108 



LOUD HOWE ISLAND. 



and Mr. Duff.* The salient points Ijrouglit forward by Mr. Moore clearly 

 prove the Lord Howe flora to incline far more towards that of New Zealand 

 and Norfolk Island than to that of New South Wales. This has a great 

 bearing on the geological facts shortly to-be communicated on. Those 

 typical Australian families, the LeguminosiB and Myrtacese are barely repre- 

 sented, whilst the Proteaceie are said to be wholly wanting. " The typical 

 plants of the island are four palms," says " Linnseus," by whom the best 

 popular account has been written, " a ficus with the habit of the Indian 

 banyan, and several large foliaged plants of great beauty. The timber-trees 

 are numerous, and these yield wood of great excellence for building and 

 cabinet work. But perhaps the most noticeable feature of the vegetation of 

 Lord Howe is the number of varieties of climbing, twining, and creeping 

 plants, some of which are exceedingly striking."! 



The flora of Lord Howe Island Ijeing of very great interest, I make no 

 apology for extracting the following information from Mr. Moore's interest- 

 ing account, and that of " Linnscus." The OrchidaceaB are sparingly repre- 

 sented by Dendrohium, and Sarchochilus growing on trees, but Mr. Moore is 

 mistaken in limiting these to those growi)T.g on the hill sides. They certainly 

 frequent the low ground timber almost as plentifully. There are four 

 palms, and their distribution has already to some extent been referred to 

 (p. 5). The "Thatch Palm" {Kentia Forsteriana), and the "Curly Palm" 

 (JiT. Belmoreana) occupy the lower zone, ranging up to 1,000 feet, when their 

 place is taken by the " tJmbrella Palm" {K. Canterburiana) , which covers only 

 a limited belt, according to Mr. Moore, but " Limiffius" states that it can be 

 traced to the top of the highest mountain, which is, of course. Mount Gower. J 

 The fourth variety is KeMia Moorei, the " Mountain Palm," and is only 

 found at elevations exceeding 2,000 feet. It is a dwarf form and of very 

 graceful outline. 



The trunks of the "Thatch Palm " are used as the main timbers for build- 

 ing purposes, and when split form battens, whilst the fronds are utilized for 

 thatching purposes, hence the name. The " Curly Palm " is less robust than 

 the preceding, and has erect pinnjB, producing a striking coiitrast to those 

 of the former, which are pendulous. 



Equally striking in appearance are the Pandani or " Screw Pines," of 

 whish Mi-. Moote Mieres *hore are two species. The "Tent Tree" {Pan- 

 danus Foratarii, Moore) groivs both on the flat ground and on the hill-sides 

 to an elevation of 2,000 feet ; but, so far as my own observation went, only 

 where the soil is of a volcanic nature. 



As previously stated, the tree of the island is thii Banyan. " It marks 

 distinctly an inner zone of vegetation, being protected on every side by belts 

 of trees of various descriptions. It possesses, to an extraordinary degree, 

 the branching characteristics of the famous " Banyan " of India (Ficus 

 indica). From its high wide-spreading branches adventitious roots are pro- 

 duced, which descend to the ground, then rapidly enlarge, and become in the 

 course of time huge stems, drawing nourishment from the earth, for the 

 support and increase of the parent branch, which, as it extends, produces 

 similar root stems ; the tree by this means covering a very large space of 

 ground. § . . . This interesting tree apnears to be new and confined to the 

 island, its column-like stems suggesting the specific name, columnaris, 



* Report on the Vegetation of the Island, Lord Hoioe Island, Report on Present State, 

 &c., loc. cit., pp. 8-11. 



t "Linnaius," loc. cit., p. 21. 



t Il>i^, p. 22. 



§ Some of fheso trees cover at least half an acre of ground. 



