362 EEPOKT— 1888. 



West Indian orders, e.g., Villeniaceoi, Fiperacecc, Gtittiferce, Ternstromiacece, 

 and Gesneriacece, are not represented in the Bahamas, and other large 

 characteristically tropical orders, such as Mijrtacece, Lauracece, and Mela- 

 siomacece very feebly. The predominant orders are Compositce, Leguminosce, 

 Euhiacece, and Euphorbiacece. There is a very large proportion of genera 

 to species, no genus being represented by more than five or six species. 

 A bamboo was collected without flowers, both by Brace and Eggers. 

 There are three palms, all of which are widely spread West Indian types. 

 Upwards of twenty shrubs, trees, and perennial herbs are supposed to be 

 endemic in the Bahamas. Of these the most interesting are the Pinus 

 laliamensis already mentioned ; ihvee Mimosem, Mimosa halmmensis, Acacia 

 acuifera, and A. cnriopliyUa ; two Com-positai, Venwnia halmmensis and 

 Sahnea petrohioides ; one Passion-flower {Passiflora pectinata) ; Croton 

 Eluieria, G. Gascarilla, and Argithamnia sericea in Euphorbiacece ; in 

 Orchideai, Bletia purpurea and two or three Epidendrums ; Jacaranda 

 lahamensis in Bignoniaceoi; and Phialanthus my rtiUoides, and Stenostomum 

 myrtifolium in Euhiacece. The non-endemic plants of the gronp may be 

 classified in three groups : — 



1. Characteristically West Indian types. 



2. Widely spread tropical American types. 



3. Cosmopolitan weeds and shore plants, sucb as Suriana maritima, 

 Ximenia americana, and Buppia maritima. Each of the three is largely 

 represented. 



The Collection of Baron Eggers. — The collection of Baron Eggers was 

 mainly made in the small island of New Providence, where the capital 

 (Nassau) is situated, and as this was also the case with the plants of 

 Mr. Brace, a large proportion of the species are identical. The two 

 collections supplement each other very usefully, for the shrubby plants 

 of the Bahamas often show evidence of a considerable amount of such 

 alteration as is produced by greater exposure, and in several genera (for 

 instance, Erythroxylum, Eugenia, Psyclwtria, Ficus, and Coccoloha) it will 

 be needful to have further specimens of the New Providence types before 

 it can be safely decided what their relations are with the Cuban or the 

 Jamaican species. One of the most interesting plants Eggers has gathered 

 is the Acliras, figured by Catesby (vol. ii. t. 87), which is evidently distinct 

 specifically from the well-known Acliras Sapota. He has added to the 

 Bahaman flora the Rhamnaceous genus Reynosia, known previously in 

 Florida. He has found a new species of the Mutisiaceous genus Ana- 

 straphia, of which several species are known in Cuba. In Sclnvpfia 

 Buxus and Idnum he has obtained full material of new endemic Bahaman 

 species before known imperfectly. In a few cases his material shows 

 that species supposed to be endemic are not really distinct. For instance, 

 he has connected Croton Hjalmarsonii of Grisebach with the widely 

 spread Croton hicidus of Linnaeus. 



Economic Bahaman Plants. — The group pi'oduces several interesting 

 plants of economic value. Of these the principal are — 



Mahogany — Swietenia Mahogani. 



White Cinnamon — Canella alba. 



Lignum vitee — Guaiacum sanctum. 



Sabicu — Lysiloma Sahicu. 



Cascarilla Bark — Croton Eluteria. 

 „ „ Croton Cascarilla. 



„ „ Sideroxylon mastichodendron. 



