III. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL 

 VEGETATION OF KRAKATAO. 



Has it been proven that in the still extant part of Krakatao the 

 vegetation was entirely destroyed by the eruption of 1883 ? Conse- 

 quently that nowhere living plants, rhizomes, seeds, spores, mycelia 

 or bacteria were left on or in the soil. Has the soil really been 

 sterilized ? 



The answer to this question determines the direction of the 

 researches on the origin and the development of the new flora- Is 

 this flora entirely new and should its origin exclusively be sought 

 outside of Krakatao or do we also find there the remnants, or their 

 posterity, of the vegetation that formerly covered the island ? And 

 if so, which part of the present vegetation has to be considered new, 

 which might be old ? 



Treub was fully aware, that one of the essential points of the 

 problem lies in the question whether the vegetation was totally or 

 only partly destroyed. In his opinion the total destruction was fully 

 proven; he even considered it impossible that the results of further 

 researches ever could outweigh the strong reasons whereupon he 

 meant to have based his opinion. His argumentation runs as follows 1 ) : 



,,/,es donnees que je puis fournir sur la nouvelle flora de Krakatau 

 sont dument acquires des au/ourd Iwi; il n'y a pas lieu de craindre 

 qu'el/es seront infirmees par des recherches ulterieures". 



,,En premier lieu il est indispensable de prouver que la flore actuel/e 

 doit etre consideree comme nouvelle et qu'el/e n'est pas issue des restes 

 de la vegetation luxuriante qui occupait 1'ile avant /'eruption. Rien n'est 

 plus facile d'ailleurs, que de fournir cette preuve. Lors de I'eruption les 

 arbres terrasses ou brises par de vio/ents rafales ont du etre a moitie 

 carbonises, vu la temperature extremement e/evee qui a certainement 

 regne sur touts I' lie. Ensuite Krakatau a ete couvert, depuis le sommet 

 /usque bien au dela du niveau de la mer, d'une couche de cendre et 

 de pierre ponce brulantes. Cette couche a une epaisseur variant entre 

 un metre et soixante metres. Dans ces conditions la il est c/air qu'aucun 

 vestige de la flore n'a pu subsister apres le catastrophe. La graine la 

 plus persistante et le rhizome le mieux protege ont du perdre a /amais 

 toute vita lite. 



') Ann. lard. Bot. Buitenzorg, Ime Serie VII (1888), 213, 214, 215. 



