Vol. 3 No. 5 



TORREYA 



May, 1903 



NOTES ON THE STRAND FLORA OF GREAT 

 INAGUA, HAITI AND JAMAICA 



By John W. Hakshberger 



Great Inagua lies in latitude 21 ° north and between longitude 

 73 and 74 west, and is the most southerly of the Bahama 

 Islands. It is forty-five miles in length and from seven to seven- 

 teen miles in breadth. Two sandy bays on the leeward, or west- 

 ern side of the island afford safe anchorage for all kinds of steam 

 and sailing vessels. Man-of-war Bay is the northern one, while 

 Matthewtown is situated on the southern one, and is the entrepot 

 of the island. The anchorage is some distance from the shore 

 and affords about five fathoms of water. The shores of the 

 southern bay are rocky, with scattered sandy beaches formed by 

 the ground-up coral rock. The rock is of aeolian formation, 

 similar to that found in other Bahama islands.* Along' the edge 

 of the sea the surface erosion of the rocky strand is most striking 

 and characteristic. The rocks are honeycombed with holes, pits 

 and cavities of all sizes, locally known as " banana holes." The 

 following plants were noted on the strand during the call of the 

 steamer Belvernon at Matthewtown on July 1, 1901. Growing 

 in small rock pockets influenced by the salt spray, Portulaca 

 oleracea L. var. parvifolia was gathered. Forming a second line 

 of plants, the seaside grape, Coccoloba uvifera L., Tournefortia 

 gnapJialodcs R. Br., Bucida Buccras L., RJiachicallis rupestris, 

 DC. may be said to be character plants. f Together, these species 



* Northrop, Alice R., Flora of New Providence and Andros. Mem. Torrey 

 Club, 12 : 2. 1902. 



f The writer owes the determination of his West Indian collection of plants to Dr. 

 I. Urban, of the Berlin Botanic Garden, to whom his thanks are due. 

 [Vol. 3, No. 4, of Torreya, comprising pages 49-66, was issued April 18, 1903.] 



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