294 . LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 
botanists. Nees’s collections described by Cavanilles in his 
‘Icones’; and Blanco’s ‘Flora de Filipinas,’ and later edition by 
Father Villar are specially noted; as likewise Presl’s ‘Reliquie 
Haenkeane,’ the collections of H. Cuming, the ‘Plants Meyeni- 
ane,’ ther Llanos’s ‘Fragmentos de Algunas Plantas de 
Filipinas,’ besides other monographs scattered through various 
publications. Mr. Rolfe, however, expresses himself particularly 
indebted to Cuming’s collections, and to the very valuable help and 
incentive derived from Don Sebastian Vidal y Soler, Conservator of 
the continuation of his ‘ Bingpsis de Familias y Generos de Plantas,’ 
had induced him to study the flora in question from its distri- 
while all three Gymnospermea, though present, are but poorly 
represented. The proportion of Vascular Cryptogams to Pheriogams 
is nearly one-eighth, chiefly Ferns. Of these latter, fifty-two are 
not known elsewhere, a fact in itself stamping an individuality on 
_ the islands. The endemic phenogamic vegetation consists of 91 
species, or a proportion of over one-fourth endemic, the Dicotyledons 
showing a proportion of over one-third endemic, and the Mono- 
cotyledons of a little over one-tenth, chiefly Orchids. These figures 
Sumatra, &c. The flora on the whole approximates most to that 
n 
great number of Malayan types extant with the proportion o! t e 
endemic species, as well as a considerable boreal and Aus 
element, seem to point out that submergence alone will not account 
for the present peculiarities of distribution. A dominant feature 0 
the flora is undoubtedly the Australian and Austro-Malayan element. 
Without here giving the details of his reasoning, Mr. Rolfe’s coB- 
uch thro 
tinent, which has had a dip under the sea, as from their being 
largely of _voleanic, and geologically of somewhat recent origin 
to wit, as is presumed to be the case of other islands of admitted 
oceanic origin. Mr. Rolfe describes several new species, anda neW 
genus of Rubiaceae, Villaria. 
