45 
Flora of the Ceylon Littoral. 
To take first the Bentotta river. Close to the mouth, coming 
down to the shore among the coconuts, were Hibiscus tiliaceus 
(plentiful) Thespesia populnea Calophyllum Inopliyllum, Terminalia 
Catappa, Exccccavia Agallocha, and Acanthus in places lining the 
water’s edge. Two or three hundred yards up was well developed 
Rhizophora conjugata, and in a small bay a varied collection of 
mangroves and semi-mangroves:— Rhizophora, Bruguiera, Sonner- 
atia, Heniandia, Dolichandrone, Hcritiera, Pongamia with a small 
Leguminous liane. On the opposite bank, where a canal leads off to 
a lake about a mile away, good mangroves ( Rhizophora with excellent 
stilt-roots, Bruguiera, Sonneratia and Acanthus) were developed for 
a short stretch, but very soon disappeared as one passed up the 
canal. A small island completely covered with vegetation had a 
continuous belt of Acanthus touching the water round its edge, 
while the centre was filled with bushes of Bruguiera gymnorhiza 
plants of Chrysodium, and one small tree of Rhizophora. Fig. 13 
represents a similar island in the Bentotta river, but without 
Rhizophora. Further on up the river bank a lianeof the Leguminous 
genus Mucuna, probably M. pruriens, with flowers and fruit, Barring- 
tonia speciosa, and species of Ipoincea climbing over the trees. Many 
Bruguiera -embryos were noticed here floating vertically in the 
water with the calyx uppermost. Higher up again we met with 
tall riverside herbaceous forms, Cyperus dilutus and Phragniites 
Katha, at intervals, accompanied by Chrysodium aureuin lining the 
banks ; but for long stretches on both banks the true mangroves, 
Acanthus, Rhizophora, Bruguiera and Sonneratia were perfectly 
continuous to the exclusion of everything else, except an occasional 
Exccecaria. Further on still Rhizophora with its close characteris¬ 
tically gregarious habit excluded even the other mangroves. 
Sometimes, however, Phiagmites and Acrostichum occurred in front 
of it. The whole of the riverside vegetation here was under water, 
solid banks being quite absent. Right behind the Rhizophora belt, 
Nipa occurred here and there, and in one place quite young plants 
of it were seen. 
Rhizophora and Bruguiera here (3 miles from the sea) were 
seldom more than 30-feet high, while Sonneratia often attained 
50-feet, shewing that it is able to flourish very vigorously far from 
the sea, though an occasional tree of it only was seen, up a side 
creek. The river in this region broadens out into a wide lake-like 
expanse with many backwaters. The whole of the banks here 
appear to be occupied by Rhizophora and Bruguiera, with an 
