THE FLORA OF THE TURKS ISLANDS 287 



Turk. — We are still concerned with scrub, but with scrub of a very 

 different character from that found on the sandy plains, and with 

 scrub that is in some localities almost arborescent. Many of the 

 plants were strange to me. Probably the hilly district near the 

 North Wells is most typical in these respects, and here the botanist 

 would find his most interesting specimens. Here plants of the Cactus 

 kind nourish, particularly Opuntia tuna and another species of the 

 genus with very long spines, known as " Dildo." In such localities 

 the Turk's-head Cactus (Melocactus) is at home, though now infre- 

 quent, together with a smaller Cactus of similar form, perhaps a 

 kind of Mamillaria. A species of Echites clambers over the rocks, 

 and the Seven-year Apple (Genipa clusiifolia) grows sporadically 

 on the stony crests of the ridges. The plant last named is also 

 found amongst the detached rock-masses at the base of the bluffs 

 facing the beach on the south-east coast. A fan-palm, perhaps a 

 species of Thrinax, once grew as I was told in the north part of the 

 island. Millspaugh in his Prcenuncice Bahamenses names several 

 Bahamian plants of the Rubiacece collected by Nash and Taylor 

 in the scrub of this island, such as Catesbcea campanulata, C. foliosa, 

 Randia aculeata, Guettarda krugii, etc. ; and he describes a new species 

 of the Euphorbiacece, Argythamnia argentea, which had been only 

 found in the scrub-land of Grand Turk. Harshberger in his general 

 work (p. 694) refers to a shrubby Pithecolobium, ten to fifteen feet 

 high, as growing on this island. 



Spiny Acacia trees and shrubs, including Acacia farnesiana, A. 

 acuifera, and one or two other species, grow in places, as on the lower 

 ground of the North Wells district. Acacia farnesiana may have 

 been introduced by cattle. A. acuifera was first described by 

 Bentham from Hjalmarsson's collections in the Turks Islands. 

 I gathered from Dr. Millspaugh' s manuscript that it is peculiar to 

 the Bahamas, being found also on the islands adjacent to the Turks 

 Group, namely, the Caicos Islands and the two Inaguas. Here and 

 there amidst the rocks of the ridges thrives Guilandina bonducella, 

 which on Grand Turk has practically abandoned its customary 

 station amongst the vegetation bordering the beach. Thespesia 

 populnea is another plant that has to a great extent deserted its 

 littoral station on Grand Turk. One side of the North Wells hollow 

 is bordered by a copse of these trees situated about a third of a 

 mile from the beach, where they are still scantily represented. 



I have now gone far enough to illustrate the general character 

 of the flora of the sandy plains and rocky slopes and ridges in the 

 interior of Grand Turk. We find here plants that the Bahamas 

 hold in common with other West Indian localities, plants that are 

 widely spread over the Bahamas but are confined to that archipelago, 

 plants restricted to the extreme south-eastern islands (the Caicos 

 and Turks Islands and the Inaguas) and held in common by them, 

 and plants found only in the Turks Islands, as represented by Grand 

 Turk. Though the endemism of the Grand Turk plants is probably 

 not very great, it is sufficient to convince us that we are concerned 

 here with ancient conditions of isolation. 



3. The Strand Plants of Grand Turk. — We are concerned here with 



