FLORA OF THE TORRES STRAITS. 495 
much exerted, wit’) short stigmatic lobes; fruit forming an irregular 
shaped depressed syncarp 1 to 1? inch wide ; seeds, two in each 
perfect carpel, silky, elliptic-oblong, about 5 lines long. Hab., 
Polo Creek, Somerset. 
Amongst the large climbers the anonaceous plant Uvaria mem- 
branacea, Benth., was the most attractive from its bunches of rich 
coloured fruit. The leaves, I found, attained a much larger size 
than stated in the ‘Flora Australiensis,” and often are seen 
nearly 1 foot long. The fruit, which has not been described, con- 
sists of a number of long-stalked, oblong, deep-scarlet carpels, borne 
upon a rather large globose receptacle, each carpel often exceeding 
1} inch in length and nearly 1 inchin diameter. The seeds, which 
are embedded in a sweet pulp, are of an oblong or lenticular form, 
with a more or Jess prominent border, and measure about 5 lines 
in diameter. In company with this was another red-berried plant, 
Tinospora smilacina, Benth., of the ‘“‘ Moonseed family ” (Menis- 
permacee), but at first sight it might be mistaken for one of the 
peppers. 
Besides the large number of trees, shrubs, &c., forming the flora 
of this northern portion of the peninsula, which have a value on 
account of their great beauty, others, probably many, may possess 
a commercial val ue; and, now that so great a demand has arisen 
for “rubber,” it might be well to test some of our Queensland 
plants for this product, particularly those belonging to the orders 
Urticacee (as the numerous fig-trees) and Apocynacee. A tree of 
this latter order is very plentiful in the scrubs under notice. I 
have not seen flowers or ripe fruit, but helieve it to be a new species 
of Alstonia, and, under the name A. somersetensis, have recorded it 
in the September, 1897, number of “The Queensland Agricultural 
Journal.” I found the tree, although not in growth, give out a 
copious flow of milk-sap, so we may naturally expect the flow of 
sap to be much greater during the summer. I saw also some 
rhizomes, at Mr. Jardine’s, of an excellent almost fibreless ginger, 
which that gentleman assured me was indigenous. 
While at Somerset I took the opportunity of visiting Turtle 
Island, which is situated about 12 miles further south. My object 
was to find, if possible, Robert Brown’s Calostemma album. In 
this I was not successful ; but, upon the dry sand patches, found 
dry stems of a Jacca, which must, when growing, have stood over 
5 feet high. On this island the trees are few and stunted. One, 
an Hrythrina, | think undescribed, and have given to it the name 
K. insularis, and have distributed the seed obtained under that 
name. The other trees were kinds most usually found in similar 
situations, as Hibiscus til/aceus, Linn. ; Micromelwm pubescens, 
Blume ; Brassvia actinophylla, Endl. ; Mackinlaya macrosciadia 
F.v.M.; Guettaurda speciosa, Linn; Mimusops Browniana, Benth. ; 
and Macaranga Tanarius, Muell. Arg. The smaller plants were, 
