Origin of the Antillean Flora. 307 
considerable excess of the eastern only. The most striking feature in the 
table is the large number of species common to South America, but not 
known to inhabit the West Indies. 
The distribution of the following species of the following genera, selected. 
at random, it seems represent part of the tropic flora which may be called 
Antillean, because the plants enumerated in their present distribution occupy 
the edge of the Caribbean basin which geologists tell us has been formed by 
the depression to great depths of a.former land surface. North South America 
represents the southern rim of this basin, Central America the western edge 
with the Galapagos islands, perhaps an outlying extension of this ancient 
continent into the Pacific ocean, and the greater Antillean chain of islands 
representing the northern limit of this Caribbean landmass. The species now 
mentioned represent, but a small number of those plants which have a similar 
range about the shoreline of the Caribbean Sea, viz. 
Cassia alata L. Nicaragua, Panama, West Indies and tropic America 
» atomaria L. South Mexico, Central America, Colombia to Peru. 
»  bacillaris L. South Mexico, Yucatan, Tabasco, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, 
northern part of South America, West Indies. 
»  bicapsularis L. North Mexico, South Mexico, Yucatan, Tabasco, Guate- 
mala, Costa Rica, southward to South Brazil and Chili. 
»  biflora L. South Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, West Indies 
and northern part of South America. 
» chamaecrista L. Canada to Mexico, Guatemala and southward to Uruguay. 
»  diphylla L. South Mexico, RER Nicaragua, Panama, West Indies 
and tropic South Asnärica 
» grandis L. Panama, West Indies, Colombia, Guiana and Brazil. 
»  riparia H. B. K. Central America, West Indies, Guiana, North Brazil. 
»  sericea Sw. Texas, North Mexico, South Mexico, Central America, 
West Indies and North Brazil. 
»  spectabilis DC. South Mexico, Costa Rica, West Indies, northern part 
of South America. 
>» tageraL. South Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, north part of South America. 
virgata Sw. Guatemala, Colombia, Guiana and the West Indies. 
Eiokes balsamona Ch. & Schl. South Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, 
southward to Uruguay and in the Galapagos islands. 
»  spicata Cav. South Mexico, West Indies, South America to Uruguay 
and Chili. 
Passiflora adenopoda DC. South Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Colombia. 
» coriacea Juss. South Mexico, Panama, Jamaica, Colombia, Peru. 
> lunata Willd. South Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama. 
> var. costata Mast. Jamaica, Venezuela, Colombia. 
» sexflora Juss. South Mexico, West Indies. 
> suberosa L. var. minima Mast. Mexico, West Indies, Central America. 
» tuberosa Jacq. South Mexico, West Indies, Guiana. 
