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Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tped18 III. Sketch of the Botany of Lord Howe's Island Charles Moore Esq. a a Botanic Garden , Sydney Published online: 01 Dec 2010.

To cite this article: Charles Moore Esq. (1870) III. Sketch of the Botany of Lord Howe's Island , Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 10:1-4, 365-372, DOI: 10.1080/03746607009468716 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03746607009468716

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Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 M. Sketch of the Botany of Lord Howe's Island. By CHARLES MooRE, Esq., Director of the Botanic Garden, Sydney. This island is situated in S. lat. 31 ° 31', and E. long. 159° 5' (or about 300 miles east of Port Macquarie, the nearest part of our coast), is seven miles in length, by about an average of one mile in breadth, and is said to contain 3220 acres, of which it is calculated that more than 2000 are capable of cultivation. Of volcanic origin, the soil generally is of a rich character, that in the lower or flatter parts ex- 366 Mr Charles Moore's Sketch of the tremely so, being of a dark unctuous loamy nature, largely impregnated with humus, overlying a deep bed of yellow clay. It is only land of this description that is now cultivated; that on the more elevated places being of a lighter kind, its prin- cipal components consisting of decomposed porphyritic and calcareous rock, and more affected by atmospheric influences than the former. On this account, much of it formerly under cultivation is now left unfilled, the demand for pro- duce having of late years greatly failed. These as well as some abandoned clearances on the flats are now almost wholly occupied by two grasses which are common about Sydney, Cynodon dactylon and Sporobolus elongatus, called by our colonists respectively " Couch " (the Doob of India), and " Tufty-grass," the former growing most luxuriantly, and forming a superabundance of food for the horses and now upon the island. On the sides of the two highest mountains, each nearly 3000 feet high, which terminate abruptly the south-eastern point of the island, the soil is for the most part composed of decomposed basaltic rock, strong and stiff, and suitable for the growth of many valuable to man, yet the surface is so covered with loose stones, varying in size from huge boulders to small pebbles, that it would be difficult if not impossible to clear it. Every part of the island is covered with a dense vegeta- tion, the undergrowth being kept comparatively clear by pigs and , which are allowed to roam at large. These crop off the lower branches of the , and in too many instances, it is feared, have destroyed the smaller kinds of plants altogether. The absence of undergrowth, and the very remarkable scarcity of Ferns and Orchids, in the lowest Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 and richest parts of the island, would indicate a dryness of climate which is not the case, as a drought of any great continuance is seldom or never experienced here, rain being said to be frequent and abundant at all seasons. While the want of undergrowth may be accounted for by the action of the pigs and goats, yet the rarity of the classes of plants referred to cannot be so readily explained. Thus, in the rich low flats, extending upwards of three miles, where the trees were the thickest and most lofty, only one orchid —Dendrobium gracilicaule, Muel.—and five or six kinds of ferns, were all that were observed, and these sparingly. Botany of Lord Howe's Island. 367 At the end of this flat ground towards the east, in gullies near the base of the mountains, and up to their very summit, ferns increase in number, both as regards genera and species. The presence among these of Trichomanes and Hymenophyl- lum would dissipate the notion of a very dry atmosphere, and prove at least a greater abundance of moisture in prox- imity to the mountains than occurs elsewhere. A second and smaller species of Dendrobium was gathered at a rather high elevation. This, with the former, and a species of Sarcochilus found sparingly upon trees growing on the hilly sides, at the other end of the island, were the only repre- sentatives of the family of Orchidacee noticed. One of the most remarkable features of the vegetation is the prevalence of Palms, of which there are four species, all of which ap- pear to be as yet undescribed. Two of these, called by the settlers, respectively, " Thatch Palm," and " Curly-leaved Palm," and both sometimes " Cabbage Palms," are very general, and most abundant. They reach to a height of at least 1000 feet on the side of Mount Lidgbird, at which point their place is supplied by another very distinct species, of a noble appearance, called the " Umbrella Palm," from its compact, gracefully drooping, arched, dome-like, pinnate fronds. The zone of this is of limited extent, as it does not reach within some hundreds of feet of the top of the mountain, where a dwarf species, not more than 6 feet high, also with pinnate fronds, and altogether different from any of the others, occurs in large quantities. In ap- pearance and character, the two first-mentioned species closely resemble each other ; both grow to about the same height, the highest observed being about 35 feet, and both Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 have pinnate fronds, from 6 to 8 feet in length. The spadix

of , both is simple and drooping ; and that of the " curly- leaved" species being nearly twice as long as that desig- nated " Thatch Palm,"—a term applied to it because of the fronds being employed for covering the roofs of houses. They are otherwise readily distinguished from each other, even to the ordinary observer, by the pinme of the former slightly converging upwards, while those of the latter droop; and by the straight and more robust stem of the latter, the former being more slender, of a darker colour, and usually slightly bent in the middle. In habit these palms resemble 368 Mr Charles Moore's Sketch of the those of the genus Areca, but their carpological characters would indicate that they belong to the genus Kentia of Blume, which is not surprising, as all the palms of New Caledonia (eight species) are referable to this genus ; but until fully developed flowers of all the kinds are obtained, the genus or genera to which they may belong cannot with certainty be determined. From the very imperfect speci- mens procured of the " Umbrella Palm," it has been im- possible for me to refer it to any known genus. Of this no flowers were seen, but its large reddish-coloured fruit (the size of a pigeon's egg), borne upon a branching spadix, is unlike that of any other palm as yet found in this quarter of the world. The small species, which only grows on the tops of the mountains, has also a branching spadix. This plant was not seen by me in a growing state, but the speci- mens obtained would represent it as of a dwarf rigid habit, with pinnate fronds not more than from 2 to 3 feet in length. The Pandanus, or " Screw Pine," of which there appears to be two species, marks the vegetation in a peculiar man- ner, wherever it occurs. One species, known to the settlers as the " Tent ," Pandanus Forsteri, Moore, grows plentifully in some parts of the flats, but is more general on the mountain sides, increasing in number as they ascend, and attaining to an elevation of at least 2000 feet. This often grows to a height of over 30 feet, the lower half of which is usually constituted of spreading stem-like roots, which proceed from the main stem at various heights, and as the earlier roots perish, in a manner almost correspond- ing with the production of those from above, a clear space is thus left beneath, the plant being supported by these Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 root-props, having a tent-like appearance. The most re- markable plant, however, upon the island is a species of Ficus, and the only one of the genus found there. Along the whole extent of the flat and richest ground, on the south-west side, this noble tree grows in large numbers— very rarely in exposed situations ,but marks distinctly an inner zone of vegetation, being protected on every side by belts of trees of various descriptions. It possesses to an extraordinary degree the branch-rooting characteristics of the famous " Banyan" of India, Ficus indica. From its high wide-spreading branches, adventitious roots are pro- Botany of Lord Howe's Island. 369 duced, which descend to the ground, then rapidly enlarge, and become in the course of time huge stems ; drawing nourishment from the earth for the support and increase of the parent branch, which, as it extends, produces similar root-stems ; the tree by this means covering a very large space of ground. In some instances the original stem had perished altogether, the branches becoming separate trees, each with numerous root-stems, and forming by the whole a beautiful amphitheatre of considerable dimensions. This interesting tree appears to be new, and confined to the island ; its column-like stems suggesting the specific name columnaris, proposed to be given to it. In character it is allied to Ficus macrophylla of this colony, but the smaller size of the fruit and foliage, and its numerous root-stems, at once distinguished it from that species. The trees of most frequent occurrence throughout the island were Hibiscus Patersonii, Myoporum acuminatum, Br., called "juniper," and Ochrosia elliptica, all most abundant near the coast, and forming for the most part the outer or most exposed belt, the latter being, it is supposed, the " manchineel" mentioned by Lieutenant Ball, the dis- coverer of the island. These and a species of Acronychia, Hemicyclia australasica, Muel., the latter remarkable for its bright-coloured foliage and red-coloured fruit, Olea pani- culata, Achras costata, Brunoniana, Baloghia lucida, and a species of Tetranthera—the latter appeared to yield the largest useful timber—constitute at least three-fourths of the tree vegetation. Climbing plants were represented by Marsdenia rostrata, Stephania hernandicefolia, Smilax latifolia, Flagellaria indica, Ipomcea palmata, L pes-cdpree, Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 Tecoma australis, and Canavalia obtusifolia. Among the more rare and interesting plants, special mention may be made of a magnificient species of Dracophyllum discovered by one of our party—R. D. Fitzgerald, Esq., of the Survey Office—in a valley between the two highest mountains, called Erskine Valley. This magnificent species (perhaps the finest of the genus) being new, will henceforth bear the name of its discoverer, Dracophyllum Fitzgeraldii, who de- scribes it as " a tree between 40 and 50 feet high, with a trunk at least two feet in diameter. It produced the leaves in tufts at the ends of the branches, and panicles of flowers 370 Mr Charles Moore's Sketch of the of a reddish white colour, from nine inches to a foot long, springing from the centre of the tufts. Altogether it had a strange appearance, growing in a rambling way, the small branches forking like a Pandanus, the whole tree having the semblance of producing young pine-apple plants." It is allied to some species indigenous to New Caledonia and , but quite distinct from any of these. A beautiful species of Randia (R. macrophylla, Moore), with large bright-shining foliage and stipules, was met with in several parts of the island. No flowers of this were seen, but the foliage alone will be sufficient to entitle it to a place in our gardens. A singular plant of the Mistletoe kind, Viscum opuntioides of Forster, found also on , was observed growing in considerable quantities, but only upon two kinds of trees, Hemicyclia and Elceodendron. Every tree attacked by this curious parasite, which confined itself to the ends of the top branches, either presented evident signs of decay, or appeared to be dying from its effects altogether. No other Loranthaceous or parasitical plant of any kind was noticed. A most offensive-smelling plant—a new species of Coprosma (C. putricia, Moore and Muel.)—was met with both on the high and low grounds. It is called by the settlers " Stink-plant,"—a most appro- priate name, as the smell which is emitted from its bruised leaves or broken branches is perfectly abominable. Were it not for this peculiarity it would be a shrub worthy of cultivation, having a rather pretty habit of growth. A large Iridaceous plant, termed the " Wedding-flower," was found sparingly in two or three situations. Of this seed vessels only were obtained, but the flowers were de- Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 scribed as being very beautiful. The leaves were upwards of six feet long, and from two to three inches in breadth. In appearance it resembles a large species of Morcea, but will probably prove to be a new genus. At the mouth of a creek or small rivulet, near the base of Mount Gower, IEgiceras fragrans was observed for the first and only time, although it is said that this or some other kind of mangrove grows where another rivulet enters the sea. Along the coast on the northern side, Crinum pedunculatum, Juncos maritimus, Rhagodia Billardieri, Senecio insularis, lliesembryanthemum cequilaterale, Ipomma Botany of Lord Howe's Island. 371 pes-caprce and Canavalia obtusifolia, occupied for the most part the sandy ridges raised by the wind from the beach. Curiously enough, on this the warmest side of the island, the trees and shrubby plants appeared to suffer more from exposure to the sea than they did on the opposite or southern side. There especially, Hibiscus Patersonii, Ochrosia ellip- tica, and Myoporum acuminatum, which, as has been before observed, constitute the principal part of the outer belt of tree vegetation, grew to be both good-sized and well-formed, whilst here they were reduced to a low-sized and nearly impenetrable scrub, the more so as they were usually inter- mixed with Guilandina Bonducella, a sub-climbing prickly shrub. In some parts of the interior, Verbena bonariensis, Ricinus communis, Solanum laciniatum, Sonchus oleraceus, and other smaller kinds, evidently foreigners to the soil, had, from neglect, taken almost entire possession of fine tracts of cleared ground, and had become, in other parts, very troublesome weeds. Two interesting arborescent ferns (species of Alsophila), which are considered to be new, were observed in a small valley near the base of Mount Gower, growing in company with Alsophila excelsa, Br. Both of these are allied to Alsophila australis, Br., but of a more slender habit. In the same locality with these, Trichomanes meifolium, var. Bauerianum, grew plentifully. Another fine species of Trichomanes, as well as Lomaria capensis and Hymenophyl- lum Tunbridgense, were brought from the top of the mountain by one of the settlers, who stated that they all grew there in the greatest profusion, as well as a large and beautiful moss, more than a foot in height—a species of Spiridens. Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 Among ferns it is not a little remarkable that the genus Adiantum was missing, although indigenous to all the countries with which the island is surrounded. The position of the island, which may be regarded as Australian, being only 300 miles from our coast, and more than 500 from Norfolk Island (the next nearest land), with New Caledonia still further to the north and New Zealand to the south, would lead to the expectation of a somewhat different flora from this. Myrtacem and Leguminosw, which prevail to a great extent on the coast districts of this colony, have here but few representatives : the former of these by 372 On the Botany of Lord Hoive's Island. two species, each of different genera—one an arborescent Leptospermum, of which only a single tree was found, high up on the side of Mount Lidgbird ; the other a shrubby Melaleuca, inhabiting rocky, exposed situations, near the coast, on the south-western side. The last, locally called " Kilmogue," is used as a substitute for tea, and said to be a pleasant and exhilarating beverage. The Leguminous plants were also single species of distinct genera, and more indicative of other countries than of Australia. Proteacece, a family as abundant as the two last with us, is wholly wanting, although it has representatives both in New Cale- donia and in New Zealand, of which countries the Cin- chonaceous plants found here are also typical. Taken as a whole, the plants are perhaps more nearly allied to those of Norfolk Island than of any other country.*

IV. Botanical Notes from Naples. By Professor ALLMAN. In a letter to Professor Balfour, dated Naples, 28th January 1870, Professor Allman says :—" It is now about five weeks since we reached Naples. I have not been so successful as I had hoped in the exploration of the Neapo- litan fauna. Some good work, however, I have done. I have gone over the ground of some of the old naturalists, and have found several new species, besides turning up some of the old ones, which had not been noticed since the time of Cavolini. I am putting up some interesting things for the Museum. " You have no idea of the wretchedness of the weather here. Were it not that every one is agreed in calling this Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 09:17 19 January 2015 a most exceptional year, the fine climate of Italy must be regarded as a delusion. At this moment Vesuvius and the surrounding hills are covered with black-streaked dirty- looking snow, which in the course of twenty-four hours will probably have all disappeared, to be renewed in a day or two again ; while a bitter penetrating north-east wind—the tramontana,' as they call it—is cutting its way through and through one, and making us long for our honest bracing Edinburgh winter, which lays no claim to climatal amenities.

* We do not give the list of plants observed by Mr Moore, as he proposes to prepare a more detailed account of the Flora of this interesting Island,—[Ens.]