54 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



shrub with a dense habit of growth, small sessile leaves, and axillary 

 flowers with 6-parted perianths. On the windward side of the island, 

 and near the southern end on the leeward side, growing in the sandy 

 beach at the very margin of the sea are groves of Casuarina eqidseti- 

 folia (PL XLI), trees with tufts of linear, leafless, jointed branches 

 resembling horsetails (Equisetum) and cone-like fruit. Among other 

 beach plants are the composites Stemmodontia biflora, S. canescetix, 

 Edipta, alba, the recently introduced Synedrella nodiflora, and the 

 bidens-like Glossogyne tenuifolia; and in places there are mounds 

 formed by Sesuvium portulacastrum, the "sea purslane," often asso- 

 ciated with creeping grasses. Coconuts are abundant on the west 

 coast of the island (PL I), but almost absent from the east coast. 



THE INNER BEACH. 



The principal trees forming the inner beach growth are Barring- 

 tonia speciosa, Barringtonia racemosa, Terminalia catappa, Ileritiera 

 littoralis, Pariti tiliaceum, Thespesia populnea, Ochrosia mariannensis* 

 Hernandia peltata, Artocarpus communis, Calopliyllum inophyllum^ 

 and Morinda citrifolia. Beneath their shade grow the white-flowered 

 amaryllis ( Crinum asiaticum), the grasses, Stenotaphrum subulatum and 

 Centotheca lappacea, and the shrubby Boerhaavia diffusa, Vitex trifolia, 

 and Meibomia umbellata. Climbing on the trunks of trees are a num- 

 ber of ferns, including Phymatodes phymatodes (PL LXII), with leath- 

 ery lobed fronds, Cyclophorus adnascens, with small, linear-lanceolate, 

 simple fronds, Davallia solida, with beautiful, glossy, divided fronds, 

 and Humata heterophylld, with fertile fronds differing from the sterile 

 in shape (PL LIII). In addition to the above-mentioned species there 

 are a number of shrubs growing in the vicinity of the beach the 

 beach plum (Ximenia americana), Clerodendron inermis, with white, 

 honeysuckle-like flowers and exserted pink stamens; Acacia farne- 

 siana, with globular, yellow heads of fragrant flowers; Leucaena glauca, 

 with similar heads of white, inodorous flowers; and the custard apple, 

 Annona reticulata, the only species of this genus which grows sponta- 

 neously on the island. Twining among these shrubs are several 

 species of Convolvulaceae, including Ipomoea choisiana and 7. marian- 

 nensis, with purple flowers; the lavender-flowered "alalag" (Argyreia 

 tiliaefolia), the flowers of which, called "abubo," are strung into gar- 

 lands by the children; and Operculina peltata, which has white flowers. 



THE CLIFFS. 



On the promontory of Orote on the west coast, that of Kiroga on 

 the east near Talofofo Bay, on the rocky island of Cabras, or Apapa, 

 and on the edges of cliffs are usually found the following plants: Cor- 

 migonus mariajinensis, a shrub or small tree belonging to the Rubi- 

 aceae, with large, white, four-parted, trumpet-shaped flowers; Cycas 



