288 



D. Prain — A List of Diamond Island Plants. 



[Sfo. 4, 



Examining first the general distribution of the Flora we find 

 Ihat, of the 95 species, 36 are species cosmopolitan in the tropics, while, on 

 the other hand, no fewer than 38 are confined to Asia. Of the remain- 

 ing 21, whose distribution is confined within the old world but extends 

 beyond the limits of Asia,, only four occur in Australia, Polynesia and 

 Africa as well as in Asia ; two occur in Asia, Australia and Polynesia ; 

 four in Asia, Australia and Africa ; and three in Asia, Polynesia and 

 Africa. Six are confined to Asia and Australia, two to Asia and Africa, 

 one to Asia and Polynesia. The following table shews this more clearly, 

 and at the same time indicates the relationships that subsist between 

 the distributional features of the species and, on the one hand, their 

 habitat, on the other, their habit. 



Table I. Relationship of General Distribution to Habit and Habitat. 



Habit. 











H 



ABITAT. 

















■i 



Distributional 



u 

 o 





p. 



p\ 





6 



CD 









CO 



0.' 



rC 









1 

 - 



:; 



S 



Featoees. 



Co -+_> 



3 p. 

 o 





a 



"3 

 i—i 



m 

 U 



w 

 o 



o 



43 



P. 



o 





O 



H 



32 



\ 

 4 



5 



18 



5 



Cosmopolitan in the Tro- j 





























pics ... ... ... I 5 



8 



5 



3 



5 





4 



2 



32 



1 







1 





Almost ditto : absent from 1 





























Australia ... ... 









1 











1 



6 



2 



1 



2 



1 1 Throughout Tropics of Old 

 World 









1 



4 







1 



6 



2 





2 





In Asia, Australia and 





























Polynesia 







1 





1 









2 



4 





2 



1 



1 



In Asia, Australia and 

 Africa 







3 





1 









4 



2 





1 



l'.,.|ln Asia, Polynesia and 





























Africa 





1 















2 



7 



2 



■1 



2 



lj In Asia and Australia ... 







is 



1 











7 



1 



1 







...1 In Asia and Polynesia ... 











i 









I 



3 



1 





2 



.. 1 In Asia and Africa 



l 



















3 



37 



13 



10 



3 



111 Confined to Asia 



4 





23 



2 



7 



i 







37 



5 



23 



23 



30 



19| Totals 



10 



9 



3b 



10 



20 



i 



4 



3 



95 



There is no progressive feature in the general distribution of the 

 species ; while the highest number of any of the classes is that of 

 species confined to Asia, the next highest is that of species cosmopolitan 

 in the tropics. The cosmopolitan or nearly cosmopolitan species 

 are however, to a large extent cultivated plants and weeds of 

 waste places or marshes. In the case of the species confined to Asia 



, 



