262 



DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS. 



(Colubrina Asiatica; bis No. 1 Metia). A shrub, six feet high, with long, weak branches. 



Abundant in shady woods near the coast. Seen also on Aimeo. 

 Rhus (No. 1). A tree, thirty feet high ; the berries sninll and black. Occupying, in 



scattered groves, tracts of the Interior forest. 

 Sophora littoralis? (No. 1); compare (No. 2) Brazil. The flowers yellow. Maritime. 



More abundant on Aimeo. 

 Desmodium (compare No. 1 Metia); pubescent; flowers in lax racemes; joints of the 



pod elongate. 



Dolichos (No. 1) ; flowers yellow. Submaritime ? Seen also on Aimeo. 

 Mucuna (No. 1). A vine ; pod with oblique ridges, and the suture alate; seed large. In 

 the Interior forest. 



Inocarpus edulis, (No. 1). A tree ; the trunk with projecting buttresses at base, continu- 

 ous with the main roots; leaves having a sinus at base ; flowers not seen. Abundant 

 near the coast. Also seen on Aimeo. 



Melastoma (Malabathricuni, No. 1). A shrub, three to five feet high; setose; flowers 

 white. On mountain-ridges. 



(Astronia fraterna of Gray, No. 1 ; near) Melast. glabra of Forster. A shrub, five feet 

 high; leaves trinerved, Cinnamomum-like, acuminate ; flowers corymbose; calyx per- 

 sistent, five-cleft; capsule five-celled, the cells many-seeded. On mountain-ridges. 



Metrosideros (villosa. No. 1); flowers scarlet. A frequent shrub on mountain-ridges, to 

 the elevation of four thousand feet. Also seen on Aimeo. 



(diffusa, Dec.) ; entirely smooth; possibly a distinct species. 



Myrtus? (No. 1). A shrub ; fruit red, of the size of cherry. In the mountain-forest; 

 rare. 



Barringtonia speciosa, (bis No. 1 Metia). Frequent along the coast; and a single tree seen 

 six miles inland. 



Cucumis ; bis (No. 1 Metia) ; flowers yellow ; fruit smooth, and like a young water-melon, 

 Frequent in open situations. 



the tree had attained the height of forty feet. Being requested to scatter some of the 

 seeds in the Interior forest, I planted them in two lines in the form of a \/. 



(Yitis vinifera). Grapes said to have been successfully cultivated on the Southeastern 

 part of the island, but we saw nothing of them. 



Oxalis (repens ?, No. 1) ; near 0. corniculata ; stem slightly hairy ; leaflets obcordate. Fre- 

 quent near the coast; introduced. 



Spondias dulcis, (No. 1 ; bis Metia). A large tree, having the aspect of an oak, except 

 that the trunk is continuous in a central stem to the summit; the fruit larger than in 

 the Peruvian species, with firmer pulp, and something of the flavor of the mango. Fre- 

 quent, both near the coast and in the Interior forest; but being deciduous, the leaves 

 falling at the time of our visit, the tree did not seem really at home on Taheiti?. Met 

 with also on Aimeo. 



Tephrosia piscatoria, (No. 1, bis Metia). Naturalized. Seen also on Aimeo. 



Indigofera; compare (No. 25) Peru. A shrub, five feet high; flowers red. Introduced 

 (by trading and colonial Whites). 



Crotalaria (verrucosa) ; leaves simple; flowers blue. Growing spontaneously, and frequent 

 in some localities near the coast; (introduced by trading and colonial Whites). 



