200 VEGETATION 



called to the rarity on the southeastern group, of plants common to the Bahamas 

 and the southern United States. Mrs. Northrop found on the damp, open 

 savannas of Andros a considerable number of plants that she mentions as 

 confined to that environment. That their absence on most of the other 

 islands is due to the lack of similar conditions is shown by our finding several 

 of them in the Killarney pine barrens of New Providence, where the condi- 

 tions are nearly the same as on the savannas of Andros. As the smaller 

 islands rarely offer any environment approaching that of these savannas, we 

 would not expect to find upon them plants that are partial to such situations. 



The pines and cedars are confined to the northeastern group (New Provi- 

 dence, Andros, Abaco, Great Bahama, and the Berry Islands), while the 

 Cactacece are mostly southern in their distribution. So far, no member of 

 the latter family has been reported from either New Providence, Abaco or 

 Great Bahama, and, according to Northrop, there are none on the northern 

 half of Andros. Cereus swartzii Griseb., Opuntia spinosissima Mill., and 

 Opuntia tuna Mill, occur on the southern half of Andros. The first is found 

 also on some of the southern islands, and the last on Eleuthera, Hum Cay and 

 Watlings Island. Opuntia triacantha DC., found by us on Bum Cay, is said 

 by Gardner, Brace and Dolley to occur also on Watlings and Concepcion 

 Islands. The same authors also give Melocactus communis DC. as indi- 

 genous to Turks Islands and wild on Acklin Island, while a species of Echino- 

 cactus is listed by them from Inagua and southern islands. The tall, columnar 

 Pilocereus lanuginosa Bumpl. is not uncommon on Eleuthera, Long and Wat- 

 lings Islands and probably extends to the southernmost members of the group. 

 Other species of cactus will probably be found on Inagua and Grand Turk 

 Islands. They have been so little explored that their flora is practically 

 unknown. 



The poison-wood, which is so common on New Providence, Andros and 

 Abaco, is much rarer on the eastern and southern islands. We did not find it 

 on the northern part of Eleuthera and it was not at all common on Cat Island, 

 Rum Cay, or Watlings Island. Duranta repens L. is very abundant on the 

 western islands, but outside of these it has been reported only once, from Eleu- 

 thera, by Hitchcock. We did not find it on any of the eastern group. Byr- 

 sonima lucida (Sw.) DC. is also common on the western and rare on the 

 eastern islands. We found a few specimens on Cat and Watlings Islands. 

 Vanilla articulata Northrop, found on Andros by Northrop, was collected by 

 us on New Providence and Watlings Island. It is also said to occur on 



