272 ISLAND LIFE part ii 



gives a list of no less than 480 species of flowering plants ; 

 but this number includes all the culinary plants, fruit-trees, 

 and garden flowers, as well as all the ornamental trees and 

 shrubs from various parts of the world which have been 

 introduced, mixed up with the European and American 

 weeds that have come with agricultural or garden seeds, 

 and the really indigenous plants, in one undistinguished 

 series. It appears too, that the late Governor, Major- 

 General Lefroy, " has sown and distributed throughout the 

 islands packets of seeds from Kew, representing no less 

 than 600 species, principally of trees and shrubs suited to 

 sandy coast soils " — so that it will be more than ever 

 difficult in future years to distinguish the indigenous from 

 the introduced vegetation. 



From the researches of Dr. Rein and Mr. Moseley there 

 appear to be about 250 flowering plants in a wild state, 

 and Mr. Hemsley estimates the indigenous species to be 

 about 140. The majority are tropical and West Indian, 

 while others are common to the Southern States of North 

 America ; the former class having been largely brought 

 by means of the Gulf Stream, the latter by the agency 

 of birds or by winds. Mr. Jones tells us that the currents 

 bring numberless objects animate and inanimate from 

 the Caribbean Sea, including the seeds of trees, shrubs, 

 and other plants, which are continually cast ashore and 

 sometimes vegetate. The soap-berry tree (Sapindits 

 saponaria) has been actually observed to originate in this 

 way. 



Mr. W. B. Hemsley considers that five of the flowering 

 plants and three ferns are peculiar to the island, and he 

 has kindly furnished me with the following list of these 

 species : — 



Erigeron Darrelianus 



Statice Lefroyi 



Sisyrinchium bermudianum 

 Sabal Blackburniana 

 Carex bermudiana 

 Adiantum bellum 

 Asplenium Laffanianum, . . 

 Nephrodium bermudianum 



A composite plant. 



A sea-lavender. 



One of the Iris family, 



A palm. 



A sedge. 



A maiden-hair fern. 



A fern. 



A fern. 



The above are all of common and wide-spread types. 



