234 OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



years later, in 1906, by which time the island was completely 

 covered with dense vegetation in great variety. 



In places there was a broad beach with the characteristic strand 

 plants. The ubiquitous Ipomoea pes-caprae, the curious grass, 

 Spinifex, and a yellow leguminous vine (Vigna hitea), as well as 

 several others, occupied the beach, while back of this was a belt 

 of trees. Floating fruits of the Nipa-palm were stranded on the 

 beach, but no swamp formation had developed. 



The most important tree of the belt above the beach was Ca- 

 suarina equisetifolia, some at least 50 feet high, and a common 

 member of the Malayan strand flora. Screw-pines and the hand- 

 some Terminalia Catappa, with its symmetrical whorls of branches 

 and big, shining leaves, were common, and the fine Barringtonia 

 speciosa, with its big white flowers and square fruits. In short, 

 the predominant strand plants were the same as in Borneo. The 

 commonest climber was a vine (Vitis trifolia). A grove of coco- 

 nuts had become established, and in full bearing, and the cool 

 liquid contents of the nuts were hugely appreciated after a walk 

 through the stifling heat of the tall grass jungle which covered 

 much of the interior of the island. 



From Professor Treub's early study of the vegetation, it ap- 

 peared that the first plants to establish themselves were certain 

 very primitive blue-green algae, which prepared the way for ferns, 

 which soon obtained a foothold, and were quickly followed by other 

 plants, as soon as sufficient soil was developed. These first immi- 

 grants were presumably derived from both Java and Sumatra, which 

 are about equidistant from Krakatau. Some, like the coconuts 

 and Barringtonia, evidently travelled by water, while the spores of 

 the ferns, the minute seeds of orchids, and the fruits of grasses 

 and Compositae, were probably wind-borne. Birds undoubtedly 

 have played an important role in the introduction of many species. 



It is evident, both from the depth of the sea, and from the char- 

 acter of both plants and animals, that in recent geological time 

 the great Sunda Islands were part of the Asiatic continent. 



Extending eastward from Java is a chain of small islands, of 

 which the last, and largest, is Timor. Between two of the islands 

 nearest to Java, Bali and Lombok, is a narrow, but very deep 

 strait, and Wallace l pointed out the fauna of the islands to the 



1 Wallace, A. R., The Malay Archipelago. 



