BOTANY OF THE LACCADIVES. 
15 
islands, occurs here as an undoubtedly indigenous, sea-introduced, tree, 
and Ouef tarda sjpeciosa, occurring in large clumps, not recorded from 
any other member of the group. Scaevola Koenigii is very abundant 
all round the coast, as is the Screw-pine, but Ipomoea hiloha, very 
abundant on some of the islands, e.g., in Bitrapar, where it covers the 
whole beach, and in Akati, where it also extends into the iuterior of the 
island, is here confined to the shore, and is not very common even 
there. Wedelia scandens is one of the most common plants, and is 
spread all over the interior as well as round the coast; the same is 
tree of Cassytha filiformis^ which, in some parts, loads the scrubby 
undergrowth. Two other sea*coast species that here extend inland 
from the shore, and form a large part of the shrubby interior jungle, 
are Morinda hracteata and Premna integrifolia. In strong contrast 
with Bangaro, where Oaesalpinia Bonducella is so common as to 
form the basis of the jungle, it is noted in the In'cestigator 
collections that only one plant of this species was met with 
in Kadamum. 
Truly inland species that combine with Pandanus, Premna, and 
Morinda to form the shrubby part of the jungle are Flacourtia 
sepiaria, Pavetta indica, and Pleurostylia Wightii. All these are 
noted as “ very common throughout the island." The last-named 
is a particularly interesting addition to the Laccadive Flora; all 
three are very likely bird-introduced species. 
Two creepers, almost certainly wind-introduced, occur both inland 
and along the shore, these are Leptadenia reticulata and Tylophora 
asthmatica ; “ a tall loose-flowering grass [Apluda aristata) fills 
^‘all the outskirts of the jungle."* 
The weeds and escapes from cultivation that occur number 42 ; 
gome of these may perhaps be bird-introduced species; probably, 
however, most of them have been unintentionally introduced by 
man, and the high totalis obviously the result of the fact mentioned 
by Mr. Eobinson, that this is the island where the Ameni people 
grow the greater part of what grain-crops they raise. The most 
interesting of these weeds is the Mudar (Caloiropis gigantea), “ very 
‘^common in the centre of the island near the huts" [Investigator 
Hume, “Stray PeatLers,” vol. iv., p. 445. 
315 
