66 
Flora of Narcondam and Barren Island. 
examples of Ficus Fumphii and Ficus nitida, witli a considerable 
number of Ficus cuspidifera. The two Bioscoreas are very common 
climbers ; Capparis sepiaria is exceedingly common as a climber, or 
rather as an undershrub, in the forest; Oloriosa superha was seen in 
the seaface jungle on the east side of the island; Adiantum lunu- 
latum, another species not seen in Narcondam, is very common on 
the outside of the outer cone. On bare rocks near the sea Boerhaavia 
repens is plentiful, and species of the littoral class noted at the points 
where landings were effected include Hibiscus tiliaceus, Sterculia ruhi- 
ginosa, Coluhrina asiatica, Ixora hrunnescens, Pluchea indica, Wedelia 
scandens, Sccevola Koenigii, Premna integrifolia, Glochidion calocarpum, 
Gelonium hifarium. Terminalia Catappa, a truly littoral species, spreads 
here from base to top of the outer cone; the same is true of Morinda 
hracteata, another plentiful sea-coast species. Cocos and Pandanus have 
been already mentioned as occurring only at Anchorage Bay. 
The question regarding the Coco-nut trees on Barren Island is some¬ 
what simpler than in the case of Narcondam, for they have not been deli¬ 
berately planted: at the same time it cannot be contended that they 
afford an unequivocal instance of introduction by the sea. It is not clear 
that any one has ever landed at Anchorage Bay ;* it is certain that for 
the greater part of the year, to attempt to do so would be very danger¬ 
ous. At the same time when ships call they usually anchor at this 
place, and it is not improbable that during some such visit a coco-nut 
dropping overboard has been washed ashore and germinated in the drift 
collected by the roots of the sea-fence. Man indirectly, rather than 
the sea, may therefore be supposed to have been the introducing agent. 
Fungi were as scarce on Barren Island as in Narcondam, and the 
only moss met with was Bryum coronatum. 
To complete the account of these islands mention must be made of 
Flat Hock, situated, as has been already mentioned, in Lat. 11° 12' N., 
and Lon. 93° 86' E., 80 miles south-south-west of Barren Island, 60 
* From the Report of the Andamans’ Committee already referred to [Proceedings, 
As. Soc. Bengal, 1866, p. 215) it would appear that their experience was quite that of 
the writer. The passage is interesting and is worth quoting verbatilm :—“ The only 
“ place where there seemed any chance, was on the south-west, where a small 
“ sandy-heach, with a heavy surf running, was discovered, above which four old 
“ cocoanut trees were seen. A boat was sent towards the shore and got bottom at 35 
“ fathoms, but as we had not much time to spare, the whole of the ground could 
“ not be gone over, * * The italics are the writer’s ; the passage will be referred 
to again in the systematic list of the plants collected. It is strange that though 
from the year 1866 onwards these coco-nut trees have been used as the guide-mark 
to the safest anchorage on the coast of this island, neither Hume, Ball nor Mallet, in 
their accounts of the island, have noted their presence, 
270 
