BOTANY OF FERNANDO NOEONHA. 29 



Common in tlie bushes at Clialoupe Bay and on the sand-hills 

 at Fort San Antonio. Also common in Eat Island. The flowers 

 are usually pink ; but white-flowered specimens were found on 

 Eat Island. Like most of the genus, it kills fish when put into 

 the water in which they live. Bunches of the plant with long 

 roots were bruised with a club and stirred in a rock -pool. Pre- 

 sently the fish concealed in the coral clefts began to dart in and 

 out, and soon coming out entirely, went into convulsions, and 

 finally died. We obtained many species in this way, which would 

 otherwise have been difiicult to obtain. 



Distribution. All warm parts of South America from Mexico 

 southwards. 



Sesbania ^gtptiaca, Pers. 



There were two or three trees of this beautiful plant loaded 

 with flowers in the convicts' gardens. 



§ Hedtsare^. 



^scHTNOMENE HispiDULA, S. B. K. Nov. Gen. et Sp. vi. p. 531 ; 

 Benth. i?i Mart. Fl. Bras. xv. 1. p. 59. 



This shrubby plant was very common in the central district of 

 the main island, and on the north side o£ Eat Island were dense 

 beds of it covering the slopes towards the sea to the exclusion of 

 other plants. The flowers are yellow. 



Distribution. Central America to Minas Geraes and Lima. 



ZoRNiA DiPHTLLA, Pers. Sj/ii. PI. u. p. 818, var. reticulata 

 GLABRA, Benth. in Mart. Fl. Bras. xv. 1. p. 81. 



Common on the turf of the eastern promontory beyond Fort San 

 Antonio ; also at Tobacco Point ; and a slightly large-leaved form 

 among the stones on the road above the Eesidency garden. 



Var. ELATiOR, Benth. I. c. 



Among long grass in Chaloupe Bay. 



Distribution. A common plant of world-wide distribution, very 

 abundant in Brazil. It is very variable ; but all the specimens 

 collected in Pernando Noronha belong to the glabrous group. 



Desmodium trifloetjm, DC. Prodr. ii. p. 334; Benth. in 

 Mart. Fl. Bras. xv. 1. p. 95, t. xxvi. — Sagotia triflora, Duchass. Sf 

 Walp. in Linnaea, xxiii. p. 738. — Nicolsonia reptans, Meissn. in 

 Linncea, xxi. p. 260. 



