304 D. Prain — The Vegetation of the Coco Group. [No. 4, 



mon in all the islands, and if the writer is correct in considering the 

 character of armed or unarmed trunk a trivial one, is the common 

 Bomhax in S. Andaman. The leaves suit exactly, and though in S. 

 Andaman the trunk of old tall trees is smooth, young saplings are 

 armed, as are the ultimate branchlets even of old trees. The leaves are 

 unlike any of the Indian or Burmese gatherings either of Bomhax 

 malaharicum or of Bomhax insigne. 



2. A tree with unarmed trunk and branches, leaflets about 6, entire, 

 obovate, acuminate 9-11 inches long, 2|-3 inches wide, gradually 

 tapering into petiolules |-| inches long, stamens numerous. This was 

 obtained only in Little Coco, it occurs in South Andaman also, for there 

 are specimens at Calcutta, obtained by Mr. Kurz at Port Monat on the 

 west coast. It does not at all resemble as to leaves of the other form nor 

 does it resemble the leaves of Wallich's type specimen of B. insigne. 

 But its leaves precisely resemble those of Wall. Cat. 1840/4 (from Taong 

 Doung, Burma), which was issued as B. maldbarictmi vak. albiflorum, 

 Wall. The number of stamens makes it impossible to refer the Anda- 

 man plant at least to B. malaharicum: 



In South Andaman both forms have the leaves glaucotis beneath ; in 

 the Cocos neither form has ; so that this character perhaps cannot be held 

 as valid. Mr. Kurz did not consider the two Audamans forms separable 

 from each other, and in one place he referred them to B. malaharicum, 

 but afterwards, on account of the staminal character, united them to 

 B. insigne. He has, however, left a manusci-ipt name "i?. heterophyllum," 

 which proves both that he had noted the existence of the two kinds of 

 foliage and that he could not separate the plants exhibiting them from 

 each other. 



It should be noted that the convicts and others at Port Blair dis- 

 tiuo-uish two kinds of " Semul " or " Cotton-tree." The distinction 

 does not, however, apply to the two forms referred to above, but to these 

 two taken together and to the following species. 



Both islands. 



South Andaman. Burma ? 



19, Eriodendron anfractuosum DC. 

 Both islands, common. 



India, Burma, Malaya, Africa, and America. 



STERCULIACE^. 



20. Sterctjlia villosa Roxb. 

 Great Coco; Little Coco* 

 India. 



