150 



are more or less predoniinant in the landscape and together with 

 the shrubs give it a uniform type, only modified by variations in 

 the numerical ratio in which the plants occur. This will make it 

 sufficiently clear that in the Leeward Islands differences in the 

 vegetation types as exist on the Windward Islands are not to be 

 expected. The type of vegetation on the Leeward Islands might 

 be generally described as a Croton vegetation, here as on the 

 Windward Islands determined by plants like Croton, Acacia, 

 Lantana, Melochia, Opuntia, Melocactus, to which for the Leeward 

 Islands may be added a number of other plants, as will appear 

 from the further description. On the Leeward still more than on 

 the Windward Islands this type of vegetation cannot be distinctly 

 separated from the literal vegetation which only near the salt-pans 

 assumes a character of its own by the occurence of Mangrove 

 plants. 



In many parts of the Islands culture or traces of former culture 

 are found ; also ruderal plants are found everywhere, among which 

 a large number of tropical cosmopolitans. A genuine original 

 vegetation is only found in the higher parts. 

 We saw that in general there is some difference in the vegetation, 

 depending on shrubs or herbs being more prominent; a division 

 according to the occurrence or non-occurrence on calcareous soil and 

 a characterisation of these vegetation types is possible in exceptional 

 cases only. So we do not or hardly ever find on calcareous soil: 



Panicum velutinosum, 



Pisonia bonairensis, 



Capparis Breynia, 



Capparis linearis, 



Trichilia trifolia, 



Spondias Mombin. 



On the other hand we always or nearly always find on lime: 

 Sesuvium portulacastrum, 

 Fagara monophylla, 

 Phyllanthus polycladus, 

 Metopium Brownei, 

 Rhacoma crossopetalum, 

 Tournefortia gnaphalodes, 

 Antirrhoea acutata. 



Of these two groups Capparis Breynia is characteristic for the 

 vegetation outside the lime and Rhacoma crossopetalum and 

 Antirrhoea acutata for lime. 



