AFRO-INDIAN REGIONS. 



285 



plants greatly impeding progress, and as evening was approaching, I 

 decided to proceed no farther. All the way to the summit, the vege- 

 table growth continuing in sight was clearly the same with that 

 around me: the matted bed of Pandauiis and Freycinetia covering the 

 exposed crest ; while on the descending slopes, shrubs and low trees 

 were intermingled, many of them species not growing in the country 

 below : as, a scarlet-flowered Metros id eim, a spreading tree, thirty feet 

 high; ix. Myrtus? with sessile, cherry-like fruit; an Ilex-like J^c?-o»y/- 

 chia? ; a, Melatfomdc. with white and singularly wax-like petals; an 

 Ahtonia ; an Eurya?^ a shrub with inconspicuous flowers; a Wemmmi- 

 nin ; a peculiar species of Genlostoma ; a Myrica-like Myrslne ; the 

 Grossosfylis, having much of the aspect of Philadelphus ; and a large 

 flowered Cyrtandm: also peculiar e/)K/ej?c7ric Orchidacece ; the resem- 

 blance to the Taheitian mountain-ridges being further kept up by a 

 few beds of Gleichenia, the only ones I met with on the Samoan 

 Islands. 



CHARACrER AND COMPOSITION OF THE VEGETABLE GROWTH. The Order 



of frequency was essentially the same as on Taheiti ; but Coffeacece and 

 Orclddacem having become more abundant, were now among the pre- 

 vailing Families; which may, therefore, be enumerated as follows : 



1. F'dices, or ferns. Holding the first place in frequency, as on 

 Taheiti. 



2. UrticacecB. Next in frequency, as on Taheiti. 



3. Cqffkicece. Holding the third place, as on Taheiti ; but now in 

 greater profusion, with a greater variety of genera and species. 



4. Orchidacece. More frequent than on Taheiti, from the numerous 

 ground species, and presenting a greater variety of genera. 



Next in order after the above four, the following Families were 

 exceedingly frequent: Myrfacece ; Euphorhiacece ; Cyrtandraeeoe ; Pan- 

 danacece, from the profu^^ion everywhere of Freycinetia ; Piperacem ; 

 Convolvidacece ; and Apocynacea; : to which may even be added, 

 Gacurhitacece and Terebinthacece. 



The character of the vegetable growth proved to be Polynesian : 

 many of the tribes first seen on Metia and Taheiti continuing; as, 

 Commersonia, laocarpiis, Polyscias, Alyxia, Geniostoma, Lahordia, Cyr- 

 iandra, Elatostema and Scioj^hi/a, TaciiiopJiyUinn, and Freycinetia ; 

 while among the Polynesian tribes now making their first appearance, 

 were gen,. Simarah. ?, Acronychia, Grossest yl is, nov. gen. Mnsac, and 

 others. 



72 



