THE PALAEOTROPICS 



217 



was a belt of trees and shrubs including many of the common 



Malayan strand species. 



The largest trees were Casuarina, a genus especially developed 

 in Australia, but extending as far as India. These peculiar 

 trees have no leaves, but the slender green twigs look very much 

 like pine-needles, and the tree suggests a long-leaved pine. Another 

 characteristic tree is Term.inalia Catappa, with branches arranged 

 in regular tiers, and bearing very large glossy leaves. A rather 



. 







I _ 



v , 



<;.« 



A B 



Fig. 62. — Strand vegetation at foot of Mt. Santubong, Sarawak, Borneo. 

 A. Casuarina sp., Tenninalia Catappa B. Panda n us sp. 



smaller and very beautiful tree, with leaves somewhat like those 

 of Terminalia, is Barringtonia speciosa. The large four-angled 

 fruits are conspicuous, and specially adapted for long journeys 

 by sea, like the coconut, which explains the wide distribution 

 of this tree throughout Malaysia. Another even more widely 

 distributed species is the yellow tree-hibiscus (H. tiliaceus)—* 

 denizen of most tropical beaches from the Malay Archipelago 

 to Hawaii. The showy yellow flowered Wormia, already men- 

 tioned, is also very common, and a screw-pine with big red fruit- 

 cones, looking like ripe pineapples, was very abundant. Asso- 



