THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 231 



Female flowers in small sessile heads \ inch through. 

 Achenes small lanceolate acuminate punctate brown. 



Abundant on the shore terraces and Plateau growing 

 on rocks. 



Distribution Mascarene Islands, Malay Islands, 

 Polynesia. 



Unidentified Plants. 



A. A big tree about 80 feet tall with thick stem 

 covered with flaky bark, branches smooth. Leaves alter- 

 nate ovate or elliptic acute glabrous deep shining green, 

 6 inches long 4 inches wide, nerves 6 pairs anasta- 

 mosing within the margin petiole one inch long, 

 Panicles terminal. Flowers minute T 1 ^ inch long, 

 sepals 5 free nearly to the base ovate pubescent, petals 

 5 as long subspathulate or ovate pubescent. Pistil 

 superior. Fruit a yellow berry ^ inch long, sepals 

 persisting below, globose ovary 2 celled 2 ovuleds. 



Not common, Flying Fish Cove, and along road to 

 Cemetery. 



This fine tree appears to be a Mappia (Olacineae) 

 but I was unable to get complete flowers of it. There 

 is a small piece of what appears identical with this 

 plant in the Singapore herbarium apparently collected 

 by Mr. Canttey in Singapore, but I have never seen 

 the tree elsewhere in the Peninsula. 



B. A big woody climber, climbing to the tops of 

 the trees on the plateau. Branchlets stout covered with 

 a deciduous ferruginous tomentum. Leaves alternate 

 or subopposite elliptic subcoriaceous 6 inches long by 

 four inches wide obtuse base broad glabrous above; 

 midrib beneath elevated red tomentose, and lamina 

 finely gland dotted, nerves about 10 pairs alternate 

 elevated, reticulations transverse distinct when dry, 

 petiole thick \ inch long red tomentose. Flower spike 



R. A. Soc, No. 45, 1905. 



