BARNARD ISLES. 89 



which attain an enormous size, as in the case of 

 a Hernanda, a Castanospermum, two fabaceous 

 trees, and others of which neither. flowers nor fruit 

 were observed. Two palms, Seqforthia elegans, and 

 Livistona inermis, also occur here. By far the most 

 remarkable veg'etable productions are the larg-er 

 kinds of climbers. The principal of these, with 

 a leafless and almost branchless cable-like stem, 

 sometimes two or three hundred yards in length, 

 rises over the summits of the tallest trees, and 

 connects one with another in its powerful folds, 

 occasionally descending to the ground. Another 

 climber, Lestibudesia arborescens, rises by its slender 

 stems to the tops of the trees, hiding them in its 

 cascade-like masses and graceful festoons of 

 exuberant foliage. Besides several other exogenous 

 woody climbers, of which a very remarkable one is 

 a Bauhinia, with a compressed stem spirally 

 twisted round its axis — the most interesting is 

 Calamus Australis, rising in a clump, then arching 

 along the ground and from tree to tree in a similar 

 maner to Flagellaria Indica, here also abundant. 

 Among the other plants of these brushes, are the 

 curious Dracontiwm polyphyllum, with large simple 

 and fpianatifid leaves, creeping like ivy up the 

 trunks and lower branches of the trees — parasitical 

 Lorantluicecv, with long dependant tufts of rush-like 

 leaves— enormous masses of Acrosticum alcicorne 

 and A. grande, with an occasional Iloya carnosa, 

 Dendrobium, or other epiphyte. When the soil is 



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