440 ISLAND LIFE 



American relations, while other groups point to Australia, 

 or ar.e altogether isolated. 



No less than 3,740 flowering plants are now known from 

 Madagascar with 360 ferns and fern-allies. The most 

 abundant natural orders are the following : 



Species. Species. 



Leguminospe 346 Cyperacese 160 



Ferns 318 Kubiaceee 147 



Compositre 281 Acanthaceoe ......'. 131 



Euphorbiacese 228 Graminete 130 



Orchidese 170 



The flora contains representatives of 144 natural orders 

 and 970 genera, one of the former and 148 of the latter 

 being peculiar to the island. The peculiar order, 

 Ch^elnacese, comprises seven genera and twenty-four 

 species ; while Rubiaceae and Compositor have the largest 

 number of peculiar genera, followed by Leguminosse and 

 Melastomacese. Nearly three-fourths of the species are 

 endemic. 



Beautiful flowers are not conspicuous in the flora of 

 Madagascar, though it contains several magnificent 

 flowering plants. A shrub with the dreadful name 

 Harpagoijliytum Grandidieri has bunches of gorgeous 

 red flowers ; Tridellatcia madagascariensis is a climbing 

 plant with spikes of rich yellow flowers ; while Poinciana 

 regia, a tall tree, Rhodolccna altivola and Astoupxa 

 WallicJiii, shrubs, are amono^ the most mamiificent 

 flowering plants in the world. Disa Buchenaxiana, Com- 

 welina madagascarica, and Tachiademts jplatypterus are 

 fine blue-flowered plants, while the superb orchid Angrcv- 

 cujTi scfiquipcdale, Vinca rosea, Euphorhia splendcns, 

 and StejjTianotis fionhunda , have been long cultivated 

 in our hot-houses. There are also many handsome 

 Combretacea3, Rubiaceae, and Leguminosae ; but, as in most 

 tropical regions, this wealth of floral beauty has to be 

 searched for, and produces little eflect in the landscape. 



The affinities of the Madag^ascar flora are to a sfreat 

 extent m accordance with those of the fauna. The 

 tropical portion of the flora agrees closely with that of 

 tropical Africa, while the i^lants of the highlands are 



