DISTRIBUTION OF GROWTH-FORMS. 269 
6. Stems either flattened, and, tor other reasons, fusing into flabellate, palmate, or cockscomb- 
like clusters :— 
(Note.—Fusions of stems naturally make for mutual support.) 
P. Society Islands 2. May appear as clusters of thin, flat, narrow leaves, with 
rounded tops. 
P. Solomon Islands 4. See Sections C,a and D. 
P. Great Barrier Reef 3. Vrregular flabellate arrangement of strings of knobs. 
P. Great Barrier Reef 4. Very irregular flabellate plates, breaking up into rough 
lobulation and crumpling up the edges. 
a P. Great Barrier Reef 11, Thin, straight, flattened branches and flabellate plates. 
? P. Great Barrier Reef 18. Short, stout cluster of stems and branchlets, with traces 
of flabellate arrangement. 
P. North Australia 2, Short, stout cluster of thick stems, tips flattened, and giving 
rise to flabellate up-growths. 
P, Philippines 1, Stout stems, with sudden palmate arrangement of branches. 
P. China Sea 19. Stems very stout and rapidly tapering—tend to fuse into palmate 
groups. 
P. Singapore 5, Columns or branchings, with broad spatulate tips. See section C. 
P. Maldives 2. Clusters of long, thin, gradually flattening stems, the tips often 
irregularly flabellate or cockscomb-like, dividing into small angular branchlets 
or knobs. 
P. Diego Garcia 3. Clusters of stout, palmate arrangements of cylindrical or 
flattened branches and branchlets. 
P. Seychelles 1, In clusters of flabellate branches, the tips forking fishtail-like. 
P. Mauritius 3, Clusters of tall, thin, flattening branches, dividing at the tips into 
long, thin, somewhat angular branchlets. 
c. Irregular branching forms, which cannot be specified under either of the above head- 
ings :-— % 
P. Ellice Islands 4. A fragment, which is a detached, warty knob, as if beginning to 
fork, 
P. Ellice Islands 17, Fragments ; two spatulate up-growths. 
P. North Australia 6. Rises into branching strings of rounded or oval knobs. 
P. North-West Australia 5. A fragment; a curving, tongue-shaped outgrowth, 
apparently branching, 
P. Amirantes 8. A free, central stem, from which nodulated branches radiate in all, 
directions and support the stock. 
P. Providence Island 1, Also a free, central mass, supported on shorter, stouter 
processes, 
P. Providence Island 2. - Trregular knobs, from which the irregularly bent and 
branching processes grow out. 
In addition to these, the flame-like clusters of the ccenenchymatous Porites might be 
included. See Section D. 
