MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 



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distributed over the West Indian region, extending into subtropical 

 latitudes on the Atlantic coasts of both North and South America. 

 It grows on both sides of Central America, exists in the Galapagos 

 Islands, and was observed by both Baron von Eggers and myself on 

 the seashore and on the banks of estuaries in Ecuador. It was not 

 observed by me in the Turks Islands, and apparently forms no feature 

 either of the Bahamian or of the Bermudian flora. The plants in 

 the Bermudas are stated to have been raised from seed washed 

 ashore by the currents about three-quarters of a century ago (Chall. 

 Bot, II., 128a). 



In Ecuador and in the West Indies it presented to me the same 

 variety of stations at or near the coast that it displayed in the Pacific 

 islands. Wherever it grows, it is as much at home on the borders 

 of mangrove swamps and on the banks of estuaries as it is among 

 the trees lining the beach. 



It is impossible to deal here with most of the points raised by the 

 consideration of Hibiscus tiliaceus in the New World, a subject to be 

 discussed at some future time. But here I may say that both in the 

 Pacific islands and in the West Indies, as well as in Ecuador, there 

 always seemed to me to be something refractory about its behaviour 

 under the test of experiment and observation. The frequent diffi- 

 culty in obtaining sound seeds, the difficulty in procuring their 

 germination after prolonged flotation in sea-water, the variety of 

 station, the inability to discover whether natives ever really did 

 aid in the spread of the tree, its capacity for vegetative reproduction, 

 the uncertainty about the agency of birds in its dispersal — these and 

 other considerations often blocked the way when I was on the eve 

 of obtaining a clear issue on some point connected with its distribution. 



Ipomcea carnosa, R. Br. 



This is an exceedingly interesting beach plant which, according to 

 some authorities, is found over the warm regions of the globe, whilst 

 others would limit its distribution chiefly to the New World with 

 a representation in the Mediterranean and in a few island groups like 

 the Hawaiian Islands and the Azores. When its synonym is freed 

 from confusion, it is highly probable that in its range it will be found 

 to rival the well-known shore species, Ipomoea pes-caprae, with which 

 it is not infrequently associated on tropical beaches, though very 

 far behind it in its frequency. Following Urban and Millspaugh, 

 etc., who have most recently dealt with the plant, the following are 

 amongst its numerous synonyms : Batatas acetoscefolia (Choisy), 

 B. littoralis (Choisy), Convolvulus acetoscefolius (Vahl), C. littoralis 

 (L. Syst.), C. repens (Sw.), Ipomoea acetoso3folia (R. and S.), J. arenaria 

 (R. and S.), and J. carnosa (R. Br.). It has been confused with Con- 

 volvulus soldanella, which may explain how that species has been 

 sometimes accredited to the tropics of the Old World. It has not 

 always been separated from Ipomoea pes-capra?, since Seemann 

 includes /. carnosa (R. Br.) amongst its synonyms. 



Even the more limited conception of its distribution suggests 

 that a plant which could reach islands in the middle of the Atlantic 



