190 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB 



Wednesdav, October 28, 1904 



The meeting was held at the New York Botanical Garden 

 at the usual hour, Dr. D. T. MacDougal occupying the chair. 

 There were 19 members present. 



A letter was read from the secretary of the Council of the 

 Scientific Alliance notifying the Club that the Alliance had 

 appropriated S50 from the Newberr)' Fund for grants in aid of 

 research in botany or geology, and $400 from the Herrman Fund 

 for grants in aid of any scientific investigations. 



The first paper was by Dr. N. L. Britton under the title of 

 " Notes on the Flora of the Bahamas." The speaker, in contin- 

 uation of previous explorations, which were reported in Torreya 

 for Jul}', recently spent five wieks in the Bahamas, principally 

 on the Island of New Providence. 



About 950 native and naturalized species have been reported 

 from the Bahama Islands, an unexpectedly small number, in part 

 accounted for by the fact that most of the land does not reach an 

 elevation of more than 25 feet although on one of the outer 

 islands a height of 400 feet is recorded. 



The flora is remarkable in the veiy unequal distribution of 

 species, some being recorded from only one key. It is related 

 to that of northern Cuba, extreme southern F'lorida, and in a 

 lesser degree to that of Haiti. While the collections have as yet 

 received only preliminary study, it is probable that ten or twelve 

 new species will be founded on forms formerly thought to be 

 identical with Cuban or other West Indian species. 



The speaker gave a brief review of the flora, noting among 

 other facts the presence of but five gymnosperms — a Pifius, three 

 Zamias and a Jiinipcnis. The lower monocotyledons are but 

 poorly represented. 



Of the grasses about fifty species were collected. These have 

 not been studied, but it was noted that they show characteristic 

 forms in each of the plant associations of the islands. One of the 

 most interesting is the climbing bamboo, Arthrostylidium capilli- 

 fo'ii/in Griseb., whose light green color gives a characteri.stic tinge 



