223 



common beach-plants whose seeds are conveyed by ocean-currents. The list 

 of plants given by Ernst contains under plants found near 1 ) the beach a 

 number of species generally not met with in these places, but after some time 

 when the beach-community and the Barringtonia-beh shall have expanded, 

 those others will be pushed more inwards or become extinct. The additions to 

 the flora observed in 1906 consisted mainly of Phanerogams; the Cryptogams, 

 among them the ferns, had not greatly increased. I he grassy wilds still 

 occurred but the isolated clusters of trees were already more numerous than 

 in 1897. In the ravines were already found a few forest-trees, but, not having 

 succeeded in ascending the mountain, Ernst did not know what things 

 looked like higher up. 



The paper of Ernst was discussed in Chapter VIII. Penzig 

 and Ernst each investigated only a very small part of the island. 

 Moreover, Ernst and his companions collected very many of their 

 plants on the south-eastern side of the island, which was never 

 visited by Penzig; contrariwise they did not examine the basaltic 

 rocks and the slopes above Zwarte Hoek where Penzig gathered 

 his inland plants. Hence it is quite impossible to make conclusions 

 as to the additions of the flora between 1897 and 1906 or to modi- 

 fications of the inland-flora. Of the 83 species -) of Phanerogams 

 recorded by Ernst for the entire group no more than 40 3 j, 

 hence not <? majority but a slight minority, have seeds or fruits which, 

 as a rule (or at least very often), are conveyed by ocean-currents. 

 Such plants as Ernst found ne<ir the beach, i.e. in (partly at least) 

 salt-free localities, are very frequently found in such spots, it is 

 quite incorrect to say that they generally are not met with in these 

 places. The prediction of Mr. Docters van Leeuwen as to 

 their being pushed inward in future by littoral species is a baseless 

 speculation. They may in course of time be killed by the all-invading 

 forest of the interior or by a decrease of the beach, but this is 

 not what Docters van Leeuwen means. He does not distinguish 

 between true littoral plants, which are halophytes, and plants 

 growing on leached-out parts of old beaches and localities behind 



!) Italics by me (B.). 



-) After the necessary corrections have been made. 



'') Viz.: Barringtonia as/af/ca Kurz, Caesalpinia crista L., Ca/ophyl/um inophyllum 

 L.,-Canavalia rosea D- C-,~Cassytha filiformis L.,-Casuarina equisctifolia Forst., Cerhera 

 manghas L., C/erodendron inerme G&rtn,, Colubrina asiatica Brongn., Cycas rumphii 

 Miq., Derris heterophyl/a (Willd) Backer, Desmodium umbellatum D. C., Dodonara 

 viscosa /acg., Entada phaseoloides Merr., Erythrina variegata L. var. orientalis Merr., 

 Euphorbia atolo Forst., Guettarda speciosa L., Hernandia peltata Meissn., Hibiscus 

 tiliaceus L., lndigofera zol/ingeriana Miq., Ipomoea denticulata Choi's,, Ipomoea 

 long! flora R. Br., Ipomoea pen caprae Sw., /scnaemum muticum L., Morinda citri folia 

 L., I'andanus tectorius Sol., Pithecolobium umbellatum Bth., Pongamia pinnata Merr., 

 I'remna integrifolia L.,Remirea maritima Auhl., Scaevola frutescens Krausc. Sophora 

 tome-ntosa L.,Spinifex littoreus Merr., Terminalia catappa L., Tournefortia argentea 

 Vent., Vigna marina Merr., Vitex paniculata Lamk,, Wedelia biflora D.C., Ximenia 

 americana I.., Xylocarpus granatum Koen. 



