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

by H. B. Guppy

S=Schimper; G=Guppy; P=Earlier authorities and particularly the list given by Hemsley in the Introduction to the Botany of the Challenger Expedition.

Species.	Family.	Buoyancy of seeds or fruits.		Authorities.	Pages of further reference. See also Index.
		Float for months.	Sink at once or in a week or two.
HT Calophyllum inophyllum	Guttiferæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	18
HT Hibiscus tiliaceus	Malvaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	21
Hibiscus diversifolius (Jacq.)	Malvaceæ.	+	...	G.	21
HT Thespesia populnea	Malvaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	[Note 3]
H Gossypium tomentosum (Nutt.)	Malvaceæ.	...	+	G.
Heritiera littoralis	Sterculiaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	45, 48
T Kleinhovia hospita	Sterculiaceæ.	+	...	G.	21
T Triumfetta rhomboidea	Tiliaceæ.	...	+?
T Triumfetta procumbens	Tiliaceæ.	...	+	G.	45
T Suriana maritima	Simarubeæ.	+	...	S.G.
Carapa moluccensis	Meliaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	45
Carapa obovata	Meliaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	45
T Ximenia americana	Olacineæ.	+	...	S.G.	113
Smythea pacifica (Seem.)	Rhamneæ.	+	...	G.P.	106
HT Colubrina asiatica	Rhamneæ.	+	...	G.	137
HT Dodonæa viscosa	Sapindaceæ.	+	...	S.G.
HT Tephrosia piscatoria	Papilionaceæ.	...	+	G.	45
M Desmodium umbellatum	Papilionaceæ.	...	+	G.
HT Dioclea violacea	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	G.P.	82
T Canavalia obtusifolia	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	[Note 54]
T Canavalia sericea	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	G.	[Note 54]
T Canavalia ensiformis, var. turgida.	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.?	[Note 54]
HT Mucuna gigantea	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	81
T Erythrina indica	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
HT Strongylodon lucidum	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	G.	82
HT Vigna lutea	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.	139
Dalbergia monosperma	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.	106
Derris uliginosa	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	111
Pongamia glabra	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
T Sophora tomentosa	Papilionaceæ.	+	...	S.G.	[Note 56]
T Inocarpus edulis	Papilionaceæ.	+?	...	G.P.
HT Cæsalpinia Bonducella	Cæsalpinieæ.	+	...	S.G.P.	193
T Cæsalpinia Bonduc	Cæsalpinieæ.	+	...	G.P.	193
Afzelia bijuga	Cæsalpinieæ.	+	...	G.	173
Cynometra sp.	Cæsalpinieæ.	+?	...	S.G.
Entada scandens	Mimoseæ.	+	...	G.P.	181
Acacia laurifolia	Mimoseæ.	...	+	G.	164
T Leucæna Forsteri	Mimoseæ.	...	+	G.
T Serianthes myriadenia	Mimoseæ.	...	+	G.	424
Parinarium laurinum	Rosaceæ.	+	...	G.P.
Eugenia Richii	Myrtaceæ.	...	+	G.
T Barringtonia speciosa	Myrtaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
Barringtonia racemosa	Myrtaceæ.	+	...	G.
Rhizophora mucronata	Rhizophoreæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
Rhizophora mangle	Rhizophoreæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
Bruguiera Rheedii	Rhizophoreæ.	+	...	G.P.	&nbsp
HT Terminalia Katappa	Combretaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
M Terminalia littoralis	Combretaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
Lumnitzera coccinea	Combretaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
T Gyrocarpus Jacquini	Combretaceæ.	+	...	G.	423
T Pemphis acidula	Lythraceæ.	+	...	S.G.
T Luffa insularum (Gray)	Cucurbitaceæ.	+	...	G.	426
HT Sesuvium Portulacastrum	Ficoideæ.	...	+	G.
HT Morinda citrifolia	Rubiaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
T Guettarda speciosa	Rubiaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
T Wedelia biflora	Compositæ.	+	...	G.
HT Scævola Koenigii	Goodeniaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.

Table showing the Buoyancy of the Seeds or Fruits of the

Littoral Plants of Fiji, excluding the Grasses, and with

one exception, the Sedges (continued)

Species.	Family	Buoyancy of seeds or fruits.		Authorities.	Pages of further reference. See also Index.
		Float for months.	Sink at once or in a week or two.
T Cerbera Odollam	Apocynaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
T Ochrosia parviflora	Apocynaceæ.	+	...	G.P.
HT Cordia subcordata	Boraginaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
T Tournefortia argentea	Boraginaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
HT Ipomœa pes capræ	Convolvulaceæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
H Ipomœa glaberrima (Boj.)	Convolvulaceæ.	+	...	G.
Aniseia uniflora	Convolvulaceæ.	+	...	G.
T Premna tahitensis	Verbenaceæ.	+	...	G.	[Note 32]
Clerodendron inerme	Verbenaceæ.	+	...	S.G.
HM Vitex trifolia	Verbenaceæ.	+	...	G.
HT Cassytha filiformis	Lauraceæ.	+	...	G.
T Hernandia peltata	Lauraceæ.	+	...	S.G.
HT Wikstrœmia fœtida	Thymelæaceæ.	...	+	G.
Drymispermum Burnettianum	Thymelæaceæ.	...	+	G.
T Euphorbia Atoto	Euphorbiaceæ.	...	+	S.P.G.
Excæcaria Agallocha	Euphorbiaceæ.	+	...	S.G.
T Casuarina equisetifolia	Casuarineæ.	...	+	G.
HT Tacca pinnatifida	Taccaceæ.	+	...	G.	19
HT Cocos nucifera	Palmeæ.	+	...	P.
HT Pandanus odoratissimus	Pandaneæ.	+	...	S.G.P.
Crinum asiaticum	Amaryllideæ.	...	+	G.P.
Scirpodendron costatum	Cyperaceæ.	+	...	G.	407
Cycas circinalis	Cycadeæ.	+	...	G.P.

NOTE 3 (page [13])
Results of Long Flotation Experiments on the Seeds or Seed-vessels of Tropical Littoral Plants

At various times during the past twenty years I have made lengthened experiments in England on the buoyancy in sea-water of the seeds or seed-vessels of beach plants collected by me in the Solomon Islands, the Fijis, Hawaii, Keeling Atoll, &c. In all the species enumerated below, the floating powers were retained after twelve months’ immersion, the seed-contents being to all appearance unharmed. In six species I succeeded in getting the seeds to germinate after the experiment; and there can be no doubt that the number of successful results would have been largely increased, if I had not been obliged to resort to very primitive methods in conducting the experiments. Some of the results are referred to in a note to my paper on the flora of Keeling Atoll, dated about 1889; and if I remember aright, Mr. Hemsley mentioned those relating to Thespesia populnea and Ipomœa grandiflora in the Annals of Botany, not long after. The others have not been previously published. In one instance (Cæsalpinia bonducella) the flotation experiment was prolonged to two and a half years, the seeds floating buoyantly and being apparently quite sound at the end of the experiment.

As demonstrating that tropical seeds can be transported unharmed by currents through cold latitudes, it should be noted that all these experiments were conducted in England. In the cases of the Keeling Atoll seeds the experiment was carried on through a very severe winter, the vessel of sea-water being exposed to a degree of cold that kept fresh-water frozen for three weeks on the same table. This did not prevent the subsequent germination of the seeds of Thespesia populnea and Ipomœa grandiflora. The same thing was established in a more natural way by Lindman, who planted seeds of Entada scandens and Mucuna urens, that had been stranded on the Norwegian coast, and found that they retained their germinating capacity (see Sernander, p. 7).

The following are the seeds or seed-vessels that remained afloat after a year’s flotation in sea-water, those that subsequently germinated being preceded by G. In the other cases the germinating capacity was not tested; but they were always sound in appearance when cut across at the close of the experiment.