166 Reviews. [Jan., 



FLORA OF THE BRITISH WEST INDIAN ISLANDS.* 



By the exertions of Sir William Hooker we are now in the fair way of 

 having a complete series of Colonial Floras, under the patronage of 

 Government. Dr. Grisebach's work on the Flora of the West Indies 

 is one of them. The concluding part has just been published. The 

 British Government granted 300Z. to meet the necessary expenses. 

 Dr. Grisebach has had free access to the Hookerian Herbarium and to 

 that of the British Museum. He has, moreover, received collections 

 from various botanists who have visited different Islands in the West 

 Indies. This Flora is intended to be a synopsis of all flowering plants 

 and ferns as yet known to inhabit the British West Indian possessions. 

 Some cultivated plants are noticed which are said to be naturalized in 

 the country. 



" Though reaching beyond the tropics (N. L. 10° — 27°), the West 

 Indian Islands, present an entirely tropical character in their vegetable 

 productions, and the Northern Bahamas in this respect are quite distinct 

 from the opposite continental shore of Florida, from which it is separated 

 by the Gulf-stream ; while Trinidad, lying almost contiguous to the Delta 

 of the Orinoco, partakes of the Flora of Venezuela and Guiana. Jamaica, 

 again, from its mountainous character and more distant position — most of 

 the Leeward Islands, from being wooded volcanoes — and the majority of 

 the Windward ones, with a dry climate and a low calcareous soil — form 

 three divisions of this tropical archipelago, which show as many pecu- 

 liarities. Thus the whole of the British West Indies, as comprised in this 

 ' Flora,' may be divided into five natural sections, each with a distinct 

 botanical character, and including the following islands, the geographical 

 area of which is added according to the 'American Almanac for 1858,' and 

 other sources : — 



English square miles. 



I. 27°— 21° N. L. . . Bahamas 5,420 



21 3 Turk Islands .... 400 



II. 19°— 18° .... Jamaica 5,470 



III. Western Caribbean Islands ( most Leeward, and including 



some of the Windward Islands). 



18" Virgin Islands .... 140 



17 J S. Kitts 70 



Nevis 30 



16' Montserrat .... 50 



15° .... Dominiva 290 



14°— 13° . . . . S. Lucia 225 



13° S. Vincent 130 



12" Grenada and Grenadillos 155 



IV. Eastern Caribbean Islands (most Windward, and some 



Leeward Islands). 



18° Anguilla 30 



17° Barbuda 90 



„ Antigua 100 



13° Barbadoes 170 



11° Tobago 190 



V. 10° Trinidad 2,000 



Thus the territory comprised may be estimated as amounting to about 



* ' Flora of the British West Indian Islands.' By A. H. K. Grisebach, M.D., 

 F.L.S., Professor of Botany in the University of Gottingpn. London: Lovell 

 Peeve & Co. 1844. 



