NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 
943 
Botany of the Expedition . — The notes on the Botanical Observations (see p. 27) issued 
to the Naturalists of the Expedition in the instructions of the Circumnavigation Committee 
of the Royal Society, were prepared at the Royal Gardens, Kew. During the cruise the 
botanical collections . were made by Mr. Moseley, who despatched them direct to Kew 
from various ports. Preliminary notices of these collections by various specialists, and 
notes by Mr. Moseley on the general aspects of the vegetation of many of the places 
visited, have from time to time been published in the Journal of the Linnean Society. 1 
Setting aside the necessarily fragmentary continental collections, it was decided to 
limit the Botanical Reports to a review of Insular floras which came within the range 
of the Expedition, combining for this purpose the materials already in existence at 
Kew with the new facts brought to light by the Challenger collections. The task 
of preparing these Reports was entrusted to Mr. W. B. Hemsley, A.L.S., who had at 
all times the assistance of Sir Joseph Hooker, Professor Oliver, and Mr. Thiselton 
Dyer. 
Mr. Hemsley writes : — “ Each island or group of islands is treated separately, and 
complete lists are given of all the indigenous plants known, together with their synonymy, 
distribution, and other particulars of interest. The islands whose vegetation is thus 
dealt with are : — The Bermudas, St. Paul’s Rocks, Fernando Noronha, Ascension, St. 
Helena, South Trinidad, Tristan da Cunha group, Prince Edward and Marion, the Crozets, 
Kerguelen, the M‘Donald group, St. Paul, Amsterdam, Juan Fernandez, Mas-a-fuera, 
San Ambrosio, San Felix, the Southeastern Moluccas, and the Admiralty Islands. For 
purposes of comparison, and to render the work more useful, two or three islands not 
visited by the Expedition are included. 
“ The results of the investigation of the floras of these oceanic islands are important 
and interesting, especially in relation to the means and agencies which have operated to 
effect the present geographical distribution of plants. Many facts and theories bearing 
upon this subject are touched upon in the foregoing Narrative ; but some of the more 
striking features of these Insular floras are brought together here. Beginning with the 
flora of the Bermudas, this is evidently of comparatively recent derivation, and is almost 
wholly composed of species either inhabiting the opposite coast of North America or the 
West Indian Islands, or both. A very small number of the species have not been 
absolutely identified with others, but they are so closely allied to others from the regions 
named that there can be no doubt as to their origin. Associated with a large number 
of undoubtedly introduced plants there are about one hundred and fifty species which 
probably reached the islands independently of man, and are hence said to be indigenous. 
Of this number upwards of one hundred also inhabit Southeastern North America, and 
about as many the West Indies, while between eighty and ninety are found in all three 
localities. The only really arboreous species are the Palmetto ( Sobol blacJdmrniana) 
1 For a list of these publications, see Bibliography, Appendix VI. 
(narr. chall. exp,- — vol. i. — 1885.) 119 
