BOTANY OF THE LACCADIVES. 
23 
The island is covered with coco-nut palms and subordinate jungle 
and the vegetation exhibits the generalcharacters of that of the true 
Laccadive islands, but is more luxuriant and is richer both in in¬ 
digenous and cultivated species than any of these. /Dr. Alcock and 
Mr. Fleming have made a very extensive collection, including 40 
weeds and garden escapes, ten of these (eight weeds and two 
escapes) not occurring in any of the true Laccadive Islands, with 28 
littoral species of which the following eight, Canavalia turgida and 
Canavalia ohtusifolia, Vigna lutea^ Terminalia Catappa (which ia 
ubiquitous), Sesuvium Portiilacastrum, Ochrosia horhonica, Tpomoea 
denticulata, and Convolvulus parvijiorus are not found in any 
of the other islands of the group. 
The inland ‘wild’ species include the following not recorded 
from any other island of the group :— Allophylus Cohbe, Ruellia 
prostrata, Pancratium zeylanicum, Dioscorea hulhifera, Psilotum 
triquetrum, Galymperes Dozyanum, Physcia leucomelas and Physcia 
ohscura, Pleurotus cuneatus and Pleurotus tenuAssimus, Polyporus 
igniariuSf Trametes Muelleri, Hirneola polytricha and Nostoc 
verrucosum. 
There are, it should be noted, none of the shrubby wild species 
reported from Kadamum, the whole island, excepting the coast 
zone, which has, however, a very distinct sea-fence of Pandanus, 
&c., being under cultivation. 
The cultivated or planted species are numerous, reaching a total of 
42, and include the following, not to be met with in any of the other 
islands;— Anona muricata (one tree); Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis; 
Murray a Koenigii (carefully cultivated); Citrus decumana (one 
tree on the island) ; Mangifera indica (only one tree); Arachis 
hypogcea; Psidium Guayava ; Eugenia Jamhos; Eugenia Jambolana; 
Lawsonia alba; Luffa aegyptiaca ; Momordica Charantia ; Gucurbita 
maxima ; Capsicum frutescens ; Phyllanthus distichus ; Ficus 
nitida. 
Calophyllum inophyllum and Terminalia Catappa are planted, 
though both occur indigenously as well; HJgle Marmelos is perhaps a 
species originally deliberately planted; Datura fastuosa is scarce 
here, Mr. Fleming only noting it once and then finding it cultivated 
in a garden; Gossypium barhadense is cultivated pretty frequently 
323 ^- 
