440 ISLAND LIFE paet ii 



About 3,740 flowering plants were known from Mada- 

 gascar in 1889, with 360 ferns and fern-allies. The most 

 abundant natural orders are the following : 



Species. 



Leguminos?e 346 



Ferns 318 



Compositse 281 



Euphorbiace.^ 228 



Orchidese 170 



Cyperacese IGO 



Rabiace£e 147 



Acauthacese 131 



Graminese 130 



The flora contains representatives of 144 natural orders and 

 970 genera, one of the former and 148 of the latter being 

 peculiar to the island. The peculiar order, Chaelnacese, 

 comprises seven genera and twenty-four species; while 

 Rubiacere and Compositse have the largest number of 

 peculiar genera, followed by Leguminosse and Melastomacese. 

 Mr. Hemsley now estimates the flowering plants at about 

 4,500, of which nearly three-fourths are endemic. 



Beautiful flowers are not conspicuous in the flora of 

 Madagascar, though it contains several magnificent 

 flowering plants. A shrub with the dreadful name 

 Harpagophytum Grandidieri has bunches of gorgeous 

 red flowers ; Tonstellateia madagascariensis is a climbing 

 plant with spikes of rich yellow flowers ; while Poinciana 

 regia, a tall tree, Bhodolcena altivola and Astrapcea 

 Wallichii, shrubs, are among the most magnificent 

 flowering plants in the world. Disa Buchenaviana, Com- 

 melina rifiadagascarica, and Tachiadenus platypterus are 

 fine blue-flowered plants, while the superb orchid Angrce- 

 cum sesqtcipedale, Vinca rosea, Eupltorhia splendens, 

 and Stephanotis floribunda, have been long cultivated 

 in our hot-houses. There are also many handsome 

 Combretacese, Rubiacese, and Leguminosse ; but, as in most 

 tropical regions, this wealth of floral beauty has to be 

 searched for, and produces little effect in the landscape. 



The affinities of the Madagascar flora are to a great 

 extent in accordance with those of the fauna. The 

 tropical portion of the flora is allied, generally, to that of 

 tropical Africa, while the plants of the highlands are 

 equally allied to those of South Africa and the mountains 



