1893.] D. Prain — Flora of Narcondam and Barren Island. 49 



Hibiscus tiliaceus, Gapparis tenera, Golubrina asiatica and Glerodendron 

 itierme. The true beach-forest, here well developed, contains much 

 Pisonia excelsa, with a number of trees of the far less common Pisonia alba; 

 the other trees of the zone are Terminalia Gatappa, Calopliyllum inophyl- 

 lum, Thespesia populnea, Gyrocarpus Jacquinii, Ixora brunnescens, Ficus 

 brevicuspis, Ficus callosa, Odina Wodier, and Garuga pinnata ; the two last- 

 named, though commonest in, are not confined to this zone. The single 

 coco-nut tree mentioned as occurring here has probably grown from a 

 nut drifted round from the other bay ; at Coco Bay, however, it is more 

 probable, considering their association with plantains that the trees have 

 been introduced intentionally.* The edges and bed of the dry lagoon 

 already described were covered with Ipomaia Turpethum. 



Along the edge of the cliff overlooking the west side of Coco Bay 

 some species, not seen elsewhere, were met with : Entada scandens, Acacia 

 concinna, a Greivia (in leaf only, perhaps G Icevigata), a Tylophora (in 

 fruit only, perhaps T. globife?-a), Pwderia foetida, and Dioscorea sativa. 

 The steep hill-side overlooking the northern part of Anchorage Bay is 

 covered with a scrub-jungle of Premna, Breynia, and such like shrubs, 

 with a good deal of Gapparis sepiaria. All over this hill were seen 

 withered leaves of the Amorphopliallus .f The hill-side overlooking the 

 southern portion of Anchorage Bay is covered with the same dense 



* These coco-nuts are too old and too numerous to have been introduced of 

 recent years j it seems strange, therefore, that they have never before been men- 

 tioned. The recorded visits to Narcondam are : — (1). That of Messrs. Hume and 

 Ball in 1873, when a landing was effected, and no more ; (2). that of Messrs. Mallet 

 and Hobday in 1884, when four days were spent in investigating its geology and 

 topography, and an ascent, probably the first, was made of the peak; (3). the present 

 visit, when the peak was again ascended. The account of their landing-place shows 

 that it was at Coco Bay that Ball and Hume landed ; at no other bay is there shoal 

 water. Ball mentions some of the plants noticed by him at this place, but neither 

 he nor Hume have recorded the existence of coco-nuts and plantains. Mallet is 

 equally silent, his paper being rigidly confined to the topography and geology of the 

 island. Though these are the only recorded visits, there have been others paid to 

 the island. Hume (Stray Feathers ii, 110) mentions a visit by Col. Tytler. Again, 

 Kurz (Report on the Vegetation of the Andamans, p. 13.) mentions a deputation that 

 visited Barren Island in 1866, in search of pasture-grasses ; from specimens in the 

 Calcutta Herbarium, however, we learn that this deputation a few days later visited 

 Narcondam and the Coco Group. In connection with the systematic list, occasion 

 will be taken to refer to the acts of the deputation in question : it is sufficient to 

 say here that to its members is probably due the merit of having introduced, at lea ft 

 the plantains, and perhaps also the coco-nuts. This would make it certain that 

 both species were present at the time of Hume's visit. 



f Corms and seeds of this plant were brought to the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Calcutta, where it has sent up leaves and has flowered. 



