14 FLOKA OF ST. CROIX AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS 



It is, however, in the forest vegetation, which best represents the 

 original llora of the islands, that the greatest and most varied differ- 

 ences are observetl, showing esi)ecially the great varietj^ of species in 

 the Virgin Islands wliich are not all found in St. Croix, and among 

 which are many of the commonest and most generally distributed forms. 

 Belonging to St. Croix alone are comparatively few and rare species, 

 chiefly some Rhamnaceae, viz, Maytcnus dwodendroules and ZitypJius 

 reticulatus, Cateshwa parvijlora, Beloperone nemo7'om^ Petitia Domingedsis, 

 Buxus Vahlii, and Urera elata. All these forms occiir oidy in a few 

 localities, and are of no importance to the general character of vegeta- 

 tion, as is the case on the Virgin Islands with many of the following 

 species that are found on them, but not in St. Croix. It would be too 

 much to mention all the different species here, for which I beg to refei^ 

 to the ap])ended list and tabular statement. I shall only enumerate a 

 few of the most interesting, especially Malpighiacere (as Byrsonima 

 liicida, MaJpigliia Cnida and angustifolia), Eutacese {Pilocarpus racemo- 

 sus, Tohinia spinostty Xantlioxylum ochroxylum), Leguminosre [Sahinea 

 florida, Picfctia aristata, Seshania scricea, and Acacia m(fliJJora), and 

 Sapotaceai {Sapota Sideroxylon). Among Monocotyledones are to be 

 mentioned Artkrostylidiitm capiUifoUum, BhynchosporapusiUa, Bioscorea 

 pilosiuscida, Catopsis nutans, and several Orchids. Several of these 

 plants grow more or less gregariously, thus becoming characteristical 

 to the formation. Among these are MaJpighia Cnida, Reynosia latifolia, 

 Acacia nudijlora, Sahinea Jlorida, and several species of Pilea, most of 

 them being very common, and even generally used for domestic pur 

 poses. 



Besides these species, entirely wanting in St. Croix, the Virgin 

 Islands possess several that are very common, or at least not uncommon 

 on them, but which occur but very rarely in St. Croix, such as Thrinax 

 argentea, Rondeletia pilosa, Faramea odoratissima, Miconia angustifolia, 

 Mimosa Ceratonia, and others, and most of which I have not found my- 

 self in the latter island, but only found labelled with St. Croix as habitat 

 in the Copenhagen herbarium, so that an error in some cases at least 

 may be not at all impossible. 



However great are the differences in the flora on the two groups of 

 islands, yet tliis interesting fact is not due to their possessing endemic 

 species, as all the plants known as growing on them are also found in 

 other West India islands, especiUly Porto Ilico, whence the vegetation 

 of both the Virgin Islands and St. Croix seems to be derived. Thus it 



