143 



The first impression made on him and his companions by the 

 vegetation of the south eastern side is vividly described by Ernst ') 

 in these words: ,,Mit steigender Verwunderung gewahren wir bei der 

 ,,Annaherung an die Ostkuste von Krakatao die erstaunlichen Fort- 

 ,,schritte der Vegetation. Fast die ganze Siidostseite vom Strande 

 ,,bis an den Gipl'el und den Rand des steilen Abhanges ist mit Criin 

 ,,iiberdeckt. An der Siidostkiiste, wo wir zuerst zu landen gedenken, 

 Jauft dem Strande parallel ein Waldgiirtel in welchem sich aus der 

 ,,Ferne schon die zahlreichen graugriinen Casuarinen erkennen lassen. 

 ,,\Veiter siidlich erheben sich neben schlanken Laubbaumen mit quirlig 

 ,,gestellten Asten -) die dunkeln Wedel einiger Kokospalmen. Auch 

 ,,auf der langsam zum Fusse des Kegeiberges ansteigenden Ebene 

 ,,sind vereinzelte Biiume und Strauchei sichtbar. In einigen Schluchten 

 ,,auf halber Hohe des Berges vereinigen sie sich wieder zu waldar- 

 ,,tigen Bestanden, und vveitere isolierte Baume und Straucher sind auch 

 ,,an den obersten Abhiingen und auf dem Gipfel zu erkennen". 



This description of the main features of the vegetation in that 

 year is in substance correct; I only have to add that the forest did 

 not occur in a few but in several ravines especially on the southern 

 side. We were indeed greatly astonished at the progress which, in 

 our opinion, the vegetation had made in the 9 years elapsed since 

 1897. None of us considered that all :! ) former explorations had taken 

 place on the opposite, the north western side of the island and that 

 nothing at all was known of the flora of the south eastern side 

 before 1906, so that the vegetation found by us might not be comp- 

 ared with that of the other side in 1897. Another serious shortcoming 

 was that all of us like everyone then on the mere authority of 

 Treub took the total destruction of the vegetation by the eruption 

 of 1883 for a well-proven fact, not liable to any doubt. Often since 

 I have severely blamed myself for that unpardonable levity. 



Two parts of the island were visited by us. First we landed on the 

 south-eastern side where we examined the drift-zone '') and the 

 vegetation of the beach, which we followed for a rather long way 

 in a northern direction. From the south eastern angle we tried to 

 reach the top of the mountain or at least the higher ravines, but 



~ 1 l~E7n"st, Neue Flora Vulkaninsel Krakatau (1907), p. 28. 



2 J Terminatia catappa L- 



s ) Except the trip of Valeton in 1905. But of that trip the results had not yet 

 been published. 



4 ) We found i.a. seeds or fruits of Barrinqtonia asiatica Kurz, Ca/ophyllum 

 inopliyl/um L. Cerbcra manghas L., Cycas rumphii Miq., Nipa fruticans Wurmb, 

 Pandanus tectorius Sol., Terminalia catappa /.., Xylocarpus spec, and several other 

 species, the names of which were not noted down. 



