FLORA OF NEW PROVIDENCE AND ANDROS ^ 



WITH AN ENUMERATION OF THE PLANTS COLLECTED BY 

 JOHN I. NORTHROP AND ALICE R. NORTHROP IN 1890 



By Alice R. Northrop 



Introduction 



During the latter part of 1889 a report of the work in the Bahamas 

 of the Danish botanist, Baron Eggers, was received at the herbarium 

 of Cohimbia University, and with it a letter from Sir William Thiselton- 

 Dyer, expressing a hope that American botanists would continue the 

 exploration. My husband. Dr. John I. Northrop, Instructor in Zo- 

 ology at Columbia University, was at that time contemplating a 

 Southern trip for the purpose of studying and collecting marine inver- 

 tebrates. Sir William Thiselton-Dyer's letter was brought to his notice, 

 and the result was that a Bahaman trip was planned^ with both objects 

 in view. Over six months were spent on the islands, from January to 

 July, 1890. Of this time two months were passed on the island of 

 New Providence, where the time was mainly taken up with zoological 

 work, and the remainder on Andros, where the most interesting plant 

 collections were made. 



In order to understand properly the distribution of the plants and 

 the relations of the flora, it will be necessary to give a general idea of 

 the position and conformation of the two islands visited. New 

 Providence is one of the smaller islands of the group, being only about 

 twenty miles long and seven wide. It lies on the northern edge of a 

 portion of the Great Bahama Bank. Nassau, the seat of government 

 and a well-known health resort, is situated on the slope of a ridge that 

 rxms along the northern shore of the island. The highest point of this 

 ridge. Fort Fincastle, is about one hundred feet above sea-level. From 

 here one has an excellent view of the city and harbor, the latter pro- 

 tected by the narrow outlying cays known as Hog Island, Long Island, 



^ Memoirs Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. XII, No. i, 1902. 

 119 



