55 
Flora of Narcondam and Barren Island. 
a landing-place was looked for in bay after bay ; to no purpose, however, 
the heavy south-western swell surged on their beaches in breakers so 
huge that any attempt to land was precluded. On the east, north, and 
north-west sides however, landings were effected ; in the first case the 
crest of the outer* rim was attained at a point where further progress 
was barred by its precipitous nature. By the gorge entered from the 
north it was found impossible even to reach the crest; the north-west 
landing, after some difficult climbing, led to the edge of the outer cone 
and permitted an easy descent into the amphitheatre. 
The inner walls of the outer cone, where too steep for trees and 
shrubs, are densely and evenly clothed with Pogonatherum saccharoideum^ 
along with which are associated patches of Desmodium polycarpon, 
OnycMum auratum, Pteris hiaurita, Neplirolepis tuberosa (found also 
within the crater), and Fimbristylis diphylla. On one somewhat damp 
spot, where there had been recently a small landslip, were found, on 
the otherwise bare soil, some plants of Pteris longifoUa, Oplismenus 
Burmanni, Physalis minima and Yandellia Crustacea (this last was also 
obtained inside the crater). On the inner northern wall of the outer 
cone, which is heaped with ashes, thei’e is hardly more vegetation than 
on the inner cone itself, the only species that grows being the Fimbristylis 
found on the cone. At the base of the cliff which forms the inner 
southern wall there is a uniform but not very dense forest the com¬ 
monest species in which are Terminalia Gatappa (certainly the most 
abundant tree on the island), Eugenia Jambolana and CalUcarpa arborea 
(both very common), Semecarpus heterophylla, Oaruga pinnata, Ixora 
cuneifolia, Ardisia humilis, Oroxylum indicum, Macaranga Tanarius, Trema 
amboinensis. Quite a feature is the extent to which a wild vine, Vitis 
repens, prevails in this area; among other creepers noted were Gyclea 
peltata (not seen in Narcondam), Abrus precatorius, and two Bioscoreas 
(only one apparently occurring in Narcondam). Another noteworthy 
feature of this forest is the presence, though not in great quantity, of 
a species of Bendrobrium. The bare rocks in the gorges over which 
water in the rains must pour in cascades are here and there covered 
with dried-up masses of fresh-water Alga, Galothrix tasmanica. 
The forest on the outside of the outer cone is much like that just 
described though the trees are more weather-beaten. The species pre¬ 
sent inside are all met with outside also, but though Terminalia 
Gatappa is still undoubtedly the most plentiful tree, and there are many 
considering the limited time at the writer’s disposal, to justify another attempt. 
The majority of the gorges on the south side of the Island have an eastward, 
tendency, and are thus unlike those in the north side which are more truly radial j 
this circumstance led to the selection of a point for descent too far along the rim. 
2G9 
