59 
Descriptive Notes on Papxian Plants. 
B. diffusa is a plant of the widest distribution within the tropic 
circles, except in America, reaching* in Australia far beyond the tropics 
to the south-coast, but advancing- neither to Tasmania nor New 
Zealand. Thus it is one of the very few plants, occurring in the small 
coral-islands of the Union- Gilbert- and Ellice-Groups, from whence 
collections of plants are placed at my disposal by the Rev. S. T, Whit- 
mee, who with a most enlightened zeal sent specially an emissary, 
Mr. Jensen, to gather all the plants of these isolated specs in the wide 
Pacific Ocean. Inasmuch as the vegetation of Polynesia has manifold 
bearings on that of New Guinea, I avail myself of this opportunity to 
record briefly the result of my examination of Mr. Jensen’s collection. 
Plants of the Gilbert- (or Kingmills-) Group : Triumfetta procumbens 
Forst., Boerhaavia diftusa L., a Pisonia, a Ficus, a Sida, Pemphis 
acidula Forst., Guettarda speciosa L., Tournefortia argentea Forst., 
Scaevola Koenigii Vahl, Fimbristylis glomerata Nees, Lepturus repens 
R. Br., Polypodium phymatodes L. 
In the Tokelau- or Union-Group (comprising the Fakaofo- and 
Atahu-Islands) occur besides all the above-mentioned plants, also ; 
Cardamine sarmentoea Soland,, Acln^ranthes aspera L., Morinda citri- 
folia L., Cordia subcordata Lam. and Asplenium Nidus L, Mr. Jensen 
noted besides a Portulaca and a Pandanus. The Ellice-Group (com- 
prising Nukulselse, Funafuti, Vaitupu, Nui, Nanume and Nanumanga) 
contains all the plants of the two other groups, also besides : Suriana 
maritima L., Hibiscus tiliaceus L., a Terminalia, Rhizophora mucronata 
Lam,, Lumnitzera coccineaW. et A., Cassytha filiformis L., an Acalypha, 
Pipturus velutinus Wedd., Fleurya ruderalis Gaudich., Canavallia 
obtusifolia D.C., Gardenia Tahitensis D.C., Premna obtusifolia R. Br., 
an Ocbrosia, Psilotum triquetrum Sw., Pteris tripartita Sw,, Aspidium 
exaltatum Sw., Lindsaya lanuginosa Wall, and a seemingly new 
rubiaceous plant. 
POLYGONEiE. 
Polygonum barbattjm. 
Linne, Spec. Plant. 362. 
Near Port Moresby; Goldie. 
Other Papuan plants of this order : 
Polj^gonum pubescens, Blume, Bijdr. 532. 
Polygonum Zippelii, Meissn. in Miq. Annal. i. 64. 
Polygonum polyanthum, Bruyn in Plant. Junghuhnian 304. 
