56 



the mountains of Jamaica and from that (now universally known as 

 J. virginiana) which occurs from New Brunswick to Florida on the 

 eastern side of the United States, whilst the same or representative 

 forms occur in the Eocky Mountains of Colorado, in British Colombia, 

 and southward in Texas and New Mexico. 



Extending over so vast an area, exposed to widely different environ- 

 ment, it is no matter for surprise that the species presents much varia- 

 tion. Many of these variations are in cultivation in this country, and 

 are among the most elegant of hardy conifers. 



The history of the Bermuda tree has been sketched by Mr. Hemsley 

 in the Gardener's Chronicle for May 26, 1883, p. 656, and in the 

 Report of the Botany of the Challenger Expedition. 



The name bermudiana has been adopted by Mr. Hemsley, but whether 

 the tree is really the original J. bermudiana of Linnaeus is open to 

 question, as will be shown hereafter. 



Of the Jamaica plant, at the time Mr. Hemsley originally wrote, 

 there were no specimens at Kew, though specimens existed in the 

 Sloane Collection in the British Museum. 



This West Indian species was referred by Grisebach (Flora of the 

 British West India Islands (1864, p. 503) to J. barbadensis of Linnaeus. 

 Leaving for the moment the question of nomenclature, it may be 

 repeated that an examination of Mr. Fawcett's specimens leaves no 

 doubt that the Jamaica tree is specifically distinct from that of Ber- 

 muda. Moreover, as suggested by Mr. Hemsley and others, it is, in 

 spite of some variation in habit, specifically identical with the vir- 

 giniana of the main land. 



There seem, therefore, to be only, two species. One is Bermudan, 

 and known as a cultivated plant in the Azores, Antigua (De Ponthieu !) 

 and Saint Helena. Possibly the same species may occur in Jamaica 

 and other West Indian Islands, but there is at present no adequate 

 evidence on this point. 



The other species, J. virginiana L., is as has been said, distributed 

 €ver a vast area in the United Sfates, and has long been known as an 

 inhabitant of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, It occurs also, as seems 

 most likely, in Cuba (Wright, 3187 !), in the Bahamas (Eggers, 4358 ), 

 and in Antigua. 



Prof. Sargent in litt. inclines to the view that the Florida form of 

 virginiana is identical with the Jamaica species, and sufficiently dis- 

 tinct to constitute a separate species. 



BANANA CONFERENCE. 



A banana conference was held at the Jamaica Institute on the 19th 

 December, last, His Excellency the Governor in the chair. Amongst 

 those present were His Grace the Archbishop, Hons. H. E. Cox, L. 

 J. Bertram, W. Fawcett, & Messrs. T. H. Sharp, H. H. Cousins, A. 

 Clodd, A. Eoxburgh, A. F. Clark, Watson, E. J. Hay, C. J. Hay, F. 

 Verley, H. G. Bonaldson, E. Hotchkin, D. Campbell, H. G. Burnett, 

 J. Barclay, E. A. Walcott, 0. Plummer, F. G. Bather, J. Allen, J, 



