50 D. Prain — Flora of Narcondani and Barren Island. [No. 2, 



forest, mainly Ficus, but lias for its undergrowth quantities of Caryota 

 mitis, -with, dense patches of Pollia Aclisia underneath. 



The ridges between the gorges are tolerably uniform in the nature 

 of their vegetation ; Premna integrifolia extends a good way up, Morinda 

 bracteata is found throughout the island and is as common at the top as 

 it is on the coast ; Trema amboinensis, Gapparis sepiaria, and Acacia con- 

 china, are common species ; not infrequent is Gallicarpa arborea, though 

 far less common here than on Barren Island. In the gorges patches of 

 Macaranga Tanarius, Trema amboinensis, Pipturus velutinus, Boehmeria 

 malabarica, as gregarious species, are common, and form, especially in 

 the lower part of the hill, the prevalent undergrowth. The trees are 

 those already enumerated, but as additional species, may be mentioned 

 the following, all obtained in the gorge leading from Anchorage Bay to 

 the summit of the peak : — Amoora Bohituka, Apodytes andamanica, Seme- 

 carpus lieterophylla, Myristica glauca, Ficus glaberrima — the last mentioned 

 a small tree, at about 2000 feet elevation. The climbers not previously 

 noted were Anamirta Goccidus, frequent ; Antitaxis calocarpa, very com- 

 mon ; Aristolochia Tagala ; Gouania leptostachya ; Trichosanthes palmata ; 

 Anodendron paniculatum ; Pischidia nummularia ; Pothos scandens, and 

 Strychnos acuminata, at about 1200 feet elevation. The herbaceous 

 species not before observed were Blumea myriocephala, only once at about 

 1600 feet elevation ; Asplenium nidus, seen on trees throughout the ascent ; 

 Neplirodium terminans, not common below 1000 feet, very frequent above 

 that height ; Davallia speluncai, here and there throughout the ascent, 

 Polypodium irioides, at about 1800 feet elevation ; Polypodium adnascens, 

 on trees throughout the island, not common ; Bryum coronatum. 



As the summit is neared, and one passes within the area usually 

 moistened by the cloud-cap, the trees are covered with moss (Neckera 

 rugulosa), and bear on their bark quantities of Trichomanes pyxidiferum. 

 In other respects the jungle on the top does not differ from that lower 

 down, except that, owing to the ridges being of necessity greater in pro- 

 portion to the gorges than lower down the hill, there is relatively more 

 of scrub jungle than one finds below. 



Few Fungi were obtained during the visit : doubtless the season of 

 the year was unfavourable. No Algw were found either on the rocks 

 or washed up on the beaches. The ocean-drifts consisted almost entire- 

 ly of fruits or seeds of species that occur on the island ; the only excep- 

 tion noted was a fruit of FLeritiera littoralis found at East Bay. 



Barren Island is situated in the Andaman Sea, in Lat. 12° 15' N. 

 and Lon. 93° 50' E., 60 miles to the east of Middle Andaman, 74 miles 

 south-south-west of Narcondam, 80 miles north-north-east of Flat Rock 



