THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 205 



Distribution Ceylon, Malay islands, Mauritius, Austra- 

 lia. 



Ehretia buxifolia, Roxb. 



A shrub with long straggling branches, about 6 feet 

 tall. The leaves vary in size according to habit, 

 those of plants growing in shade being much larger than 

 those of the open dry places. They are stiffly coriacious 

 scabrid dark green. Flowers white small. 



Common at Rocky point and along the coast to N. E. 

 point, and beyond South point. Always near the sea, 

 and so far as I saw absent from the higher parts of the 

 island though Andrews says it forms the worst of the 

 under-growth there. 



Distribution India, Malay-islands, Formosa. 



CONVOLVULACEAE. 



Ipomea chryseides, Ker. 



A slender creeping convolvulus with small bright 

 yellow flowers, and ovate often trilobed leaves. 



Phosphate Hill, one plant. Not previously recorded. 



This little convolvulus is common in waste ground, 

 sand banks etc., in the Malay Peninsula. It may be 

 classed as a weed of cultivation. 



Distribution Tropical Africa, India, China, Malay 

 Region and Australia. 



I. yes-caproe, Roth. 



The common goat's foot convolvulus with its bilobed 

 leaves and dark pink flowers is common Flying Fish Cove, 

 Isabella Beach and at the Waterfall bay. Most of the 

 plants bore no fruit or flowers, and this was apparently 

 due to the attacks of a caterpillar which ate the buds. 

 A small black hawk-moth caterpillar was found feeding 

 on it at the Waterfall. First collected by myself in 

 1890. 



Distribution all tropics. 



R. A. Soc, No, 45 1905 



