54 
Flora of the Ceylon Littoral. 
The best example was at Matara. On the inside of the spit 
where the current impinges on the shore, there was quite a rich 
vegetation, probably all derived from drift. On the water’s edge 
was a small tree of Sonnevatia surrounded by quite a little thicket 
of Acanthus, Cerbera in all stages of growth, the larger bushes covered 
with flower and fruit in all stages, Hernandia pcltata (good-sized 
plants), Crinum asiaticum, Calotropis gigantea, Sccevola Kdnigii r 
Pithecolobium (two small trees), Cassia Tora and C. occidentalis, the 
former abundant and covering many square yards. At the water’s 
edge were thick masses of drift, including fruits or seeds of most of 
the species mentioned, many germinating freely, with Cerbera very 
conspicuous. 
At a corresponding spot on the spit at Bentotta, there was a 
similar drift, in which mangrove embryos, both Rhizophora and 
Bruguiera, were particularly conspicuous ; many had rooted and 
produced several leaves, though they apparently had no chance of 
succeeding. The abundance of these embryos here, and their 
absence at Matara, corresponds of course with the distribution of 
these plants in the two estuaries. 
Summary. 
Our observations on the vegetation of the Ceylon coast and' 
tidal estuaries may be summarised as follows. Practically the 
whole of the actual coast in the region dealt with is flat and sandy,, 
and is destitute of mangrove vegetation. Where the rise from 
high tide level is very slight, the sandy strand is bare of trees and 
is occupied by the Pes-caprae formation. In this we can distinguish 
an outer zone, in which the sand is partially covered by the shoots 
of the typical creeping plants of this formation. Behind is an 
inner zone in which the sand is completely covered by the typical 
vegetation, mixed with many inland weeds. 
Behind the inner zone again come the coconut plantations, 
often fringed with the remains of beach-jungle, some of the shrubs 
belonging to which frequently stand isolated in the midst of the 
Pes-caprae vegetation. 
Where the shore slopes steeply this zonation is “ telescoped,” 
the outer zone of Pes-caprae disappearing and the inner zone being 
reduced to a narrow belt or itself being excluded. 
