244 THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 



First collected by Lister and doubtless indigenous. 

 Distribution. Africa, India, Malaya. 



Lepturus flHformis, Br. 



A grass 6-8 inches tall, forming a thick soft mat, stems 

 branched. Leaves linear setaceous 1^ inch long, narrow 

 glabrous, margins denticulate at tip. Ligule short not 

 ciliate. Spikes solitary fragile very slender 2 inches 

 long, joints articulate deeply excavate on one side, 

 1 flowered. Glume I. very small linear spathulate. Gl. 

 II. lanceolate acuminate strongly 8 inch nerved 

 tip and margins denticulate ^ inch long. Gl. III. 

 lanceolate acute shorter base pubescent not nerved. 

 Palea oblong lanceolate obtuse. Grain elliptic oblong 

 smooth. Second rudimentary flower, a small linear 

 spathulate organ. 



Abundant near the Waterfall and to the north along 

 the cliff edge, also occurring towards steep point, and 

 sporadically at Smith point. 



Distrib. Ceylon, Malay Islands, Australia, Polynesia. 



Always a sea shore plant the spikes break up readily 

 into joints and are doubtless sea drifted. 



Gymnosperms. 



Cycas circinalis var javana, Miq. 



A tall plant about 20 feet high, with rather slender 

 pinnae to the leaves. I did not see fruit or flowers, 

 Andrews says it grows all round the island and is most 

 plentiful on the upper terrace at the west end of the south 

 coast. I found it comparatively scarce, and the plants 

 all isolated, one in Flying Fish Cove, one on Phosphate 

 hill, one near Andrew's Lookout, and one on Steeprock. 

 Except the one in the Cove, all were on the upper 

 terraces a good way from the sea. This is interesting 

 as the seeds of Cycas are typically sea disseminated, 

 and these plants though growing on the coral 



Jour, Straits Branch 



