Observations of a Naturalist in the Pacific Between 1896 and 1899, Volume 2 / Plant-Dispersal - H. B. Guppy

The Earlier Group.

Genus.	Order.	Number of species.	Character.	Fruit.	Affinities.
Isodendrion	Violaceæ.	3	Shrubs.	Capsule.	American (H).
Schiedea	Caryophyllaceæ.	17	Undershrubs, &c.	Capsule.	Near Colobanthus of the Antarctic islands, temperate South America, and Australia (C).
Alsinidendron	Caryophyllaceæ.	1	Undershrubs.	Capsule, with fleshy calyx.
Platydesma	Rutaceæ.	4	Small trees or shrubs.	Capsule.	—
Hillebrandia	Begoniaceæ.	1	Herbs.	Capsule.	—
Nothocestrum	Solanaceæ.	4	Small trees.	Berry.	South American (H).
*Haplostachys	Labiatæ.	3	Herbs.	Dry nucules.	Regarded by Gray as a section of Phyllostegia.
*Phyllostegia	Labiatæ.	16	Undershrubs.	Fleshy nucules.	Belong to the tribe Prasiæ, which is mostly Asiatic. Two other species of Phyllostegia recorded from Tahiti and Paumotu Islands.
Stenogyne	Labiatæ.	17	Trailers or climbers.	Fleshy nucules.
Charpentiera	Amarantaceæ	2	Trees.	Utricle.	American (H).
Touchardia	Urticaceæ.	1	Shrubs.	Achene with fleshy perigone.	—
Neraudia	Urticaceæ.	2	Shrubs.	Achene with fleshy perigone.	Allied to Bœhmeria, a genus of Old and New Worlds.
The Later Group.
*Pelea	Rutaceæ.	20	Trees.	Capsular.	Belongs to Melicope, an Old World genus (IK).
Broussaisia	Saxifragaceæ.	2	Small trees.	Berry.	Malayan (H).
*Cheirodendron	Araliaceæ.	2	Trees.	Drupe.	Referred to Panax, an Old World genus (IK).
*Pterotropia	Araliaceæ.	3	Trees.	Drupe.	Malayan (H). Pterotropia referred to Heptapleurum of Old World (IK).
Triplasandra	Araliaceæ.	4	Trees or shrubs.	Drupe.
Kadua	Rubiaceæ.	16	Shrubs, &c.	Capsular	Approaches both Asiatic and American types (C).
Gouldia	Rubiaceæ.	5	Small trees or shrubs.	Drupaceous berry.	American (C).
*Bobea	Rubiaceæ.	5	Small trees.	Drupe.	Malayan (H). Genus also in Malaya (IK).
Straussia	Rubiaceæ.	5	Trees.	Drupe.	Near Psychotria, a genus of Asia and America (H).
Labordea	Loganiaceæ.	9	Small trees or shrubs.	Capsule with pulp.	Malayan (H).
*Nototrichium	Amarantaceæ.	3	Trees or shrubs.	Utricle.	Referred to the Australian Ptilotus (IK).

(H) = Hillebrand’s Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.

(IK) = Index Kewensis.

Note.—Probably Schumann’s genus, Pteralyxia, should be placed in the later group (see p. 154).

Another feature of interest is to be found in the distribution within the archipelago of the species of the peculiar genera. As in the case of the Compositæ and Lobeliaceæ, but few of the species are generally distributed, most being restricted to one island or to two or three adjacent islands. The suspension of the dispersal among the islands is, however, not so marked as with the species of the two orders just named.

Note.—Some further remarks on some of these genera are given in [Note 68].

The Endemic Genera of the Fijian Islands.

The interest that is associated with the endemic genera of Hawaii fails to attach itself to those of Fiji. For this there are several reasons. In the first place, our acquaintance with the Fijian flora is much less complete. In the next place, the group holds a much less isolated position, and the history of an endemic genus may have a significance quite different from that connected with it in Hawaii. Fiji also lacks, on account of its submergence in the Tertiary period, those highly interesting genera of the Compositæ and Lobeliaceæ that form the chief feature in the early history of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Then, again, on account of our imperfect knowledge of the floras of the neighbouring groups of continental islands to the westward, the New Hebrides, Santa Cruz, and Solomon Groups, we can never feel quite confident that any particular genus is really peculiar to the Fijian archipelago. This is well brought out in the later history of the genera designated by Dr. Seemann in his Flora Vitiensis as peculiar to Fiji.