1891.] D. Prain— !Z%e Vegetation of the Coco Chvup. 297 



menus. The eastern side of this ridge had no flat land between it and 

 the sea and was rather more open, the tall trees and creepers were much 

 as on the west side, with the addition of Argyreia tilicefoUa and A. 

 HooTceri ; large masses of Erycibe paniculata, which is here always a 

 heavy climber and not shrubby ; and among the undergrowth with the 

 addition of Olaoxylon sp. ; Oorypha Sp. ; and near the shore Blachia anda- 

 manica ; Fluchea indica ; Gnesmone javanica. On bare isolated rocks 

 lying well out on the reefs, and never covered completely by the tide, the 

 species found are always Fimbristylis sp. ; Cyperus pennatus ; and Bosr- 

 haavia repens. The same species also occur on bare rocky patches of the 

 coast all round the island but especially on the west coast. Other 

 species associated with these in such situations are Desmodium polycar- 

 pon; D. triquetrum ; Blumea virens ; Vernonia divergens ; V. cinerea ; 

 Pluchea indica, etc. 



The isthmus uniting the outlying peninsula at the north-east corner 

 with the main island has, mixed with the coco-nut trees occurring there, 

 a sparse forest of Miomisops and Bipterocarpus, with an undergrowth 

 towards the north coast almost exclusively of Macaranga Tanarius, to- 

 wards the south almost entirely of Bodoncea viscosa, though here and 

 there on hummocks of soil as opposed to sand, are other trees, like 

 Oroxylutn indicum ; Seteropliragma adenophyllmn, etc. Among the her- 

 baceous species here the most noteworthy is Anisomeles ovata, the only 

 Labiate on the islands, which is, however, at this particular spot, very 

 plentiful. On the coast of the north-east peninsula Bhysalis minima 

 is a common species, it occurs, however, in similar situations here and 

 there on both the Great and the Little Coco ; on the slope above 

 Strobilanthes phyllostachyus is gregarious and plentiful, as it likewise is 

 at the north end of Little Coco in a similar situation. 



As an example of the vegetation of level ground, where the soil is 

 shingle instead of sand, the north end of Jerry island may be described. 

 Here on the beach is a dense thicket of Pemphis acidtda ; behind this, 

 a few examples of Pandanus odoratissimus ; many Sccevola Kcenigii ; some 

 Tournefortia argentea and Sophora tomentosa bushes ; many coco-nut trees ; 

 much Gcesalpinia Bonducella. Behind this sea-fence the shingle is cover- 

 ed with a mass of Ipomcea biloba, a striking contrast to what occurs at 

 the north-east corner of the island where the shingle has I. denticulata 

 only. The trees on this shingle are Terminalia Gatappa, Gocos nucifera, 

 Ardisia humilis, Ixora brunnescens, Giiettarda speciosa, Macaranga Tana- 

 rius, Mimusops littoralis, Gyrocarpus Jacquinii, Hernandia peltata. Be- 

 sides the Ipomoea the only herbaceous vegetation consisted of a few 

 fruiting Amorphophalli ; the tubers of these brought to Calcutta have 

 since sent up bulbiferons leaves that shew the species to be nearly 



