14 FLORA OF ST. CROIX AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS 



It is, however, in the forest vegetation, which best represents the 

 original flora of the islands, that the greatest and most varied differ- 

 ences are observed, showing especially the great variety of species in 

 the Virgin Islands which are not all found in St. Croix, and among 

 which are many of the commonest and most generally distributed forms. 

 Belonging to St. Croix alone are comparatively few and rare species, 

 chiefly some Rhamnacea3, viz, Maytcnus clccodcndroides and Zisypkui 

 reticulatuSj CatesbcEaparmflora,Beloperoncnemorosa, Petitia Dominge.isis, 

 Euxus Vahlii, and Urera data. All these forms occur only in a few 

 localities, and are of no importance to the general character of vegeta- 

 tion, as is the case on the Virgin Islands with many of the following 

 species that are found on them, but not in St. Croix. It would be too 

 much to mention all the different species here, for which I beg to refex 

 to the appended list and tabular statement. I shall only enumerate a 

 few of the most interesting, especially Malpighiacese (as Byrsonima 

 lucida, Malpighia Cnida and angustifolia), Kutacese (Pilocarpus racemo- 

 suSj ToMnia spinosa, Xantlioxylum ochroxylum], LegnininosaB (Sdbinea 

 florida, Pictetia aristata, Sesbania sericea, and Acacia nitdiflora), and 

 Sapotacere (Sapota Sideroxylon). Among Monocotyledones are to be 

 mentioned Artlirostylidium capUlifolium, Rhynchospora pusitta, Dioscorea 

 pilosiuscula, Catopsis nutans, and several Orchids. Several of these 

 plants grow more or less gregariously, thus becoming characteristical 

 to the formation. Among these are Malpighia Cnida, Ecynosia latifolia, 

 Acacia nudiflora, SaMnea florida, and several species of Pilea, most of 

 them being very common, and even generally used for domestic pur 

 poses. 



Besides these species, entirely wanting in St. Croix, the Virgin 

 Islands possess several that are very common, or at least not uncommon 

 on them, but which occur but very rarely in St. Croix, such as Thrinax 

 argentea,) Rondeletia pilosa, Faramea odoratissima, Miconia angustifolia^ 

 Mimosa Ceratonia^ and others, and most of which I have not found my- 

 self in the latter island, but only found labelled with St. Croix as habitat 

 in the Copenhagen herbarium, so that an error in some cases at least 

 may be not at all impossible. 



However great are the differences in the flora on the two groups of 

 islands, yet this interesting fact is not due to their possessing endemic 

 species, as all the plants known as growing on them are also found in 

 other West India islands, especially Porto Rico, whence the vegetation 

 of both the Virgin Islands and St. Croix seems to be derived. Thus it 



