272 ISLAND LIFE part ii 



Jones, in his paper " On the Vegetation of the Bermudas " 

 gives a list of no less than 480 species of flowering plants ; 

 but this number includes all the culinary plants, fruit-trees, 

 and garden flowers, as well as all the ornamental trees and 

 shrubs from various parts of the world which have been 

 introduced, mixed up with the European and American 

 weeds that have come with aOTicultural or warden seeds, 



o o 



and the really indigenous plants, in one undistinguished 

 series. It appears too, that the late Governor, Major- 

 General Lefroy, " has sown and distributed throughout the 

 islands packets of seeds from Kew, representing no less 

 than 600 species, principally of trees and shrubs suited to 

 sandy coast soils" — so that it will be more than ever 

 difficult in future years to distinguish the indigenous from 

 the introduced vegetation. 



From the researches of Dr. Rein and Mr. Moseley there 

 appear to be about 250 flowering plants in a wild state, 

 and of these Mr. Moseley thinks less than half are indige- 

 nous. The majority are tropical and West Indian, while 

 others are common to the Southern States of North 

 America ; the former class having been largely brought 

 by means of the Gulf Stream, the latter by the agency 

 of birds or by winds. Mr. Jones tells us that the 

 currents bring numberless objects animate and inanimate 

 from the Carribean Sea, including the seeds of trees, 

 shrubs, and other plants, which are continually cast 

 ashore and sometimes vegetate. The soap-berry tree 

 {Scqmidus saponaria) has been actually observed to 

 originate in this way. 



Professor Oliver informs me that he knows of no un- 

 doubtedly distinct sjjccics of flowering j^lants peculiar to 

 Bermuda, though there are some local forms of continental 

 species, — instancing SisyrincJiium Bcrmudianum and Rhus 

 toxicodendron. There are, however, two ferns — an Adiantum 

 and a Nephrodium, which are unknown from any other 

 locality, and this renders it probable that some of the 

 flowering plants are also 23eculiar. The juniper, which is 

 so conspicuous a feature of the islands, is said to be a 

 West Indian species (Junijjcrus harhadensis) found in 

 Jamaica and the Bahamas, not the North American red 



