THE FLORA OF THE TURKS ISLANDS 289 



One may notice here an interesting plant which, though not 

 strictly a shore plant, is most at home when clambering over the 

 shrubs in the broad, rolling, sandy belt that lies behind the beach 

 at the south end of the island. This is Passifiora pectinata, which 

 was first described by Grisebach from Hjalmarsson's collections 

 on Grand Turk. It is apparently restricted to the Bahamas. Though 

 at first sight the fruits of Passifiora would not appear suitable for 

 distribution by currents, it is evident that they can be carried short 

 distances, and reference is made in Chapter II. to their occurrence 

 amongst the beach-drift on the south coast of England in different 

 years. However, the seeds have no buoyancy except when air- 

 bubbles adhere to them in the dry state, or when the nucleus is decaying 

 or has decayed. But the fruits would not long endure the " rough- 

 and-tumble " of an ocean traverse. They owe their floating power 

 to the buoyancy of the thick rind, which is covered by a tough skin. 

 It is also possible that birds might aid in the oversea transport 

 of the seeds, which are sufficiently protected by their crustaceous 

 shells to be able to withstand a passage in a bird's stomach or in- 

 testines. In this connection it is noteworthy that Mr. Savage 

 English remarks in the case of the island of Grand Cayman that 

 " Passifiora cuprea, L. (a Bahamian, Cuban, and probably also a 

 Jamaican species), has apparently been brought by a bird within 

 the last few years, and is certainly being rapidly spread (in the island) 

 by this means " (Kew Bulletin, 1913, p. 368). 



The Mangroves of Grand Turk. — In the development of the salt 

 industry, which has been established here since the seventeenth 

 century, there has been a great clearance of the mangroves. Whilst 

 in the case of Salt Cay the mangroves have been from this cause 

 nearly banished from the island, there is a considerable remnant in 

 Grand Turk of the extensive mangrove belt that must have originally 

 lined all the creeks and lagoons. It is well represented in South 

 Creek ; but most of the mangroves there appeared of recent growth, 

 and I was told that up to late times there have been large clearances 

 made here. But the mangrove belt soon grows again. However, 

 in 1911 its appearance in South Creek gave one an idea of its original 

 condition. Near its mouth South Creek is fringed by a dense belt 

 of Rhizophora mangle backed on the landward side by Laguncularia 

 racemosa, Avicennia nitida, and occasionally Conocarpus erectus. 

 However, isolated patches of mangrove here extend into the heart 

 of the island on the shores of shallow lakelets, which no doubt at 

 times are in communication with South Creek. In North Creek 

 at the opposite end of the island mangrove is very scanty. There 

 are patches of Rhizophora and Avicennia at its mouth, with some 

 Avicennia trees on the west shore and one or two at the head. Lagun- 

 cularia is very rare at North Creek. I only saw one tree. 



A curious mingling of mangroves with the beach flora and with 

 plants of inland plains is to be noticed occasionally on Grand Turk, 

 where the sea-beach and the lagoon borders meet at the foot of a 

 slope. Here Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemosa, Avicennia 

 nitida, Suriana maritima, Coccoloba uvifera, Borrichia arborescens, 

 and Euphorbia vaginulata grow together on the loamy mud-flat, 

 u 



