The vegetation of Enderbuxy Island is typical of the very 
dry atoll flora found in the central Pacific* Among the native plants 
are found Eragrostis whitneyi and Sesuvfum portulaoastroan var* griseum 
both of which are taxa endemic to low island atolls of the Pacific* 
Both of these species and ^epturus repens * the common bunohgrass, 
cover large areas on the inner flat^ o£ slopes and beach crest* 
The Lepturus is found commonly in the sandy peripheral regions and 
inner slopes while the Eragrostis is confined to low guano emptied 
areas on the NE, S and on the drier portions or elevated "islets" 
of the large central lagoon* Many such sites support tall clumps of 
this small grass but more often the clumps are very short. This probably 
results from periodic inundation of low areas in the central portion 
of the island during occasional heavy rain or high tides* Eragrostis 
apparently cannot stand inundation as can Sesuvium with which it is 
often associated. The introduced Digitaria paoifioa is scattered alonjg 
the inner slopes- <aiortg the west side. First collected by Marshall in 
1964 it may have been introduced as early as the^mSfcLnlj §? a guan 8 n: ^ 
Other natiye herbs such as Portulaca lutea* Boerhavia repens* Triumfetta 
procumbens, Cordia suboordata. Toumefortia arg entea* Caasytha fi lifoaaia 
and Sida fallax are comman t |i|t||Ough only the first two are abundant and 
found over most of the/, area of the island* The Triumfetta is restricted 
to sandy slopes on the MW side. The shrubby Tournefortia and Cordia 
form small groves, mixed and pure on the W and S sides*■/ Sesuvium is •' A 
common along the edges of the lagoon and in open flats, areas where 
guano soils have been removed and the elevation of the Soils decreased 
so that the subsurface soils are constantly moist - often with 
Eragrostis » This succulent planters apparently one of the few known 
endemic plants found on coral atolls# Cassytha was found on the west 
side of the island parasitising Sida and Portulaca lutea# Among the 
introduced plants Euphorbia hirta was jfound 
on-^he- Sfr side/ Fleurya ruderalis and Ipomoea tuba are rare# The former 
was growing on a pile of guano soil near the old guano workings and the 
latter at the edge of the lagoon on coralline hardpan# The climate or 
restricted holding capacity of the fresh water lens© probably accounts 
for the failure of Cocos, the remains of a number of which were found 
near,* the wteoden structure 
in three depressions on the H and S sides of the island, areas left 
apparently between deposition of coral rabble by high wave action# 
