84 D. Prain — Flora of Narcondam and Barren Island. [No. 2, 



the Narcondam, 59% of the Barren Island flora — are common to the 

 two islands. Of the genera, 111 occnr in Narcondam and 75 in Barren 

 Island, bnt only 48, — 43j°/ of the Narcondam ones, 64°/ of those in 

 Barren Island — are found in both places. Eleven natural orders present 

 in Narcondam are unrepresented in Barren Island ; five present in 

 Barren Island are not found in Narcondam. 



As regards Cryptogams, the two floras seem very similar, each 

 having the same total number; the natural orders, however, indicate 

 greater diversity of character among Barren Island than among Narcon- 

 dam Cryptogams. There are two Lycopodinece, and two Algce, not re- 

 presented in Narcondam ; on the other hand, in Narcondam, at the top 

 of the hill are a Trichomanes and a Neckera, absent from Barren Island. 

 Of the thirteen ferns on Narcondam and 12 on Barren Island, 5 only are 

 common to the two places ; the Narcondam ferns belong to 6 genera, the 

 Barren Island ones represent 8 genera. In Narcondam, one of the 

 features of the vegetation is the presence of large beds of ferns; in 

 Barren Island, ferns are scarce. 



All the Cryptogams are herbaceous, and may all have their presence 

 credited to wind-agency ; Acrostichum aureum, however, in both islands, 

 .and Acrostichum scandens in Barren Island, grow only near the sea ; both 

 arc denizens of mud-flats in the Sunderbuns, the Andamans and through- 

 out Malaya and possibly therefore are sea-introduced. 



Of the 46 natural orders of Phanerogams in Narcondam, 23 are re- 

 presented by one species, 12 by two species, 3 by three species, and 3 

 by four species each ; the only orders represented by more than four 

 species, are Compositai and Convolvulacece, each 6 sp. ; Euphorbiacem, 10 

 sji. ; Leguminosce, 12 sp. and Utricacece, 13 sp. In the 35 natural orders 

 in Barren Island we find that 21 are represented by one species, 8 by 

 two species, and 2 by three species ; the only orders represented by 

 moi^e than three species are Leguminosce, Ricbiacece and Euphorbiacece, 

 5 sp. each, and Urticacece, 7 sp. Urticacece is thus in both islands the 

 leading natural order ; this hegemony is due to the facilities that fruits 

 of the order offer for introduction by frugivorous birds. 



Of the 115 Narcondam Phanerogams, 33 are trees, 31 are shrubs, 

 37 are climbing species — woody climbers 16, herbaceous climbers 21 ; 

 only 5 climbers being armed — and 14 are herbs. Of the 65 Barren 

 Island species, 15 are trees, 17 are shrubs, 16 are climbers — woody 6, 

 herbaceous 10; only 3 armed — and 17 are herbs. There are roughly 

 speaking twice as many trees, shrubs and climbers in Narcondam as 

 in Barren Island; the number of herbaceous species in the latter island 

 is. however, slightly in excess of the number in the former. Of the 

 herbaceous Phanerogams seven species are common to both islands ; all 



