192 THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 



very conspicuous along the lower terraces by the sea. 

 Flying Fish Cove, N. E. Point, Waterfall. The tree 

 sheds its leaves after flowering at at the time of our visit 

 only a few bare bunches of hanging green fruits 

 at the ends of the boughs. Many trees were leafless but 

 a few were begining to produce leaves again. The settlers 

 call it cabbage tree on account of its soft pithy wood, 

 like that of a cabbage stalk. It is perfectly useless, of 

 a light fawn color with large rings and wavy fibres with 

 few large pores. Distribution. All tropical countries 



Myrtaceae. 



Eugenia gigantea, n. sp. 



A gigantic tree over 100 feet tall with immense but- 

 tresses. Bark light coloured with large thin flakes. 

 Leaves opposite elliptic oblong or lanceolate or ovate 

 subacute lower ones large 6 inches long by 4 inches wide, 

 upper ones 3 inches by If wide, glabrous subcoriaceous 

 narrowed at the base to the petiole which is ^ an inch 

 long, primary nerves 11-12 pairs, prominent beneath. 

 Cymes below the leaves 3 inches long, branches slender 

 divaricate. Flowers in trees at the ends of the branch- 

 lets, white sessile ^ inch long, ovary turbinate strongly 

 wrinkled when dry. Calyx cupshaped entire. Petals 

 forming a round shield shaped cap coriaceous. Stamens 

 very numerous short white. Style longer rather stout. 

 Drupe half an inch long subglobose purple. 



The biggest tree on the island and the biggest species 

 of Eugenia 1 have ever seen. It is abundant all over 

 the plateau, occasionally descending a little lower as at 

 Flying Fish Cove. Specimens of this tree have been 

 collected by all botanists who have visited the island but 

 no account of it has been published. 



Barringtonia rubra Miq. lc. p. 487 Butonica terres- 

 tris Ruin ph. Amb. iii. lib. 5, p. 181, t. 115, Barringto- 

 nia racemosa, Bl. (non Juss.) Van Houttes Flora vii. p. 



Jour Straits Branch 



