FLORA OF THE SUNDRIBUNS. 
247 
The species of the grassy savannah-swamps are not very numer- 
ous and include, among sedges, Cyperus exaltatus var. dives^ 
Scirpus grossuSi Cladium riparium var. crassa ] among grasses, Ulu 
[Imperata arundinacea)^ Kashiya {Saccharum spontaneum)^ Gurand 
{Andropogon inter medius) and especially Ndl [Phragmites Karka 
var. cincta). 
The species of the swamp-forests are by habit sharply subdivided 
into a smaller group of parasitic or merely epiphytic species that do 
not come in contact with the mud, and a larger group of rooted 
species. The parasites include Cuscuta reflex three species of 
Loranthus, and one Viscum. The epiphytes include, Hoy a parasitica^ 
Dischidia nummularia, thirteen species of Orchidaceds^ seven 
epiphytic Ferns, a Lycopodium and a Psilotum, The purely mangrove 
forests are usually extensive muddy flats covered at every tide by 
salt water on which the Rhisophors themselves are scattered to 
make an open forest ; the individual trees, owing to their habit of 
sending down stilted adventitious roots, cover considerable spaces, 
but leave nevertheless wide intervals between. The mud itself, 
except for the RhisophorSy is often devoid of vegetation, though some- 
times patches of two salt-worts, Arthrocnemum and Salicorniay 
occur on these muddy slopes. Mud-flats that are covered at high -tide 
only in the rains, and then necessarily with water that is only brackish, 
are almost always completely covered by a close crop of Oryza 
coarctata. Steeper muddy banks are more usually covered with 
seedling Baen (Avicennia) and with Hargoza {Acanthus ilicifolius) 
bushes in the central Sundribuns ; in the western islands Satari 
[ALgialitis] is usually associated with and sometimes outnumbers Baen 
on such banks. The tops of the banks, especially along the larger 
rivers, are often exclusively occupied by Keora {Sonneratia apetala). 
most graceful of Sundribun trees and particularly abundant along the 
convexities of river-reaches. Smaller khals have a more varied 
riparian vegetation; Ora {Sonneratia acida), Bden {Avicennia), 
Dhundol {Carapa obovata), Koilsha {Mgiceras majus)^ Dakur {Cerbera 
Odollam)y Goria {Kandelia), Karanj {Pongamia), Bhola {Hibiscus 
tiliaceus)y Amanta {Dalbergia spinosa ) — as frequently erect and 
shrubby as it is climbing, Gordn {Ceriops)^ Kripa {Lumnitjsera) , 
Goniari {Premna integrifolia)^ Butraj {Clerodendron inerme)^ Hital 
{Phoenix paludosa)^ being there especially plentiful. On the side of 
this riparian fence next to the stream occur frequent patches of 
Golpatta {Nipa) and of the stately grass Myriostachya Wightiana 
Immediately within this fence is the favourite habitat of Kumia 
{Barringtonia racemosa), of Gorshingiah (Dolichandrone Rheedei) 
and of Bhaila {Intsia). Still narrower channels have frequently only 
