A RAMBLE ALONG THE COAST 105 



nately in many a ravine and wall which was 

 formerly clad with ferns and plants of a far more 

 interesting nature, the rank-growing Eupatorium 

 adenophorum seems to have taken complete 

 possession, and threatens to become a very 

 serious eyesore and enemy to the natural vegeta- 

 tion. The Portuguese have christened it Abun- 

 dancia, and it is well named, as there seems to be 

 no end to its abundance ; its dirty-coloured fluffy 

 heads of blossom spread their seed in all directions. 

 It was an evil day when it was first introduced to 

 the island as a treasure, carefully installed in a pot. 

 Other horticultural pests have been introduced in 

 the same way, such as the rosy purple Oxalis 

 venusta, whose little flowers are pretty enough in 

 their way, but its far-spreading roots have become 

 a most troublesome weed in cultivated ground ; and 

 the yellow double-flowered Oocalis cornuta is even 

 worse, taking complete possession in some places of 

 any sort of grass-land. The dreaded coco, a grass 

 growing from a tiny bulb, which throws out long 

 and far-reaching roots, runs in the ground, till 

 once thoroughly established, there is no end to it ; 

 this also was imported, probably accidentally, not 

 much more than twenty years ago. The most 

 serious of all pests in the island, the tiny black 



14 



