angles ; the rain 

 falling on the leaves thus flows down to the foot supplying roots 

 emerging from the axil. The tips of the creeping shoots are some- 

 what turned upwards perhaps an adaptation against being over- 

 whelmed by sand. If the plant should be overwhelmed by blown 

 sand, to which it is not very exposed here in the rather coarse- 

 grained sand, its quick growth will soon enable it to send out 

 new shoots to the surface. For the rest, I may refer to Warming's 

 description (1. c. p. 178) where its anatomy is also given. 



Scattered among Ipomcea large bush-like tufts formed by Cakile 

 lanceolata (W.) 0. E. Schulz appear, a species which in growth and 

 appearance is very like Cakile maritima Scop. While according to 

 Schimper no Gruciferae should be represented in the tropical sandy 

 shore vegetation, not only in India but on the whole not in the 

 Tropics in contrast to the sea-shore vegetation of the northern 

 coasts, we have here a characteristic representative of this family. 

 The plant forms bush-like low tufts and has erect slightly den- 

 tated, lanceolate leaves, which as well as the branches are slightly 

 glaucous. The anatomy is mentioned by Warming (1. c. p. 201). 



Canavalia ohtusifolia (Lam.) P. DC, of which the tendrils 

 partly run over the sand partly wind round bushes and the like, 

 occurred here and there, and also a few grasses especially Sporo- 

 bolus virginicus (L.) Kth. with two-rowed, setaceous, folded, erect 

 leaves on short shoots emerging from the long shoots buried in the 

 sand, further Cenchrus echinatus L. and Euphorbia huxifolia Lam. 

 The vegetation is scattered and one can see the white sand every- 

 where. 



The copse in the background of the picture consists of Cocco- 

 loba and Manchineel more or less overgrown by Dalhergia hecasto- 

 phyllum (L.) Taub., forming together a somewhat higher insular 

 part of the here low Cooco/o6a-Manchineel formation, which we 

 meet right inside the Pes caprce formation. 



