THE VEGETATION OF THE JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS 837 



March, but they produce new leaves and flowers as late as in April or have 

 stopped growing and end in a bud. Other branches of the same order are several 

 dm long and carry axillary spines and accessory buds, and a second bud, barely 

 visible in the leaf axil, may be present (Fig. 9 c); these spines, which bear i — 2 

 pair of minute scales, will not carry flowers. In the upper axils no spines had 

 been formed. There is a difference between long vegetative "prolongation" shoots 

 and short vegetative-floral shoots. 



Seeds were sown in the Botanical Garden, Goteborg,' 7.8. 1918, and a few ger- 

 minated in March, 19 19. In October, 1924, two plants remained, but one died soon 

 after without having flowered; nor has the other, still alive in 1952, flowered. 



Escallonia Callcottiae Hook, et Arn. Saxifragaceae. Endemic on Masatierra, 

 where it is common in light forest and scrub all over the wooded region and 

 ascends to the summit of El Yunque; also frequent on the windswept ridges and 

 scattered in the barren grass-lands on the south slope of the island, west to Punta 

 Larga. Pis. 62: i, 63: i. A small tree, branched from near the base and to 4 or 

 5 m tall, but much stunted and shrub-like in dry, exposed situations. Leaves 

 firm chartaceous. Panicles terminal on vegetative-floral shoots; flowering season 

 extending from late winter or early spring to April, flowers pink. In August 

 buds were closed or opening, giving rise to a generation of branches which will 

 flower during the summer (Fig. 8 1), but in other cases dormant buds were noted 

 which had produced a single, very much reduced leaf and were covered by 

 regular budscales, formed by the leaf-base; a miniature limb is sometimes developed. 

 In one instance I noted the following sequence of foliar organs (August, 191 7): 

 4 — 5 budscales, 2 or 3 leaves of reduced size, then larger leaves or, between 

 these and the reduced ones, another set of scales: the bud had started to grow, 

 had become dormant for a while and then made a fresh start. Growing apices 

 were still observed in January, but in the middle of April growth appeared to 

 have come to a standstill. It often happens that the apex dies without producing 

 a panicle. In the case of Escallonia as well as in many other the lack of observa- 

 tions during the months of May to July is to be regretted. 



Seeds were sown 25.7. 19 18 and 2 seedlings obtained in the beginning of Septem- 

 ber; the plants flowered for the first time end of September, 1921. Easily propagated 

 by cuttings. 



Cuminia fernandezia CoUa. Labiatae. Endemic on Masatierra, not uncommon 

 in the montane region, but never abundant; seen once only below 300 m. Ascends 

 to the summit of El Yunque. A small tree, probably rarely over 2 or 3 m tall 

 and branched from near the base; main stem to 20 cm in diam. (PI. 65). Old bark 

 grayish black, thin, cracked and fibrose. Leaves thin, bright green. Branches 

 collected in August had, as a rule, lost the leaves of a long series of nodes, 

 which, the lower ones excepted, bore remnants of dichasia. Leaf scars very promin- 

 ent, ebony white in contrast to the smooth, brown cortex, every node with a 

 minute pubescent bud, accessorial in the flowering zone and hidden at the base 

 of the old peduncle (Fig. 9 f). The shoots continue to grow and to produce leaves 



' All observations on the cultivation of plants from Juan Fernandez refer to this garden. 



