2 70 THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 



plants have perhaps the widest and most rapid dissemina- 

 tion of any group and there can be no doubt that they 

 are the first seeds to arrive at an Island when it first 

 becomes in a fit state to receive terrestrial vegetation, but 

 there are islands in which plants with this class of seed are 

 scanty, notably Fernando de Noronha on which I found no 

 orchids, only one fern and very tew cellular plants. The 

 reasons for this seemed to be that the neighbouring land 

 from which the wind could bring seed was somewhat of a 

 desert nature, and ferns at least were not very common, also 

 the island itself was distinctly xerophilous with a very dry 

 season during which no rain fell and the ground became 

 very dry. In Cocos Island also dust — seed plants are very 

 scarce no orchids or ferns, and only one moss and one fungus 

 being recorded. Here again it is doubtless the unsuitability 

 of soil and climate that prevents these plants from establishing 

 themselves. In Christmas Island indeed that though the 

 number of ferns is large, the ground and rocks were in 

 the dry season so arid that a considerable area produced no 

 ferns or mosses. Where the ground was damper in the forests 

 of the plateau, ferns and mosses were plentiful. One fern 

 was confined to the fresh water stream never dry at the 

 Waterfall, and mosses and fungi were commoner round the 

 water tanks where water was often spilt. 



Cellular plants, algae and fungi, have an extremely wide 

 dispersal area, far more so than the more elaborate vascular 

 plants, and a good many seem to occur in all corners of the 

 world. Some of the fungi, such as Polyporus sanguineus, 

 Gue]rinia, Schizophyllum commume which are common on old 

 timber may easily have been brought on pieces of wood by 

 ships stopping at the island but most at least of the fungi must 

 have arrived by the drifting of their spores by the wind. 

 Considering the dryness of the weather a large number were 

 obtained and some more were seen which could not be pre- 

 served. There are probably very many more to be collected 

 at more suitable seasons. Besides the cellular plants there 

 occur of the dust — seed group, the following, one Balonofihora, 

 ten orchids, 21 ferns two Lycopadiaceae. Of these 34 plants 17 



Jqut. Strait* Branch 



