THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 215 



cent. Leaves ovate to almost orbicular thinner than 

 in preceding 1 inch long ^ inch wide or much less glab- 

 rous pale, nerves 2 or 3 pairs deeply sunk on the upper 

 surface when dry. Panicles lax terminal and axillary 

 with few branches slender viscid. Flowers very small 

 white crowded in small terminal heads viscid. Peri- 

 anth short campanulate with 5 very short lobes, sub- 

 acute. Stamens two much shorter, anthers globose. 

 Style stout stigma large thick peltate. Fruit J inch long 

 oblong narrowed to the base with several ribs, viscid. 



Flying Fish Cove. 



I can quite imagine this plant, very distinct when 

 alive, being confused with B. repens when dried material 

 only is seen. It differs entirely in habit from any form 

 of Boerhaavia I have seen, the flowers are invariably 

 white. Stamens much shorter and stigma larger the 

 fruit is ribbed but not distinctly angled as in the com- 

 mon plant. I have never seen it elsewhere. 



Pisonia grandis, R. Br. 



A big tree with a very thick stem covered with rather 

 smooth grey bark, branchlets pale grey fragile. Leaves 

 crowded at the ends oblong light green glabrous except 

 the petioles, which are tomentose. Corymbs of green 

 flowers fragrant about 3 inches long pubescent £ inch 

 long. Flowers ^ inch long tube short conical hardly 

 lobed pubescent. Stamens 8 shortly exsert on fili-form 

 filaments. Style as long pubescent stigma peltate. 



Common close to the sea on rocks. Smith Point. 

 Flying Fish Cove etc. 



Distribution Australia and Polynesia, also on Cocos 

 Island probably). (Forbes. Wanderings). 



The fruit which I have not seen is said to be spiny 

 and glutinous adhering to the feathers of birds, and is 

 doubtless so conveyed about by the sea birds. The 

 seeds of the Cocos Island plant often prove fatal to the 

 herons by adhering to their feathers (Forbes lc. 30). 



E, A. Soc, No. 15, 1905. 



