209 



,,eating Coleoptera which often sorely damage the two other spe- 

 ,,cies, especially Melastoma. And soon everywhere dense Lantana- 

 ,/thickets are seen, which may grow to a height of l'/-2-3 m. and 

 ..finally kill the alang-alang by their shade- 



,,But the victors do not remain a long time in the undisturbed 

 possession of the territory conquered. For between the shrubs trees 

 ,,begin to grow up, especially species of Vitex, Grewio, D-llenia 

 ,,and Hibiscus. In the shade of these trees Lantana cannot thrive; it 

 ,, languishes and finally disappears; the trees get the upper-hand and 

 ,,finish by forming a dense forest '). In this way the monotonous 

 ,,young secondary forests of South-Bantam originate, sunny and rather 

 ,,dry, poor in species, lacking in humus, poor in undergrowth, poor 

 ,,in epiphytes. For hours one may walk in them with always the same 

 ,,plants, the same birds along the path". 



This description applies to young secondary forests. As the forest 

 grows older and higher it gradually becomes less dense, the smaller 

 trees being partly killed out by the larger ones. The soil grows richer 

 in humus and in moisture; gradually there develops an undergrowth of 

 other plants; epiphytes settle on the trees, especially on the larger ones. 

 The older the secondary forest is, the richer -ceteris paribus-it is in 

 species. But many years have to elapse before the epiphytical flora can 

 vie in richness with that of a primeval forest under the same climato- 

 logical circumstances. Especially Hymenop/iy/Liceae, which constantly 

 require much moisture and much shade, are often slow in coming. 



It is to be regretted that Mr. Docters van Leeuwen has 

 neglected to state of which species the ,,undergrowth and fern" of 

 the secondary forest examined by him, was composed. Of the 1 1 

 components of the secondary forest mentioned, 7 had already been 

 found on this side of the island in or before 1908. No. 9, Trema 

 orientals Bl. had in 1905, 1906 and 1908 been collected on the other 

 side of Krakatao, near Zwarte Hoek. These species were already 

 discussed in the preceding chapters. 



No. 3, Ficus variegata Bl., the third species belonging to the 

 Ficus-family (recte: Moraceae), is a tree which may reach large 

 dimensions (often 20 40 m. high; 1 1 :i /4 m. thick); it bears its figs 

 in clusters on the smooth trunk. It is rather common throughout 



') But this only happens where the young forest does not suffer too much from 

 its three most dangerous enemies: wood-cutting natives, grazing cattle and fire. Where 

 cattle daily grazes, the secondary growth is freguently almost restricted, besides to 

 grasses, to Rreynia, Brucea, Harrisonia, Lantana, Macaranga, Melastoma and a few 

 other shrubs and herbs. 



