1919] ^MLSON, THE BOXIN ISLANDS 105 



Polynesian. The Cocoanut has, of course, drifted to the Bonins in the 

 ocean currents, but it is quite a rare tree though now its planting is being 

 sparingly undertaken. The Ilernandia doubtless came in the same way 

 for Its fruits with their pink bladder-hke vesicle are specially adapted for 

 such distribution; also the Calophyllum and Terminalia. Migratory wild 

 fowd doubtless brought others either in their crops, on their feet or among 

 their feathers. But apart from a coastal fringe of wide-spread tropical and 

 subtropical plants the flora is mainly endemic. Prior to its general clear- 

 ance for sugar-cane it must have been densely covered with ligneous growth. 

 The windstorms must always have kept this growth comi>aratively low and 

 even, except in sheltered places, just as it occurs today. 



Though the Islands are small and the area of the three groups inconsider- 

 able there is some marked dissimilarities in their ligneous growth. For 

 example Morus grows only on Ilaha-jima, the Juniper grows on Chichi-jima 



Muko 



Muko 



Tree Fern, Freycinetia nor Viburnum grows. On Haha-jima Juniperus, 

 Distylium, Osteomeles and Viburnum do not grow, otherwise this island 

 supports probably the richest flora of the whole group, certainly on it grow 

 the largest trees. From the whole group Bamboos, Mangroves, Tree Figs 

 (such as Ficiis rctusa L., Ficus Wightiana Wall.), the climbing Ficus pumila 

 L., Myrica rubra S. & Z., Garcinia spicata Hook, and Bischofia javanica Bl. 

 are absent though they might reasonably be expected to occur. The 

 presence of a shrubby Lobelia is interesting since no other species of this 

 section grows in eastern Asia. The absence of any species of Rliododendron 

 makes this group unique among the islands of eastern Asia, The presence 

 of a shrubby Statice is also a noteworthy feature whilst the absence of the 

 wide-spread Pandanus tectorius Soland. and the presence of such a well- 

 marked endemic species as Pandanus honinensis Warb. is most surprising. 

 The maritime Tournefortia argentea Linn. f. is rare, but Cassytha fiUformis 

 L., Ipomaca biloba L. and Scaevola Kocnigii Vahl, its companions on Liukiu, 

 are abundant. The Freycinetia formosana Hemsl. abounds, forming dense 

 jungle on the upper slopes of the highest peak (Chibusa-yama) on Ilaha-jima, 

 and in the forests scaling the highest trees. The only other place it grows 

 outside of the Bonins is in the extreme north of Formosa which is the type 

 locality, where it is both local and rare. 



The herbs which grow on the Bonins are not noteworthy: among the 

 Monocotyledons some of the Orchids, and Scitamineous plants are pretty 



r 



and Crinum asiaticum L. is handsome, but the Dicotyledonous herbs are 

 mostly wide-spread roadside weeds and weeds of cultivation. The Ferns 

 are lovely, their variety considerable and their number multitudinous. I 

 could not spare the time to collect them, to my lasting regret. The three 

 Tree Ferns are Cyathea spinulosa Wall., Ahophila latehrosa Hook., and A. 

 Bongardiana Mett., and certainly they are as handsome as any of their fam- 

 ily. Trees from 8 to 10 m. tall crowned with tabular heads of wide-spread- 

 ing green fronds and likewise the old tyi>e Angiopteris evecla Hoffm. are 



abundant. Also the striking Birdsnest-Fern {Asplenium nidus var. inter- 



