OF THE MALDIVE ISLANDS. 
113 
IIL— NOTES ON 
THE VEGETATION OF THE VARIOUS ATOLLS. 
(By J. S. Gardiner.) 
Hulule Island.^ 
This is the S.E. island of Male Atoll. On the E. and S. 
the reef is one-third to half a mile wide, on the W. about 
100-150 yards, on the N. the island lies along the line of the 
reef. The soil is sand, very fine to the west, but to the east 
foraminiferal and coarse, with a little pumice. There 
are coral blocks in the sand along the cocoanut belt south 
of the village. The rainfall is probably about 110 inches ; 
certainly considerably less than in islands lying further 
west and south. 
Going to the land for a moment it is interesting to notice 
the distribution of some of the plants and trees. In the 
first place, the cocoanuts form a belt from the N.W. point 
of the island down to the village, and then along and across 
the island to the undermined beach. East of this — that 
is, a belt along the N.E. shore of the island — only small 
bushes occur, and no trees of any size. On the west side 
of the village is a belt of low scrub 30-40 yards broad, and 
south of the village is a dense jungle of Bambukeo (bread- 
fruit), Funa (Calophyllum Inophyllum), Karikeo (Pan- 
danus Leram ?), Kandu (Hernandia peltata), two or three 
candle-nut trees (Barringtonia speciosa), with an odd 
Hibiscus tiliaceus here and there. The south point of the 
island has no large timber, and the whole west and south 
shores are fringed with Kuredi (Pemphis acidula), with an 
occasional Mabori (Tournefortia argentea) here and there. 
By the village is a zære (holy grave), and behind this is a 
small untimbered patch, really an old kitchen midden with 
I spent nearly six weeks on this island during January and February, 
1900. One boy was employed solely in collecting and looking after the 
flora, always accompanying me. Although out daily I failed to add any 
plants in the last three weeks of our stay. 
