QK252
.S71

Stevarty Alban

Some observations concerning the
botanical conditions of the Gala-
pagos Islands

SOME OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE BOTANICAL
CONDITIONS ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS.

BY

ALBAN STEWART.

Repbinted feom the Tbansactions of the Wisconsin Academy of
Sciences, Abts, and LErrrEES, Vol. XVIII, Pabt I.

Issued October, 1915.

, Sll

272 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

SOME OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE BOTANICAL
CONDITIONS ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS.

By Alb an Stewart.

Introduction.

When I began the study and identification of the vascular
plants of the Galapagos Islands at the Gray Herbarium, some
seven years ago, I intended to include all of the results in a
single publication. After I had completed that part of the work
included in my paper entitled : A Botanical Survey of the Gala-
pagos Islands* it was found that such a mass of manuscript
had accumulated that it would probably be better to pub-
lish this part, and to reserve the general consideration of the
floras of the individual islands for a separate publication.

An attempt has been made in this paper to describe briefly,
and in a general way, the botanical conditions as I saw them up-
on each of the islands visited. No attempt has been made, how-
ever, to describe the floras of the different islands in a detailed
way, because, such a consideration would consume too much
space, and furthermore, as our stay in some of the localities
visited was very brief, there was not sufficient time available to
make a sufficiently detailed study of the flora for this purpose.
This is especially true in some of the larger islands, where we
were obliged to get as far into the interior as possible in a short
time, hurriedly collect material, with brief notes, and then start
back to the shore. Expeditions into the interiors of most of the
larger islands are extremely difficult to make. Not only is the
country very rough in most places, and covered with heavy vege-

• Proc. Cal. Acad. Scl., fourth series, vol. I, pp. 7-288. 1911.

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 273

tation, but there is also no water on the most of them; which
makes it necessary for one to carry a supply of water with him.
On this account it is practically impossible to make trips into
the interior lasting longer than three days.
Department of Botany,

University of Wisconsin,
Madison.

Abingdon Island.

With the exception of the two small islands, Culpepper and
Wenman, Abingdon is the most northern island in the group. It
is located about thirteen miles northwest of Blindloe, and is the
smallest one of the islands that supports an extensive mesophy-
tic flora. This condition is brought about by the fact that it
reaches an elevation of 1950 ft., and consequently it receives a
greater amount of moisture than the other small islands. This
island was visited during the month of September 1906. The
most of the work was done on the south side where good anchor-
age was found for our vessel in a small bay.

The shores along the south side of the island are composed of
low^lava cliffs and occasional sand-beaches. The shores become
steeper, however, towards the southwest side. On the west side
there are perpendicular cliffs which rise directly from the sea
to a height of over 1,000 ft. The north and east sides of the is-
land were not visited, but judging from the appearance of these
parts as seen from the vessel while sailing in the vicinity of the
island, the shores are low, and the sides of the mountain are cov-
ered with lava to a considerable elevation. The lava covering
. the south side is mostly basaltic in character with occasional
^- o beds of volcanic cinders intermingled. This lava is of compara-
% Ir. lively great age, and it has become stained to a redish-brown col-
m ^ or through surface oxidation. There are extensive deposits of
"^ -'' volcanic cinders on the southeast side of rather recent origin, the
5 ~- most of which have come from a small crater at an elevation of
Q= -^ 1,000 ft. There are still slight evidences of volcanic activity
^ t around the base of this crater, as there is a constant escape of
steam here, which is sometimes great enough to be seen from the
•-■^ shore. There is still another small cinder cone on the recent
lava near the shore, from which the lava in its immediate vicin-
ity must have come. Remains of several other small craters
18— S. A.

274 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

occur on the old lava around an elevation of 500 ft., all of which
have probably been inactive for a very long time. The lava on
the south side has been thrown into ridges and folds in places,
and there are also occasional lava tunnels the tops of which have
fallen in. One of these is located near the shore and is filled
with sea water. The south side of the island slopes up gradu-
ally to an elevation of about 500 ft., above which the .slope is
steeper.

The top of the mountain was envelloped in fog at the time it
was visited so that a survey of the surrounding region could not
be made. There seemed to be no central crater present, however,
and the highest part may be the remains of a portion of the rim.
There is a range of hills, about two miles west of the summit,
which runs parallel with the coast line, and have an elevation of
about 1,200 ft. These hills rise abruptly from a broad, flat
plain just east of them, which has an average elevation of 900 ft.
It is possible that this plain may be the floor of an old crater, the
rim of Avhich has been mostly removed.

A few lierbaceous halophytes grow on the sand beaches near
where we anchored. There was also a low thicket of bushes of
Laguncularia racemosa bushes growing here. Other than these
no halophytes were found.

All of the vegetation of the south and southeast sides of the
island below an elevation of 450 ft. consists of species w^^'^-' are
usually found on the lower and dryer parts of these islands.
They are smaller and fewer in number, however, than is usually
the case, a condition that may be due to the very scanty soil on
these parts. The lava on this part of the island is bare in most
places, and the only soil to be found is in the lava crevices. In
consequence of this condition, a large part of the surface is not
suitable at present for the support of higher plants. The trees
of Bursera graveolens are small, seldom exceeding a height of 8
ft. Usually they are mere bushes. Besides the small Bursera
trees, Opuntia galapageia is the only other species which reaches
the size of a tree in these lower regions. It occurs here abund-
antly, and has weak spines and closely arranged branches. Eu-
phorbia viminea forma castellana is the most common bush in
this region. It is about the only one that occurs in mass, all
other bushes being scattered. This species seems to be better
adapted to maintain an existence under the sterile conditions
than most of the other species found here. Other bushes found

Stewart — Botanical Conditi&tis pn the Galapagos Islands. 275

growing in this region, less abundantly than the above are : Cor-
dia lutea, Castela galapageia, Croton Scouleri var, brevifolius,
Euphorbia artieulata, Prosopis dulcis, Sealesia Hopkinsii, Tel-
anthera eehinocephala, and Waltheria reticulata. The lava
ridges are often found to be more or less covered with vines
of Ipomoea Habeliana, and in various other places on the
lava, I. Kinbergi was found growing and in blossom at the time
of our visit. Such grasses as Aristida suspicata. Cenchrus platy-
acanthus, Leptochloa albemarlensis and L. Lindleyana grew
with more or less abundance in the lava crevices. On the older
beds of volcanic cinders there was very little vegetation other
than occasional bunches of Cereus nesioticus ; the more recent
beds of cinders were bare.

A change, readily noticed, takes place in the vegetation at
about 450 ft. elevation evidently brought about by the greater
amount of moisture and a more abundant soil. There is a gen-
eral thickening up and an increase in the size of the vegetation
above this elevation. There are good sized trees of Bursera
graveolens in this region, and also trees of Pisonia floribunda,
which first make their appearance. Many of the trees and
bushes, at this elevation and above, are heavily covered with
Aleetoria sarmentosa and other epiphytic lichens. Bushes and
small trees of Zanthoxylum Fagara also occur, usually infested
with Phoradendron Henslovii. Other bushes which occur in this
region and a little higher are : Chiococca alba, Erigeron tenui-
folius, Lipochaeta laricifolia, and Lippia rosmarinifolia. Such
ferns as Chelianthes mierophylla, and Polypodium squamatum
occur. Very little change takes i)lace in the vegetation on the
southwest side of the island below an elevation of 700 ft., prob-
ably due to the fact that this side receives less moisture than the
south and southeast sides.

Practically all of the plants which occur below 500 ft. dis-
appear by the time an elevation of 1,000 ft. is reached. The spe-
cies that continue into this region from below, are, for the most
part, those which first appeared around an elevation of 500 ft.
and above. The region between 1,000 and 1,650 ft. elevation is
covered with forests, on the southeast side, which are made up
mostly of Pisonia floribunda, and Zanthoxylum Fagara. There
is much undergrowth in these forests, consisting of bushes of
Croton Scouleri var. grandifolius, Erigeron tenuifolius, Lippia
rosmarinifolia, Psychotria rufipes, Sealesia HopMnsii, Toume-

276 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

fortia psilostachya, and T. rufo-sericea, many of which are cov-
red with vines of Cissampelos Pareira, and Elateriuni cordatum.
There are also many ferns among whicli are : Adiantum Henslo-
vianum, Asplenium cristatum, Nephrolepis biserrata, Polypo-
dium pcctinatum, P. squamatum, and Trachypteris pinnata.
Many herbaceous plants also occur in this region.

There are open areas in the vegetation on the south side of
the island between 1,000 and 1,300 ft. elevation, which are cov-
ered with grasses and herbaceous plants. These areas extend in
a more or less direct way up the side of the mountain, and are
bordered by bushes which are heavily covered with a growth of
brown Hepatic, probably a species of Frullania. These areas
are succeeded above by a heavy growth of bushes and small trees.

Above 1,650 ft. elevation, extending to the top of the moun-
tain, there is a heavy growth of ferns which are often five feet or
more in height. Among the ferns there are low stunted bushes
of Zanthoxylum Fagara heavily covered with epiphytes.

The dry region* on this island extends to about 450 ft. on the
southeast side, and to about 700 ft. elevation on the southwest
side. Judging from the appearance of the vegetation as seen
from a distance, this region must extend to an elevation of about
1,000 ft. on the north side. The transition region extends to an
elevation of about 1,000 ft. on the south and southeast sides, and
probably to within a short distance of the top of the north side.
There is apparently but a narrow strip near the top, on this side
of the mountain, that is covered with dark green vegetation, such
as is usually found in the moist region of these islands. All of
the country above an elevation of 1,000 ft. is covered with the
plants usually found in the moist regions.

Albemarle Island.

Albemarle lies towards the west side of the archipelago and is
the largest island of the group. It is about seventy-five miles
long, and forty-five miles broad at its widest part, which is to-
wards the southern end of the island. The island has the gen-
eiral shape of the letter L the long limb of which extends in a
general northwest and southeast direction. There are five large

• For a discussion of the botanical regions on these islands see : Stewart,
A Botanical Survey of the Galapagos Islands. Proceedings of the California
Academy of Sciences, fourth series, vol. I, pp. 206-211. 1911.

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 277

mountains on the island which vary in height from 3,150 to prob-
ably over 5,000 ft., and several mountains of lower altitude. All
of the larger mountains are extinct volcanoes each of which has
an immense crater at its top. These craters are all inactive at
the present time except the one northwest of Villamil, on the
south side of the island, Sulphur fumes and other vapors issue
from the floor of this crater at times, and there are also two small
active sulphur volcanoes in it, each of which is surrounded by a
large quantity of almost pure sulphur. There has been some
volcanic activity at Banks Bay during the last few years, from
small craters* on the west side of the mountain. With these ex-
ceptions there has probably been no volcanic activity of the is-
land for a great many years. There are many low hills on vari-
ous parts of the island, some of which are small craters or blow-
holes, and others simply masses of volcanic debris.

Banks Bay.

Banks bay is a broad, open roadstead on the west side of the
island, near its northern extremity. The main mountain at this
place is a broad flattopped crater with steep sides, which prob-
ably rises to a height of over 5,000 ft. There is still a smaller
mountain close to the north shore of the bay that has an eleva-
tion of 2,360 ft. according to the chart issued by the Hydrogra-
phic Office. There are also a number of smaller craters and
hills around the base of the main mountain, and along it sides,
which usually have an average height of less than 100 ft. The
base of the main mountain is separated from the shore by a
broad plain which is covered with beds of comparatively recent
lava on which there is very little vegetation. There are places,
however, on this plain which were not covered by the more re-
cent flows of lava, on which there is a considerable amount of
xerophytic vegetation.

Unfortunately this region was not explored botanically, so
that all of the information concerning its flora is due to the kind-
ness of other members of the expedition who visited this place.
At least three botanical regions are represented here, viz.: the
dry, transition, and moist regions, and possibly a fourth, as the
vegetation around the top of the mountain appeared from a dis-
tance to be quite different from that lower down. With the ex-
ception of the transition, no estimate was made concerning the
extent in elevation of these regions.

278 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

The shores support many of the smaller halophytic plants
found on these islands, and "large mangroves", probably Lagun-
cularia raeemosa, and Rhizophora Mangle, occur abundantly in
places. The older lava around the base of the mountain is cov-
tVed with forms usually found in the dry regions. There are
occasional specimens of an arborescent Cereus, and a low species
of Opuntia occurs abundantly around the base, and on the sides
of the mountain to an elevation of 1,600 ft. The trees in the
lower regions are mostly of Erythrina velutina and Bursera
graveolens, the last one of which was found to extend up to an
elevation of 1,700 ft. on the side of the mountain. Many bushes
and shrubs occur on the lower parts, but with the exception of
Lipochaeta lariciTolia, the names of these are not known. They
are probably all of species usually common on the lower parts of
these islands. Beds of "maidenhair fern", probably Adiantum
Henslovianum, were found in a lava cavern at the base of the
mountain. All together six species of ferns were noticed on this
part of the island, but it is very likely that many more could be
found if careful collecting were done in this region. Croton
bushes are abundant, and occur to an elevation of 2.300 ft. as
high as this mountain was explored by the members of the party
who visited this part of the island. A ' ' broad-leaved variety of
Croton", probably C. Seouleri var. grandifolius, occurs high up
on the side of the mountain, and "small-leaved varieties of Cro-
ton" occur around its base. There are one or more flows of re-
cent lava down the west side of the mountain which are bordered
by a heavy growth of bushes and morning glory vintfe around an
elevation of 2,300 ft. Above this there are forests which are ap-
parently made up of an arborescent species of Scalesia, and other
trees. Orchids, and '"sword ferns" were also noticed in the up-
per regions visited.

Tagus Cove.

Tagus Cove is located on the west side of the island about op-
posite the northeast corner of Narborougli Island. It has been
formed from and old tufa crater the southwest side of which has
been removed leaving a small and well protected bay inside.
The inner walls of the crater form steep bluffs which surround it
on all sides except the one open to the sea. In some places these
bluffs are 600 ft. high, but they are much lower than this towards
the nortli end of the cove at which place a small ravine enters it.

Stewart — Botanical Conditions ,on the Galapagos Islands. 279

There are also two other tufa craters in this vicinity. The
smaller one of these is located just north of the cove and con-
tains a miniature salt-water lake, while the larger is situated
about a mile south near the coast. This third crater has prob-
ably formed a small bay some time in the past, as its walls are
broken down on the side next to the sea, similar in this respect
to the crater that forms Tagus Cove. The opening has been
closed, however, by a flow of lava across it, and is now filled with
salt water which comes in through the cracks in the lava from
the sea a short distance away. There are four islets in this lake,
one of which has a small crater on it. It is evident from the de-
scription, given by Darwin in his Voyage of the Beagle, that this
is the salt water lake that he describes as being located near
"Banks Cove". The sides of all these craters are much cut up
by gullies which have been eroded in them. All three of the
tufa cratere just described, are separated from the base of the
mountain by a plain, about one and a half miles wdde, which is
covered with deposits of volcanic cinder northeast of the cove.
These cinder deposits extend along the base of the mountain
northward and are continuous with the lava beds in the Banks
Bay region. The cinder beds do not extend south of Tagus
Cove, however, as the country around the base of the mountain
in this direction, is covered with deposits of tufa, which extend
out to the coast and form cliffs 40-50 ft. high.

The mountain lies northeast of the cove and is the second one
of the three mountains that make up the northern part of the is-
land. The mountain at Banks Bay is the one furtherest north,
and the one at Cowley Bay furtherest south in the chain. The
west side of the mountain, opposite the cove, is rather steep to
an elevation of 2,500 ft. There are extensive deposits of tufa be-
low this elevation, in which deep canyons have been eroded, and
small gullies are common everywhere. There are two flows of
comparatively recent lava, covering the tufa, and extending
down the side of the mountain. They have evidently originated
from small craters near an elevation of 2,500 ft. Deep fissures
occur in these beds in places. The side of the mountain is covered
with extensive deposits of partly disintegrated lava, above an
elevaton of 2,500 ft., which is similar but much older than the
lava which has formed the flows down the side below this eleva-
tion. The north side of the mountain seems to be entirely cov-
ered with lava.

280 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

The top of the mountain is 4,000 ft. above sea level so that this
is probably the third highest mountain on the island, and the
fourth highest in the archipelago, the mountains at Banks Bay,
Iguana Cove, and the one on Narborough Island exceeding it in
height. There is an immense crater at the top which is about
four miles long and three broad as nearly as could be estimated.
The inner walls of the crater are nearly perpendicular in places.
The floor forms a broad flat plain, possibly 500 ft. below the rim,
which is covered with volcanic ashes, and beds of basaltic lava,
and cinders. There is a somewhat smaller crater inside the
larger one.

The tufa hills in the vicinity of the cove are covered with a
spai"se growth of low bushes the most common species of which
are : Acacia macracantha, Croton Scouleri var. Macraei, Euphor-
bia diffusa, Lipochaeta laricifolia, and Waltheria reticulata.
There are also a few low trees of Bursera graveolens with
rounded crowns, and a considerable amount of Opuntia insularis.
There are many places wdiere the ground is nearly bare of vege-
tation, and although w^e visited here in j\Iarch at the end of the
rainy season, the prospect was far from inviting. Several
grasses occur in these open areas among which are : Aristida sub-
spicata, Anthephora hemaphordita, Bouteloua pilosa, Cenehrus
granularius, and other herbaceous plants.

With the exception of an occasional specimen of Cereus sclero-
carpus the lava beds around the base of the mountain are bare of
vegetation except in protected places where a few grasses and
other small plants occasionally appear. On the flat area south
of the lava beds, which is covered with tufaeeous soil, the vege-
tation is thicker than it is on the tufa hills but is made up largely
of the same species with the addition of a few others. Bushes
and small trees are common here especially along the edges of
the lava beds where they often grow to a larger size and occur in
greater numbers than elsewhere. A few ferns are to be found
in protected places in this region.

The tufa deposits above the base of the mountain are covered
to a considerable elevation with forms which are practically the
same as those on the plain below, except that the arrangement is
somewhat different, there being many open areas which are cov-
ered with grasses and other herbaceous plants. The canyons
here often have a heavy growth of Croton and Gossypium bushes
which grow much taller than they do in the more exposed places

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 281

outside the canj'^ons. There is no very marked change in the
character of the vegetation to an elevation of 2,500 ft., as far as
the tufa deposits extend, except that the vegetation thickens up
in places and such conspicuous forms as Pisonia floribunda,
Tournefortia rufo-sericea, and Zanthoxylum Fagara are added.
The two lava flows down the side of the mountain, which cover
the tufa deposits, are bare of vegetation except for occasional
bushes of Erigeron lancifolius. Euphorbia viminea, and AVal-
theria reticulata, while the only plant of tree-like proportions is-
Cereus sclerocarpus. In the deep crevices of this lava, however,
there is a more abundant vegetation as trees and bushes of Bur-
sera graveolens, Cordia lutea, and Zanthoxylum Fagara are to
be found, as Avell as a few ferns, among which are Asplenium
formosum and Notholaena sulphurea.

The side of the mountain above an elevation of 2,500 ft. is
covered in most places with low bushes, the most common one of
which is Lipochaeta laricifolia. This condition continues to
within about 150 ft. below the rim of the crater, where there is
a narrow zone covered with a dense, and almost an impenetrable
growth of Pennisetum exalatum. The rim of the crater is cov-
ered with bushes of Cordia galapagensis, Croton Scouleri var.
Macraei, Dodonaea viscosa var. spathulata, Lantana peduncu-
laris, Maytenus obovata, Telanthera nudicaulis, and Scalesia
microcephala. Opuntia myriaeantha also occurs here but the
specimens are smaller and not so profusely branched as they were
lower do-wn. There are a number of herbaceous plants and
ferns among the other vegetation. The vegetation on the floor
of the crater appeared to consist of occasional specimens of Cer-
eus sclerocarpus and clumps of Dodonaea bushes.

It seemed impossible to divide this side of the mountain into
botanical regions, as was done at the most of the other places vis-
ited. There is a great similarity in the vegetation all over this
side, and the forms which occur at the top of the mountain are
mostly of the same species which occur at or near the base. This
rather peculiar condition is probably due to the fact that this
side of the island gets very little of the moisture which is brought
to the opposite side in the form of fog banks. Mr. R.. H. Beck
visited the south side of this mountain, in his search for tortoises^
and reported it to be less sterile than the west side A small lat-
eral crater, which occurs on the south side, appeared to be heav-
ily covered with vegetation, when seen from the west side of the
mountain.

282 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

Cflwley Bay.

Cowley Bay is located on the east side of the island near its
center. The shores around the bay and along the adjacent coast
north of here, are composed of low cliffs of pumice and occa-
sional pebble and sand beaches. A plain, covered with partly
disintegrated pumice, extends inland from the shore to the base
of the mountain, a distance of about half a mile. The east side
of the mountain rises rather steeply to 2,000 ft., and is covered
to this elevation with partly disintegrated pumice, similar to
that on the plain below. Occasional ridges of lava protrude
through the pumice in places so it is likely that these deposits
are not very thick. The slope is more gradual above 2,000 ft.
and continues so to within a few hundred feet of the rim of the
crater. The sides of the crater's rim are quite steep. Apparent-
ly all of the mountain side above an elevation of 2,000 ft. is cov-
ered with basaltic lava which has become partly broken down in-
to soil through which lava boulders project forming a rather
rough surface in most places. The side of the mountain, a short
distance south of the bay, is covered with deposits of recent lava
to a considerable elevation. The west side of the mountain was
not visited, but it was noticed while sailing past this side of the
island, that the vegetation was quite heavy here so it is likely
that this side of the mountain is covered with lava and not pum-
ice.

There are but few halophytic plants in this vicinity, possibly
due to the steep and unstable nature of the shores. A few
bushes of Laguucularia racemosa were noticed, and a small grove
of trees of Rhizophora Mangle were noticed a mile or two fur-
ther south.

The region near the shore is almost bare of vegetation in many
places, and with the exception of the more recent beds of lava
on some of the other islands, it is the most sterile place botani-
cally that we visited. What little vegetation there is here is
very much scattered and consists largely of low Bursera and
Croton bushes, and bushes of Cordia lutea, Discaria pauciflora,
Dodonaea viscosa, Lipochaeta laricifolia, Maytenus obovata and
Scalesia gummifera, all of which are rather stunted except when
they occur in protected places. We visited this place during the
dry season but it is not likely that conditions would be much,
more inviting during the rainy season, because very few remains
of annual plants were found.

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 283

The lower slopes of the mountain are more heavily covered
with vegetation than is the plain just mentioned, but even here
there are often areas of a considerable size which have scarcely
any vegetation on them. The species which occur on the plain
also occur on the side of the mountain in greater number, and
many of them that were stunted on the lower part, reach their
noi-mal size around an elevation of 1,000 ft. The increase in the
humidity of the atmosphere is show^n at this elevation, and
above, by the large amount of Usnea longissima, and other lichens,
which cover the vegetation to such an extent as to give it a gray-
ish appearance. A number of mesophytic plants were first seen
around 1,300 ft. elevation, tho most noticeable of which were:
Pisonia floribnda, Psidium galapageium, and Scalesia micro-
cephala, the last of which forms a zone on this side of the moun-
tain to an elevation of 1,650 ft. There are also a great many
Bursera trees at an elevation of 1,200 ft. and above. Below this
they were few in number. Ferns begin to appear at a slightly
higher elevation.

There is an abrupt change in the appearance of the vegetation
at an elevation of 2,000 ft. The character of the soil also
changes here from pumice to disintegrated lava mixed with vege-
table mold, so that the change in the vegetation is due more to an
increase in the number and size of plants than to a sudden
change of forms. There are heavy forests here made up of
trees of Bursera graveolens, Pisonia fioribunda, Psidium gala-
pageium, and Zanthoxylum Fagara as well as many species of
bushes the most of which were found at a lower elevation al-
though usually smaller in size. The trees are often covered wdth
vines of Cissampelos Pareira, and fruticose lichens continue to be
abundant. Ferns are also abundant, the common species being
Adianaum concinnum, Doryopteris pedata, Polypodium pectina-
tum, and Trachypteris pinnata. Small specimens of Opuntia
myriacantha were seen at this elevation and they continue to
within a few hundred feet of the top of the mountain according
to Mr. R. H. Beck, who visited this region.

The sides of this mountain were not explored botanically above
an elevation of 2,100 ft. From the top of a tree at this elevation,
the whole of the country beyond could be seen. The character
of the vegetation did not seem to change until the steep slope,
below the rim of the crater is reached. Just below the rim, in
several places, there were light green areas which, according to

284 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

Mr. Beek, are covered with a tangled growth of bushes and morn-
ing glory vines.

The conditions on this side of the mountain are such that it
is very difficult to determine the extent in elevation of the botan-
ical regions, the nature of the soil being such as to cause xerophy-
tic plants to predominate higher up than would probably be the
case if the lower part of the mountain was covered with a more
suitable soil. The transition region evidently begins around an
elevation of 1,200 ft. and it probably extends up to within about
500 ft. in elevation, from the top of the mountain.

Iguana Cove.

Iguana Cove is a slight identation in the shoreline on the
southwest side of the island. It is somewhat protected from the
direct action of the swell, but owing to its small size, it does not
afford an anchorage inside. The anchorage is just outside the
cove, but owing to the fact that there are jagged rocks projecting
from the water a short distance from it, on which the swell
breaks heavily, it is dangerous to anchor here except in calm
weather. The shores are precipitous in this vicinity, being made
up of bluffs, which in places rise to a height of 200 ft. These
tall bluffs do not come down to the shore, however, except in one
place ; in other places there is a low flat plain intervening be-
tween them and the shore. In the vicinity of Christopher Pointy
just north of the cove, the shores are made up of low lava cliffs,,
and the country back of them is covered with rather recent lava
on which there is apparently very little vegetation. In the im-
mediate vicinity of Christopher Point there are many small cra-
ters and blowholes which rise fifty or more feet in height, and
which give the surrounding country a weird and grotesque ap-
pearance. South of the cove the shores are made up of low
cliffs with occasional shelving beaches of gravel and sand.

The mountain northeast of Iguana Cove is a broad flat-topped
crater Avliich probably rises to a height of 5,000 or more feet. As
the weather was very bad when this place was visited, no attempt
was made to reach the top of the mountain. The sides are very
steep here, and are covered with a considerable amount of soil,
composed of disintegrated lava and vegetable mold, which sup-
ports a heavy growth of vegetation. The north side of the moun-
tain is not so steep and is covered with beds of barren lava in

Stewart — Botanical Conditions fin the Galapagos Islands. 285

which there are occasional islands of older lava which are cov-
ered with xerophytic vegetation.

The botanical conditions in the vicinity of Iguana Cove are
rather unique, as it is the only place on the islands where an ex-
tensive mesophytic vegetation occurs near sea level. It is very
likely that the steep slope has something to do with this, as no
such conditions are found a short distance south of the cove
where the slope is more gradual.

The halophytie flora is of no consequence here due probably
to the steep shores. There are mangrove swamps, however,
along the north shore of this part of the island between Christo-
pher Point and Elizabeth Bay, and on the south shore between
Essex Point and Cape Rose.

The flat area at the base of the cliffs, just south of the cove, is
■covered with a heavy growth of bushes consisting for the most
part of: Cordia Hookeriana, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Tourne-
fortia rufo-sericea, and Zanthoxylum Fagara. This condition
continues for some distance do^vn the coast was found out by
some members of the party who attempted to come overland.
The sides of the cliffs just back of the cove, are pendicular so
that it is difficult to scale them except, in a few places where they
are somewhat shelving. In such places there are a few trees
and bushes, and a considerable number of herbaceous plants and
ferns. Above the top of the cliff there is a heavy growth of
vegetation consisting of trees of Bursera graveolens, Pisonia
floribunda, Scalesia Cordata, and Zanthoxylum Fagara, the last
of which is usually heavily covered with Phoradendron Hens-
lovii. There are usually thick tangled masses of bushes which
are heavily overgrown with such vines as Cissampelos Pareira
and Ipomoea Bona-nox. Many ferns, both epiphytic and terres-
trial, occur here.

Owing to the rainy weather, while we were at this place, no
plants were collected above 500 ft. The conditions at this ele-
vation were about the same as those near the tops of the cliffs
above the cove, except that there were occasional open places in
the vegetation, which were covered with ferns and grasses.
These areas get larger a little higher up. Mr. E. E. Snodgrass
climbed about half way up the side of this mountain when he
visited these islands several years ago. He has told me that ap-
parently the rest of the way up, the vegetation is made up of
dense fern brakes with irregular rows of shrubs running through

28G Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

them. It was noticed from the shore that the vegetation had a
streaked appearance about half way up the side of the mountain.
It appeared to be made up of alternating? lip;ht and dark bands,
and suggested that there might be flows of ditferent kinds of lava
in this region, each of which presented conditions peculiarly
adapted for the growth of certain species of plants.

The countiy around the top of the mountain was examined
through a field glass on a clear day later in the season as we
were sailing past this part of the island. The vegetation ap-
peared to be smaller than lower down and it was rather grayish
in color instead of dark green. It is very likely that the upper
pai't of this mountain receives less moisture than does the middle-
part. Tile upper part of this mountain could be plainly seen
from the top of the mountain at Villamil when we visited there.
The lower part of the mountain, however, was entirely hidden
by the fog at this time. It was also noticed that much of the soil
on top of the Villamil mountain was dry while lower down it
was wet. The fog banks apparently hang low when they strike
the islands.

Turtle Cove.

Turtle Cove is on the south side of the island about six miles
west of Villamil. The coast in this vicinity is low and rocky
with occasional sand beaches, while back of the coast the coun-
try is low and covered with beds of basaltic lava for a consider-
able distance inland. There are springs of comparatively fresh
Avater and pools of strongly brackish w^ater in the vicinity of the
shore and farther inland.

There were large trees of Avieennia officinalis on the sand
beach where we landed, back of which there is a swampy area
covered with a dense growth of Conocarpus erectus and trees of
Rhizophora Mangle. Rhizophora occurs for some distance in-
land, surrounding the pools of brackish water. It also occurs in
isolated patches on the open coast, but owing to the fact that the
surf breaks heavily here at times, none of these are extensive.
Thickets of Laguncularia racemosa are also to be foimd in places,
in the vicinity of the shore and there are quite a number of small
trees of Hibiscus tiliaceus, and bushes of Tournefortia rufo-seri-
cea.

The vegetation on the inland country consists of plants usu-
aly found in the dry regions except tliat there is an unusually

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 287

large number of trees of Hippomane Mancinella. Other com-
mon trees are those of Bursera graveolens and Opuntia myria-
cantha. The countiy adjacent to the coast, just east of this
place, is covered with dense thickets of Cryptocarpus pyriformis
apparently to the exclusion of all other vegetation of any size.
West of here, in the vicinity of Cape Rose, there are extensive de-
posits of volcanic cinders on which the vegetation is very open,
probably due to the fact that the lava has disintegrated but lit-
tle. What few plants that do occur here are for the most part,
the ones that are commonly found in the dry regions of these is-
lands.

All of the country which lies between the mountain at Iguana
Cove, and the one northwest of Villamil is low, probably in no
place exceeding an elevation of 200 ft.

VilamU.

Villamil is on the south side of the island about seven miles
northwest of Brattle Island. A settlement of about one hundred
and fifty people was established here some years ago, by Mr. An-
tonio Gil of Guayaquil, Ecuador. A considerable industry in
hides, molasses, and sulphur is carried on, the products of which
are sent to Guayaquil by means of a small vessel which makes
periodic trips to the mainland. A part of the settlement is lo-
cated near the shore, but the most of it is about twelve miles in-
land, at an elevation of 1,300 ft., where there are plantations of
sugarcane, bananas, and other tropical fruits and vegetables.

Villamil Bay is surrounded by low beds of basaltic lava, but
west of the settlement on the open coast, there are extensive sand
beaches. These are continuous with a broad sand-flat just back
of them, which extends back for about half a mile. The country
for several miles inland is flat and is covered with beds of basaltic
lava and volcanic cinders which usually lie almost horizontally.
There are numerous crevices in the lava, in some of which there
are pools and springs of nearly fresh water. Owing to the low
elevation of this part of the island, these springs usually occur
only a few feet below the level of the ground. There is a consid-
erable amount of precipitation on the upper part of this island,
in the form of fog and rain. There is not sufficient soil to retain
this water, however, so it percolates through the lava and comes
out again near sea level. On this account the water is usually
slightly brackish even at a considerable distance inland.

288 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

The flat country extends inland for about four miles, to the
base of the mountain. Above this the slope is very gradual to
an elevation of 500 ft. So far as could be obsei-^-ed, this side of
the mountain is covered with volcanic cinder, which has become
slightly disintegrated and mixed with vegetable mold, forming a
scant soil. The slope is less gradual above 500 ft. and continues
so to an elevation of 2,400 ft. This part of the mountain side is
rather rolling and slightly terraced in places. There is suffi-
cient soil over the upper part of the mountain to completely
cover the lava except on ridges and other exposed places. The
slope of the mountain side is quite abrupt above 2,4(X) ft. to the
rim of the crater, which has an elevation of 3,150 ft.

As near as could be estimated the crater is about seven miles
long and four miles broad, the greatest diameter being approxi-
mately east and west. The floor of the crater is flat at its east-
ern end and is filled with numerous crevices through some of
which vapors issue periodically. There is a prominent ridge
near the center of the crater which rises gradually in height un-
til at its west end it is nearly as high as the rim. A small active
sulpluir volcano is situated on the south side of this ridge, and
still another larger one at its west end around both of which
there are deposits of sulphur. It is from this place that the in-
habitants obtain the sulphur which they export to Ecuador.

Small swamps of Rhizophora Mangle occur in places around
Villamil Bay, and trees of Avicennia officinalis, and bushes and
trees of Laguncularia racemosa are to be found in several places
near the coast. Quite a grove of these occurs near the settle-
ment. Along the sand beaches west of the bay, there are many
small halophytic and semihalophytic plants such as: Cryptocar-
pus pyriformis, Heliotropium curassavicum, Ipomoea Pes-caprae,
and Scaevola Plumieri. The sand flat, back of the beach, is cov-
ered with a dense growth of Sporobolus virginicus in which there
are small groves of Hippomane Mancinella trees, and bushes of
Cryptocarpus pyriformis. In places around the edges of the
sand-flat there are thickets of Conocarpus erectus, some of which
form trees twenty-five or more feet high.

Tliere is a low area of limited extent about a mile west of Villa-
mil in which the soil is kept moist by the water which comes
down through the lava from the interior. There are quite a
number of mesophytic plants here. Vines of Argyreia tiliae-
folia and Cissampelos Pareira cover the rocks in places and there

Stewart — Botamical Conditions on the Galapagos Islnnrlfi. 289

is a small grove of trees of Anona glabra and ferns. The in-
habitants have planted a garden in this place which has been
quite successful as bananas and other tropical plants grow there.
The change from xerophytic to the mesophytie type of vegeta-
tion is very abrupt here, as such pronounced xerophytes as Lan-
tana peduncularis, Opuntia myriacantha, and Prosopis dulcis
are found growing only a few feet away from the mesophytie
plants enumerated above. There are several low marshy areas,
filled with brackish water, in the vicinity of the settlement, in
which there is a heavy growth of Eleocharis mutata. The stems
of this plant are used by the inhabitants for making mats. The
higher land between these marshes is covered with low and rath-
er open forests consisting of trees of Acacia macracantha, Bur-
sera graveolens, Hippomane ^Mancinella, and Opuntia myria-
cantha, among which there are bushes of Chiococca alba, Clero-
dendron molle, Cordia lutea, Gossypium barbadense, and bushes
and small trees of Zanthoxylum Fagara on which Phoradendron
Henslovii is often found. In many of the lava crevices, which
are deep enough to reach the ground water, there are large
bunches of Cyperus ligularis.

On the broad plain some distance inland, there are beds of ba-
saltic lava and volcanic cinder of a considerable width. The
basaltic lava is often heavily covered with vegetation and in one
place an entire flow is covered with a forest of Opuntia myria-
cantha trees, underneath which there are low dense thickets of
Euphorbia viminea and occasional bushes of Acacia macracan
tha. Cyperus Mutisii was found growing abundantly in the
smaller crevices of the lava in this area. The vegetation on the
cinder deposits, however, is very open and consists mostly of oc-
casional bushes, or small clumps of bushes, of Clerodendron
molle, Erigeron tenuifolius, Lippia rosmarinifolia, and Scalesia
gummifera on many of which there was a dense growth of vines
of Cardiospermum galapageium, and Passiflora subrosa. Be-
tween the bushes the ground is often bare for some distance.

In one place, several miles inland, there is a low area which
had the general appearance of having been filled with water
at some time. There is much more soil here than in any place
in this vicinity. There are pools here which seem to contain wa-
ter the most of the time, around which Cyperus laevigatus and
Sporobolus virginicus grow. Groves of Hippomane Mancinella
grow in this area, in the shade of which there are bushes of Cae-
19— S. A.

290 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

galpina Bondufclla, Cryptoeaipus pyriformis, Discaria pauci-
tlora, Sealesia gummifera, and Solanum verbascifolium. In the
more open places in this area there were large bunches of Pani-
cum fasciculatum and other herbaceous plants. On barren lava
beds and on exposed ridges in this vicinity, Cereus sclerocarpus
was the only plant that grew to any considerable size.

A change takes place in the vegetation between an elevation
of 100 and 200 ft. where many of the plants common below dis-
appear, the most common of which are: Acacia macracantha,
Castela galapageia, Cereus sclerocarpus, Discaria pauciflora,
Euphorbia viminea, and Waltheria reticulata, while such promi-
nent woodland plants as Pisonia floribunda, Psidium gala-
pageium, and Scalesia cordata begin to appear along with ferns
and other plants, which are found abundantly higher up. There
is a general thickening above an elevation of 200 ft. and f ruticose
lichens are very abundant on trees and bushes.

Sapindus saponaria was first seen around 250 ft. elevation.
There are only occasional trees of this species at this elevation,
the dense Saponaria forests not beginning for another hundred
feet or so in elevation. Scalesia cordata also increases in abun-
dance so that the forest trees throughout the moist region con-
sist mostly of these two species. There is a heavy growth of
bushes in these forests, increasing with the elevation, which
consist largely of the following species. Clerodendron molle,
Croton Scouleri var. grandifolius, Erigeron tenuifolius, Psycho-
tria rufipes, Tournefortia psilostachya, T. pubescens, and T.
mfo-sericea. There are many ferns both terrestrial and epi-
phytic, the common epiphytic species being : Polypodium lanceo-
latum, and P. lepidopteris, while on the higher branches of many
of the trees there are large bunches of Lj^copodium dichotomum.
Other common epiphytes in this region are lonopsis utricular-
iodes, Peperomia galapagensis, P. Stewarti, and Tillandsia in-
sularis. There are a large number of trees of Hippomane Man-
cinella in the forests at an elevation of 600 ft. but none were
found below this, except near sea level.

A considerable amount of the forest has been cleared away be-
tween 600 and 1,300 ft. elevation. Much of this area has since
been neglected and has gro\vn up in bushes of Tournefortia rufo-
sericea which are heavily covered in places with vines of Argy-
reia tiliaefolia, and Ipomoea Bona-nox. There is also usually a
heavy growth of grass, in between the bushes, and brakes of Pter-

Stewart — Botanical Conditions fin the Galapagos Islands. 291

is aquilina var. esculenta are not uncommon. The forest bor-
dering the cleared area seems to be made up mostly of the same
forms found around an elevation of 600 ft., where the cleared
area begins, but the lower part of it was not carefully explored.
The vegetation becomes much thinner in the uncleared areas
above 1,200 ft. elevation and with the exception of an occasional
tree of Sapindus saponaria, there are no trees of large size. The
country is covered with open woodland made up largely of small
trees and bushes of Croton Scouleri var. grandifolius, Scalesia
cordata, Solanum verbascifolium, Tournefortia rufo-sericea^
Urera alceaefolia, Zanthoxylum Fagara, many epiphytic plants
and ferns. There are many park-like areas in the woodland
which are covered with grasses. The trees become smaller and
more scattered to an elevation of 1,500 ft., where they end rather
abruptly.

The side of the mountain above 1,500 ft. elevation is somewhat
rolling and is covered with grassland on which large numbers of
cattle graze, which are slaughtered by the inhabitants of the is-
land for their hides. Paspalum conjugatum is the principal
species of grass found in this region. This condition continues
to an elevation of 2,400 ft, above which there is a decrease in the
amount of grass and a large increase in the fern flora. Small
tree ferns, Hemitelia multiflora, and other large species of ferns
are common from here to the top of the mountain.

There is a great difference in the vegetation of the outer and
inner sides of the southern rim of the crater, where the most of
the collecting around the top of the mountain was done. The
outside of the rim at this place is mostly covered with small vege-
tation consisting of ferns, club-mosses, and small herbaceous
forms, all of which lie close to the ground, and it is only in places
which are protected from the wind that plants of any size are to
be found. Just over the rim of the crater, however, there is a
considerable growth of bushes of Duranta repens, Erigeron lan-
cifolius var. glabriusculus, Solanum verbascifolium, Zanthoxy-
lum Fagara, and other bushes. Hemitelia multiflora also occurs,
here in large numbers and such other ferns as Asplenium Serra,.
Dryopteris parasitica, Elaphoglossum muscosum, Polypodiumi
aureum, and Polystichum aculeatum abound.

A gradual change from a mesophytic to a xerophytic vegeta-
tion can be readily noticed as one travels around the southern rim
of the crater towards the northwest side, but as our time was lim-
ited when this region was visited, no collections were made.

292 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

The floor of the crater is 400 ft. below the rim, and was exam-
ined near the west end, in the vicinity of one of the active vol-
canoes. Here were found patches of Sporobolus indicus cover-
ing considerable areas in places while other arOas were covered
with Gnaphalium luteo-album, the gray color of which caused
them to stand out prominently when tlie floor was viewed from
the rim. There were also occasional specimens of an arbores-
cent species of Cereus, and low stunted specimens of Opuntia
myriacantha. An occasional tree of Zanthoxylum Fagara was
seen, usually close to the crater's wall. There is a considerable
growth of stunted bushes in places consisting mostly of: Clero-
dendrou molle, Dodonaea viscosa, Euphorbia equisetiformis, and
Lipochaeta laricifolia. There were brakes of Pteris aquilina var.
esculenta in one place, but outside of this, ferns are few at this
end of the crater.

The northwest side of the mountain seems to be covered with
grassland, which is much drier than are the south and southeast
sides. At least it appeared to be as far down on this side as we
could see from the top of the mountain. The soil on the rim of
the crater was also much dryer on this side than it was on the
southeast side.

The dry region is confined largely to the broad flat plain at
the base of the mountain at this place. As near as could be de-
teiTnined it does not extend above an elevation of 150 ft. Above
this many of the mesophytic forms appear, and there is a large
amount of frutieose lichen on the vegetation, indicating a greater
humidity. The transition region forms a narrow belt along the
base of the mountain, the upper limits of which reach to an ele-
vation of about 350 ft. The lower part of the moist region is
covered with dense forests of Saponaria, and Scalesia trees,
while on the upper part the vegetation consists mostly of bushes,
and small trees with open spaces between them at intervals.
Near the upper limit of this region, around an elevation of 1,500
ft., there are only low bushes. The grassy region extends from
1,500 ft. nearly to the top of the mountain.

Barrington Island.

Barrington is situated ten miles southeast of Indefatigable,
and twenty-six miles west of Chatham Island. It is one of the
smaller islands of the group, and it is of low altitude the most

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 293

of it not reaching an elevation of over 350 ft. There is a hill
near the northwest side, however, which attains an elevation of
650'ft. This hill ends abruptly at the top of a tall bluff which
drops almost straight downward into the sea. The shores of the
island are made up of low lava cliffs for the most part, but there
is a small bay on the northeast side, which is surrounded by
sand-beaches. This bay is sheltered by a small islet and a reef,
Although this bay can not be entered by vessels, it nevertheless
affords an excellent landing place for boats.

Topographically the island is made up mostly of alternating
ridges and valleys which have a general trend towards the south-
east. The ridges, in a general way, are 100 ft. higher than the
valleys, and are covered w^ith tumbled masses of lava. The val-
leys, on the other hand, usually have a considerable amount of
soil in them, the most of which has probably been formed on the
sides of the ridges and washed down. The soil varies from a
light brown to an ochre color, and is very light in texture. The
lava all seems to be basaltic in character and is evidently quite
old as it has become stained to a redish-brown color.

The only plants found on the sand-beaches surrounding the
bay, were bushes of Cryptocarpus pyriformis, and mat-like
growths of Sesuvium Edmonstonei both of which are not exclu-
sively halophytic in their habits. The shores on other parts of
the island are too steep to support halophytes. A short distance
inland from the beach there are low thickets of Discaria, and
Maytenus bushes.

Owing to a low" altitude, all of the vegetation in the interior
of the island is very xerophytic in character, and about the only
noticeable change that takes place in the vegetation towards the
higher parts is the greater abundance of fruticose lichens. The
most noticeable plants are the large trees of Opuntia myriacan-
tha which grow" in great numbers over the most of the island.
Small trees of Bursera graveolens also occur, much infested with
lichens. There was a fair growth of bushes in most places, con-
sisting for the most part of such species as: Cordia lutea, Cor-
ton Scouleri, Gossypium barbadense, Lantana peduncularis, Tel-
anthera echinocephala and Scalesia Helleri, the last one of which
was the onh^ conspicuous green plant to be found on the interior
of the island at the times we visited it. In the valleys between
the ridges there were small areas which are covered with a
growth of Euphorbia viminea forma barringtonensis. In other

294 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

places in these valleys where the soil is loose there is an abun-
dance of Coldenia fusea.

This island was visited during the months of July and Octo-
ber, in consequence of which the annual vegetation, which comes
on during the rainy season, was missed entirely. Very few re-
mains of such plants were found on either of our visits as goats
have been introduced upon this island during the last few years
which eat up all of the edible vegetation as fast as it grows.
Even the trunks of the large Opuntia trees do not escape their
ravages.

BiNDLOE Island.

This island is the largest of the group of three which lie some
distance north of the main part of the archipelago. It is eight
miles long, six and one-half miles broad, and its highest part at-
tains an elevation of 800 ft. according to the chart issued by the
Hydrographic Office. When seen from a distance the island ap-
pears to be made up of numerous small peaks which vary in ele-
vation. The greater part of the island is covered with beds of
recent lava which consist mostly of volcanic cinder. The whole
of the north side, along which we sailed, is covered with such de-
posits, on which there are occasional exposures of older lava
which support a considerable amount of vegetation.

We anchored on the northeast side of the island near where
a broad strip of country, covered with deposits of tufa, extends
down to the shore. This area is covered with vegetation, appar-
ently the largest continuous body of such on the island.

A few small green patches, evidently halophytic plants of
of some kind, were noticed along the north shore of the island
as we were sailing past it. With this exception, no halophytes
were seen, as the shores are too steep in most places to support
them.

The vegetation is arranged in irregular clumps in the vicinity
of the shore with broad opon lanes between them. The vegeta-
tion here is made up mostly of low bushes of Euphorbia amplexi-
caule, E, articulata, Castela galapageia, and low thickets of
Opuntia. This open arrangement disappears inland and the
country is heavily covered with xerophytic vegetation. The
only trees found here are those of Bursera graveolens which
grow quite large considering the very dry conditions which pre-
vail. They are sometimes covered with vines of Ipomoea Habel-

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 295

iana, the only place on the islands where this species assumes the
climbing habit in such a pronounced way.

The edges of recent flows of lava are often bordered with
bushes of Cordia lutea, and Waltheria reticulata forma interme-
dia, both of which occur in other places but less abundantly.

No collecting was done on the upper part of the island, but
according to Mr. Beck, who visited this part, the country is cov-
ered with beds of recent lava which have but little vegetation on
them. There are a few moist places, in the vicinity of steam-
vents, in this region, around which such ferns as Ceropteris tar-
tarea, Nephrolepis biserrata, and Polypodium squamatum grow
to some extent. The whole of the island may be included in the
dry region.

Brattle Island.

Brattle is a small island, that is situated about four miles off
the south side of Albemarle Island near its eastern end. It is a
semilunar in general outline and is the remains of an old tufa
crater the south and west sides of which have been eroded away,
except in two places, where there are small islets. The top of
the island is 275 ft. above sea level, and the sides are very steep
and much cut up with gullies and ravines. Owing to the steep
nature of the shores landing is difficult, and can only be done
with safety on the north side, when the water is comparatively
still.

The greater part of the surface of the island is bare of vegeta-
tion, a condition that is probably due to the steep sides and the
loose soil, which is composed of volcanic ashes and small bits of
lava loosely cemented together.

The most common plant on the island is a low bush which is
covered with thick, succulent leaves, and which forms thickets
around the top in various places. This plant was neither in
flower or fruit at the time the island was visited so it could not
be identified with certainty. Bushes of Croton Scouleri occur
along the sides to some extent, but they are stunted and the
leaves are smaller here than is usually the ease with this species.
Three species of herbaceous plants: Coldenia fusca, Ipomoea
Kinbergi, and Tribulus cistoides were found at the top, as well
as the remains of several grasses. Two lichens, Ramalina com-
planata and Rocella peruensis are also found.

296 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

Charles Island.

With the exception of Hood, this is the most southerly island
in the group. It is located about thirty-seven miles south of In-
defatigable Island. The island is ten miles long and eight miles
broad. It reaches an elevation of 1,780 ft. at its highest point.
Geologically it is probably one of the oldest islands in the group,
and volcanic activity upon it has evidently long since ceased.
There are no deposits of even comparatively recent volcanic ma-
terial upon it.

In approaching the island from the south, one is impressed
with the number of large craters on it. Fourteen of these were
counted, seven of which were larger than the rest. The tops of
the most of the craters are evenly rounded, and it was found out
later that the southeast sides of many of them were broken down.
The slope is quite gradual from the shore to the central region,
on all sides but the east. This side was not visited, but in sail-
ing along the shore, the slope appeared to be rather steep, and
was covered with xerophytic vegetation among which were a
large number of Cereus.

There is a fair amount of soil in most places, composed of vol-
canic ashes and bits of lava. There are exposures of lava, how-
ever, on which there is but little soil, but they are less common
than on other islands visited. The central part of the island is
covered with a plateau, several miles square, which has an aver-
age elevation of 1,000 ft. Several large tufa craters are located
on the plateau^ which usually rise 500-800 ft. above it. Springs
occur around the base of one of these, and a considerable amount
of water is afforded by one of them. Such domesticated animals
as : Cattle, hogs, goats, cats, and dogs have been introduced upon
the island. The inhabitants from Chatham island often come
here to dry beef for the use of the laborers on that island.

Black Beach Road.

Black Beach Road is located on the west side of the island and
was the port for the settlement which was located on this island
many years ago. A good trail leads inland from here so the cen-
tral region is more accessible than on the most of the other un-
inhabited islands.

The shores are low and rocky in the vicinity of Black Beach
Road, against which the surf breaks heavily at times. On this

Stewart — Botanical Conditions mi the Galapagos Islands. 297

account there are no halophytes to speak of except a small bunch
of rather stunted mangroves a short distance south of the land-
ing place.

The region north and e&st of this place is covered with a fair
amount of ashy soil through which the lava seldom appears.
South of here, however, there are exposures of lava, covered for
the most part with Croton bushes. Just back of the landing
place there is a flat area covered with bushes and small trees of
Maytenus obovata and Prosopis dulcis. Another small area
occurs a few hndred yards north of the landing place near the
coast, which is covered with tumbled masses of lava among which
Cereus galapagensis, Lecocarpus pinnatifidus, Mentzelia aspera,
and Scalesia decurrens grow.

The larger vegetation to an elevation of 450 ft. consists of trees
of Bursera graveolens, and Opuntia galapageia. In the vicin-
ity of the shore there are also trees of Cereus galapagensis. The
vegetation is all rather open but there are a considerable number
of bushes of Cordia lutea, Croton Scouleri var. Macraei, Lantana
peduncularis, Maytenus obovata, Gossypium barbadonse, and
Vallesia pubescens. Acacia macracantha and Prosopis dulcis
also occur in this region to some extent but they assume the size
of trees around 450 ft. There are remains of an old settlement
at this elevation which is marked by a grove of Geoff roea striata
and other trees, as well as by a few other domesticated jjlants of
smaller size. There was evidently a spring of w^ater here at
some former time but it was dry at the times this place was vis-
ited.

A decided change takes place in the vegetation above an eleva-
tion of 450 ft. For possibly the first 200 ft. there are large
bunches of bushes of Clerodendron molle, in between which are
grasses and smaller plants. This is succeeded above by more
open country on which there are occasional Bursera trees and
bushes, the most common of which are, Capraria biflora, and Lip-
ochaeta larieifolia. Perennial grasses grow between the bushes,
to which a considerable number of annual forms are added dur-
ing the rainy season.

The plateau region, around an elevation of 1,000 ft., is covered
with stretches of rather open woodland, and meadow. The
woodland usually occurs where the lava is exposed or reaches
nearly to the surface of the ground. In these areas trees of Scal-
esia pedunculata are common but they do not grow to as large a

298 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

size as tliey do on some of the other islands where this species oc-
curs. Other trees in the woodland besides those that have evi-
dently been introduced are: Pisonia floribunda, and Zanthoxy-
luin Faj^ara, the last one of which is often heavily covered with
Phoradendrou Ilenslovii, as often happens when this tree grows
where there is a considerable amount of moisture. Common
bushes in the woodland are: Capraria biflora, Croton Seouleri
varieties brevifolius and grandifolius, Erigeron tenuifolius, Psy-
<?hotria rufipes, Tournefortia psilostachya, and T. rufo-sericea.
The soil is ashy in the meadows, with small fragments of lava
scattered through it. Grasses and herbaceous plants occur here,
the common species being : Aristida subspicata, Eleusine indica,
Eragrostis eiliaris, Aealypha par\'ula, Lippia canescens, Malvas-
trum americanum, Plumbago scandens, and Stachytarpheta
■dichotoma. Many evidences of former habitation appear in the
flora throughout the plateau region as such introduced species as
Ambrosia artemisiaefolia, Bixa Orellana, Datura Tatula, Inga
edulis, Spondians purpurea, orange, lemon, and lime trees grow
there in greater or less abundance. The lime trees are the most
common of these, and there are areas of considerable size which
are covered with them. They seem to spread mostly in the open
meadows as there are but few of them in the woodland. Prob-
ably in time they will cover all of the open country in the plateau
region. The limes and lemons are of good quality and many
tons of them rot on the ground each year.

The main crater rises to a height of 1,780 ft., and is covered
on the outside with a heavy growth of bushes of Lipochaeta lari-
cifolia. to within about 400 ft. of the top. This condition is
found on all sides but the south and southeast. The bushes
gradually disappear towards the south side of the crater and
their place is taken by a heavy growth of Stachytarpheta dicho-
toma. Above an elevation of 1,450 ft. the outside of the crater is
covered wdth low bushes of Capraria biflora, occasional bushes
of Tournefortia rufo-sericea, grasses and other herbaceous plants
the last of which are dried up during the greater part of the
year, gi\ang this part of the mountain a very barren appearance
the most of the time. One will be greatly surprised if he should
climb the west side of this crater during the drj' season. On this
side Opuntia galapageia grows to an elevation of 1.300 ft. The
■other plants which occur here and above are of a xerophytie
type and continue so to the top of the mountain. Upon going

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 299

over the rim, into the interior of the crater this condition changes
and the plants which occur, there are decidedly mesophytic
Small trees of Acnistus ellipticus grow there which are covered
with such epiphytes as: Lycopodium taxifolium, Polypodium
lanceolatum, Peperomia ramulosa and leafy Hepatics. Ferns
and herbaceous plants are also common in this vicinity. The
sudden change in the character of the vegetation within such a
short distance is due to the fact that the moist winds strike the
inner side of the crater and keep the vegetation damp the most
of the time, while they pass directly over the top so that the mois-
ture seldom descends far upon the leeward side. The inside of
the crater is covered, a short distance below the top, with bushes
and occasional small trees of Zanthoxylum Fagara all of which
bear numerous epiphytic plants. Ferns are common in the crev-
ices of the lava. The floor of this crater is covered with trees
of Scalesia pedunculata and bushes.

There are several other craters in the upper regions which do
not reach as great an elevation as the one described above. For
the most part, they are covered with a heavy growth of lime
trees and bushes on their leeward sides while the windward sides
are covered with low bushes and herbaceous plants above an ele-
vation of 1,300 ft.

It seems impossible to make out distinct botanical regions her?
as can be done on some of the other larger and higher islands of
the group. For some reason or other, this island apparently does
not receive as much moisture as do the other islands of similar
elevation. In consequence of this the upper part, including the
plateau, is covered with a mixture of both xerophytic and meso-
phytic forms, the last of which, however, are more abundant than
they commonly are in the transition regions on the other islands.
There are a few places in which there is a suggestion of a moist
region but these are very' limited in extent, dependent upon some
very local condition or conditions. The country below an eleva-
tion of 1,000 ft. can be divided into open woodland below and
bushy country above, the line of separation between the two be-
ing at about 450 ft. elevation.

Cormorant Bay.

Cormorant Bay is an open sheet of water situated on the north
side of the island a short distance east of Post Office Bay. There
are several sand beaches along the shore here on which Batis

300 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

maritima, Lyciuin sp., Scaevola Plumieri, Sesuviuin Edmon-
stoiici, and S. portulacastrum grow quite commonly, while at the
west end of the bay there is a small swamp of Rhizophora
Man{?le. A short distance back of the bay there is a small lake,
the water in which has become saturated with salt and a layer
has crystalized out which is thick enough in places to support
one's weight. A number of trees of Avicennia officinalis grow
in the water on the edge of this lake. There is a heavy growth
of pneumatophores and mats of Sesuvium Edmonstonei in the
water beneath these trees. There are some exposures of lava
in this vicinity on which there is little vegetation besides Cacti
and a few bushes. Around the base of a small crater, near the
east end of the bay, there are bushes of Acacia macracantha, Cor-
dia lutea, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, and Scalesia villosa. There
is another small crater, about a half mile inland, the sides of
which seemed to be covered with Bursera trees and Croton
bushes.

Post-Office Baxj.

Post Office Bay lies about two miles west of Cormorant Bay,
just mentioned. This bay derives its name from the fact that
the British Warship Leander placed a barrel on a post there
many years ago, in which vessels which visited this place could
deposit letters. The next vessel that called was supposed to
take them out and carry them to their next port of call. Sever-
al of the members of the party, including the writer, mailed let-
ters here which reached their destination some eighteen months
later.

The interior region, on the north side of the island, was visited
from this place, and was found to be much rougher than was the
region near Black Beach Road on the west side of the island.
There are several small craters on this part, the highest on? vis-
ited having an elevation of 700 ft. There are broad valleys be-
tween the craters in some of which there were low rocky areas
which might have contained water at some time as there were
rounded boulders in them which had the appearance of having
been water- worn.

The coast, along the south side of the bay, is rocky with occa-
sional sand beaches on which there are a few patches of Rhizo-
phora Mangle, and trees of Avicennia officinalis. This, by the
way, is the only place on the islands where Avicennia grows sa

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 301

close to the open sea that its roots were covered with water at high
tide. There are also dense thickets of Laguncularia racemosa
in one or two places near the shore. In the sandy soil near the
shore there are thickets of Cryptocarpus pyriforaiis, and Dis-
caria pauciflora.

The low areas in between the craters in the interior region,
are usually covered with such a thick growth of bushes of Pro-
sopis dulcis as to render traveling difficult. In such places
Castela galapageia, Maytenus obovata, Parkinsonia aculeatat,
Vallesia pubescens, and Waltheria reticulata forma intermedia
are also found. In addition to these a considerable number
of herbaceous plants occur among which are : Abutilon cris-
pum, Aristida suspicata, Bidens refracta, Cyperus Mutisii,
and Tetramerium hispidum. The sides of the craters are rather
steep and support a more open vegetation than the valleys
surrounding them. Plants which commonly occur on the sides
of these craters are : Acacia macracantha, Chiococca alba,
Scalesia afifinis, and S. villosa. The interior of some of these
craters were filled with a heavy growth of Parikiusonia acu-
leata. No ferns or other distinctly mesophytic plants were
found on this side of the island, to an elevation of 700 ft., as
high as it was explored.

Chatham Island.

Chatham is the most eastern island of the group. It is the
fifth in size, being exceeded in this respect by Albemarle, Inde-
fatigable, Narborough, and James Islands. It is twenty-three
miles long and about ten miles broad, the greatest diameter of
which extends northeast and southwest. Geologically the island
is probably very old as there are few evidences of recent volcanic
activity, except in the vicinity of Sappho Cove, on the west side
of the island.

The southern part of the island is most visited as there is a
settlement located several miles inland, from which has a good
wagon road leads down to Wreck Bay. This part of the island
is rather flat for some distance inland, and is covered with a con-
siderable amount of soil through which lava boulders project.
There are several low lava hills on this part. The northeastern
and eastern parts of the island were not visited, but a general
survey of these was made from the vessel, and from higher parts

302 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

in the interior of the island. The region around Terrapin Road^
and for a considerable distance south, is covered by a broad plain
which slopes gradually upward towards the southwest. There
are several steep hills on this portion of the island some of which
probably rise to a height of 500 ft. The color and general ap-
pearance of these hills indicated that they were composed of
tufa. This part of the island is covered with forests, apparently
made up of the forms usually found on the dryer parts of these
islands.

There is a strip of country south of the wooded arear which is
covered with beds of basaltic lava on which there is apparently
little or no vegetation. This is followed on the southwest by
still another area covered with vegetation, which extends down
to within possibly three miles of Finger Point. East and south
of Finger Point the country is again covered with lava, a portion
of which is evidently volcanic cinders. There are many small
craters on the lava in this vicinity, fifty of which were counted
while sailing past this part of the island.

The country around the northeastern end of the island, and
for some distance southwest along the east coast, is apparently
very similar to that around Terrapin Road. We did not get
very close to this part of the island so no very exact observations
could be made of its close features. The country around Fresh
"Water Bay, on the south side, is quite steep and is heavily covered
with dark green vegetation well down towards the shore. A
stream of water is said to enter the sea at Fresh AYater Bay, but
as there is no good anchorage here it was not visited.

The interior part of the southern half of the island is a broad
plateau which varies in elevation from 900-1,600 ft. The pla-
teau is rolling and there are numeros small ravines which have
streams of water in them during a part of the year. Small
marshes are formed in some of the low^r places in this region
during the rainy season, but they quickly dry up soon after the
dry season sets in again. The main central mountain rises to a
height of 2.100 ft. and is composed of bits of volcanic cinders
and other fragmentary material all of which is very much decom-
posed. There is no indication of a crater here, the mountain ap-
parently being a huge pile of volcanic debris. A small crater
lake is located on this plateau but was not visited for botanical
purposes.

This island is probably better watered than any other one of

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 303

the group. There are several large springs on the plateau, the
water from which is piped down to the settlement, located at an
elevation of 900 ft. Sufficient water is obtained in this way to
supply a settlement of about four hundred and fifty people, and
to run a large sugar mill. Streams also occur on the lower parts
in the vicinity of Wreck Bay, during the rainy season, some of
which have a considerable amount of water in them at times.
The plateau is covered with a heavy coating of yellow clay-like
soil which is mixed with vegetable mold in the wooded areas.
This island was visited from Basso Point, Sapho Cove, and
Wreck Bay.

Basso Point.

Basso Point is on the west side of the island about five miles
northeast of Wreck Bay. The point shelters a broad bay which
lies southwest of it, around which there are sand beaches and
rocky shore. The sand beaches support a few halophytic plants
and in the immediate vicinity of these beaches there are thickets
of bushes of Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Discaria pauciflora, and
Maytenus obovata. The country in the interior is quite rough
and there are many exposures of lava on which there is scarcely
any vegetation. The country rises gradually to an elevation of
about 1,100 ft. above which the ascent is more abrupt, leading
up to the top of a range of hills which run parallel with the coasL
in a northeasternly direction.

There are low dense forests on this part of the island which
are made up mostly of trees of Bursera graveolens and Piscidia
Erythrina, both of which are smaller than they are in the region
around Wreck Bay. There is not as much cactus here as is usu-
ally the case in the lower regions. Cereus galapagensis occurs
to some extent near the shore but no specimens of Opuntia were
seen below an elevation of 800 ft., and they were not abundant
even there.

There is a heavy growth of bushes in the forest in most places
the most common species of which are: Croton Scoulera var.
albescens, Discaria pauciflora, Gossypium barbadense, and Lan-
tana peduncularis. The Discaria bushes grow so thickly in
places as to form impassable barriers by the interlocking of their
thorny branches.

This part of the island was not visited above an elevation of
900 ft. With the exception of a few specimens of Polypodium

304 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

squaniatum, all of the other plants which occur at this elevation
grow abundantly lower down. Apparently the same sort of
vegetation continues to the base of the hills mentioned above,
about 200 ft. hij>:her. The northwest sides of these hills are cov-
ered with forests, apparently made up largely of Scalesia trees.
The southeast sides are treeless, however, as was noticed from
the settlement near Wreck Bay, later in the season.

Sappho Cove.

Sappho Cove is also situated on the west side of the island
about four miles northeast of Basso Point. The bay is small and
almost entirely land-locked, but owing to the fact that it is very
shallow, only small vessels can anchor in it. The shores sur-
rounding the bay are made up of basaltic lava and sand beaches
on which there are small groves of trees of Rhizophora Mangle
and thickets of Laguncularia bushes in places. A short distance
back of the beach in the vicinity of salt water pools, there are
trees of Avicennia officinalis. The sand in the vicinity of the
pools, and on the beaches, is covered in places with a heavy
growth of Batis maritima, Sesuvium Portulaeastrum, and Spor-
ooblus vii'ginicus. In several places along the open coast,
in this vicinity, the sand has been thrown up into long ridges, as
a result of the action of wind and waves. These ridges are cov-
ered, on the side next to the land, with a heavy growth of Con-
ocarpus erect us, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Discaria paucifLora,
Maytenus obovata, Scaevola Plumieri, and Vallesia glabra. The
roots of these bushes prevent the sand from shifting inland too
rapidly.

The country is very flat between Finger Point and Sappho
Cove, and is covered with beds of basaltic lava. In the immedi-
ate vicinity of the cove this lava is covered with a tolerably dense
growth of xerophytic vegetation which gradually becomes thin-
ner farther north until it is praeticallj' bare in the vicinity of
Finger Point. As the vegetation decreases in amount it also be-
comes smaller, and such species as Bursera graveolens, which
grow to the size of trees around Sapho Cove and further south,
are mei'e bushes as Finger Point is approached. This place
illustrates the gradual invasion of lava by higher plant life bet-
ter than any other visted upon the islands. The most common
plants on the lava beds here are : Aristida subspicata, Borreria

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islan'h. 305

ericaefolia, Bursera graveolens, Cardiospermum corindum, Cas-
sia picta, Cereus galapagensis, Coldenia Darwini, Cordia gala-
pagensis, C. lutea, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Discaria pauciflora
Euphorbia articulata, E. viminea forma chathamensis, Gossyp-
iuin barbadense, Lycopersicum esculentum var, minor, Moilugo
gracillima, Pectis tenuifolia, Phoradendron Henslovii, Polygalla
galapagensis var. insularis, Porophyllum ellipticum, Scalesia
divisa, Tephrosia cinera, and Waltheria reticulata forma inter-
media. All of these plants grow from the crevices of the lava in
which there is usually no appearance of soil at the surface.

The country south of Sappho Cove is covered with much
older lava than is the country north. This lava is very rough in
places and has deep fissures in it. The lower parts here are cov-
ered with a dense growth of xerophytic vegetation, very similar
to that found in the vicinity of Basso Point, except that many
trees of Hippomane Mancinella are found around an elevation
of 500 ft. These trees usually grow along what appeared to be
an old stream bed, as there were water-worn boulders in it.
There are several small craters near an elevation of 800 ft., cov-
ered with forests of Bursera graveolens, on which there was an
abundance of fruticose lichen.

Wreck Bay.

Wreck Bay is a rather open sheet of water, somewhat protect-
ed by reefs, which is situated at the southwest end of the island,
and is the port for the settlement in the interior. The shores
around the bay are composed of steep sand beaches, and low
cliffs of lava. The country is low for some distance back of the
shore, and it is probably of marine origin. There is a moder-
ately steep ascent at the end of the flat area near the shore, which
leads up to a broad plain, covered with masses of lava and soil
which slopes gradually upward towards the interior to an eleva-
tion of 500 ft. There are a few small lava hills and craters at
various places on this plain. There is rather a steep slope from
500-800 ft. elevation which leads up on to the rolling plateau re-
gion covering the central portion of this end of the island.

The settlement is located on this plateau at an elevation of 900

ft. There is a considerable amount of land under cultivation

surrounding the settlement, on which coffee, and sugar-cane are

produced. There is also a large garden in which many of the

20— S. A.

306 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

common vegetables and tropical fruits are grown. The pro-
ducts of the settlement are shipped to Gyaya<iuil, Ecuador, by-
means of a small schooner which usually makes monthly trips
to the mainland. The plateau region has several high hills and
craters on it.

There are no distinctly halophytic plants around the bay so
far as was observed. The beaches here are too steep and the
wave action at times is so strong that such plants would hardly
be able to maintain a hold. The flat back of the beach is covered
with Prosopis trees and bushes.

The country is covered with low dense forests below an eleva-
tion of 600 ft., which are made up mostly of trees of, Bursera
graveolens, Piscidia Erythrina, Psidium galapageium and Zanth-
oxyluni Fagara. In many places in the forest there is a dense
growth of bushes under the trees, which are mostly of the spe-
cies usually found on the lower parts. Places occur in the for-
est, liowever, where the trees are so closely arranged that there
is very little undergi'owth. On rocky hills and craters, in the
lower part of this region, there is a considerable growth of Cer-
eus galapagensis. In low places along the side of the road lead-
ing to the settlement there are also low groves of Hippomane
Maiicinella trees. On the steep slopes between 600-800 ft. ele-
vation there are fewer trees and more bushes than lower down.
The bushes that are commonly found here are : Croton Scouleri
var, grandifolius, Clerodondron moUe, Lipochaeta laricifolia and
Psychotria rufipes. In some places on these hillsides, however,
there are small trees of Scalesia pedunculata, and Hippomane
Mancinella, the last of which is sometimes covered with Tilland-
sia insularis. Many of the bushes disappear higher up and those
that remain are very much scattered. There is a heavv' growth
of grasses and sedges in this region consisting of the following
species: Cyperus rubiginosus, Digitaria sanguinalis, Leptoeh-
loa virgata, Panicum geminatum, Scleria pterota, Setaria setosa,
and Stenotaphrum secundatum. Ferns which occur in shady
protected places in this region are: Asplenium formosum, A.
sulcatum, Doryopteris pedata, and Dryopteris furcata. The
plateau region above 800 ft. elevation is covered in most places
with_ grasses, the most common species of which is Paspallum
conjugatum, while in low and protected places there are a few
trees and bushes. In temporary pools of water, formed during
the rainy season, such aquatic and semiaquatic plants as Azolla

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 307

caroliniana, Eleocharis capitata, E. fistulosa, Jussiaea repens,
Lemna minor, and Polygonum acre are found. There are
hedges of coffee and lime trees, near the settlement, and occa-
sionally one of these is found in the open country, probably an
escape from cultivation. There are also deep ditches which were
evidently dug at an earlier day to take the place of fences.
These have become filled in many places with a heavy growth of
bushes of jMiconia Robinsoniana, and on the moist perpendicular
walls of the ditches there are many small ferns.

The plateau rises gradually in a northeasterly direction, at-
taining an elevation of 1,700 ft. at the base of the main moun-
tain. Around the base of this mountain there are extensive
brakes of Pteris aquilina var. esculenta, and in protected places,
similar brakes of Gleichenia linearis and small trees of Telan-
thera rugulosa occur. The sides of the main mountain, which
rises 400 ft. above the plateau, are covered in many places with
a heavy growth of Lycopodium clavatum and ferns. On the lee-
ward side of the mountain and other protected places, this
growth is 2-3 ft. high, but where exposed to the constant action
of the wind, it is usually much lower. Occasional tree ferns,
Hemitelia multiflora also occur on the side of the mountain.
Other plants common here are: Cyperus grandifolius. Hibiscus
diversifolia, and Polygonum galapagense. Exposed places near
the top are covered with Sphagnum, wiiile at the top there are a
few bushes and ferns. The soil and rocks in this region are cov-
ered with lichens, associated with which are large gelatenous
masses which are probably Nostoc colonies.

A good general view of the plateau region was obtained from
the top of this mountain. Except in ravines and other low
places, it is covered with an unbroken stretch of grass-land from
the northeast side around to the south side. On the remaining
sides there are occasional trees scattered over the grassland.

All of the lower part of the island, that is covered with forests
in the vicinity of Wreck Bay, seems to constitute the dry region.
This extends up to about 650 ft. elevation, above which the
transition forms a narrow belt extending to the grassy region
which begins at 800 ft. elevation. The transition region here is
more of a transition from woodland to grassland than from a
xerophytic to a mesophytic vegetation. The moist region is ap-
parently not well represented here unless we accept certain small
areas, where local conditions are such as to permit a heavier
growth of vegetation, as representing this region.

308 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

Culpepper Island.

Culpepper is located farther north than any other island in
the group, and it is also one of the smaller of the islands. De-
posits of basaltic lava, and tufa make up the island and form
perpendicular cliffs alonji^ its sides. The cliffs descend directly
into the sea and render landing impossible except at one place on
the north side where they have become broken down and formed
a large mass of talus. A gently rounded plateau covers the un-
per part of the island and has an elevation of several hundred
feet. This plateau is inaccessible but is heavily covered with
vegetation, which appeared from the vessel to be composed
mostly of Bursera trees and Croton bushes. In addition to the
above, there are a considerable number of small bushes, very
similar in size and appearance to Sealesia Snodgrassii, which oc-
curs on Wenman Island about twenty miles to the southeast.
Thickets of a species of low Opuntia also occur here. On the
talus slope, near the landing place on the north side, a few
bushes, of Croton Scouleri var. brevifolius, and Telanthera
Helleri occur. Bright red patches of vegetation were seen at
various places along the sides of the cliffs a short distance above
the water. These are probably composed of Sesuvium Edmon-
stonei as it forms similar patches elsewhere. One member of the
party reported having seen the remains of sedges, the first time
that these plants have been reported from this island.

Daphne Island.

Daphne Island is a small tufa crater, about half a mile in di-
ameter, and 200 ft. high, which is located five miles north of In-
defatigable Island. The sides of the island are steep, and with
the exception of a few small trees of Bursera graveolens, there is
but very little vegetation on them. The only plants collected
here were : Abutilon crispum. Euphorbia amplexicaule, and Tri-
bulus cistoides, all of which were taken by Mr. F, X. Williams
from the inside of the crater.

Duncan Island.

Duncan is a small island, about three miles in diameter, which
lies between Albemarle and Indefatigable Islands. The shores
are steep and are made up of tall cliffs on all sides but the north

Stewart — Botanical Conditions ,on the Galapagos Islands. 309

and northeast. There is a small cove on the northeast side, shel-
tered by a small islet, which affords a good landing place for
boats. Good anchorage can be obtained off the mouth of this
cove, but as none is marked on the charts of these islands, vessels
should take soundings from a small boat before attempting to
come to anchor here.

The sides of the island are steep in most places, and all of the
lower part is covered with loose fragments of lava among which
there is a scanty soil. There are two old craters in the central
part of the island which directly join one another there being no
distinct rim separating the two. The crater to the north is the
smaller, and its side walls are very steep and redish in color as
is the soil which covers its floor. The southern crater forms a
broad basin the floor of which is 850 ft. above sea level, and 400
ft. above the floor of the northern crater. There are some irreg-
ularities in the floor of the larger crater, but the most of it forms
a rather flat plain, with occasional low places in it, some of which
appeared to have been recently filled with water. There is a
considerable amount of soil in this crater, which is light gray in
color and loose in texture.

There is a high ridge to the east of the larger crater which in
one place attains an elevation of 1,300 ft., the highest point on
the island. The west side of this ridge is steep and there are
cliffs in some places of a considerable height. The east side of
this ridge is not so steep, however, but slopes downward to the
tops of the cliffs along the eastern shore of the island. The up-
per part of this i^dge is irregular and is covered with soil in
places made up of disintegrated lava and vegetable mold.

Halophytic plants are but poorly represented on the island,
and so far as was observed, consist of a single tree of Avicennia
officinalis, a few Laguncularia bushes, and a few small stunted
trees of Rhizophora Mangle, all of which grow at the end of the
cove on the northeast side of the island. Sesuvium Edmonstonei
also occurs here but not under halophyite conditions. It is
found in various places on the northeast side of the island to an.
elevation of 450 ft.

Unfortunately we were not able to get to this island during-
the rainy season, so at the times we visited here the vegetation
was in the resting condition. The lower parts had more the ap-
pearance of a winter landscape in temperate region than that of
a region within only a few miles of the equator. With the ex-

310 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

ception of the few mangroves, which grow uear the shore, there
was no other green vegetation worth mentioning. There were
no trees of any kind, even the Bursera trees, which occur so
abundantly in dry places on the most of the other islands, were
entirely absent. This part of the island is covered with open
thickets of bushes consisting of Cordia lutea, Gossypium barba-
dense, Lantana peduncularis, and Prosopis dulcis. Opuntia
galapageia occurs abundantly above 450 ft. elevation, on the
northeast side, but it appears to be almost absent from the north
side. The branches of this species are more loosely arranged
than usual, and the plants have a rather sickly stunted appear-
ance. Those which occur high up on the island are often heav-
ily covered with fruticose lichens as is the most of the other vege-
tation in this region. The vegetation thickens up considerably
around 500 ft. elevation, on the north and northeast sides, and
consists mostly of Croton bushes.

The east side of the island is very rough and covered in places
with long ridges of rough broken lava, man.y of which extend
down nearly to the tops of the cliffs al>ove the sea. The vegeta-
tion on these parts consists mostly of Croton and Prosopis
bushes to an elevation of 750 ft. Above this elevation the vege-
tation is more open, however, and there are areas which are cov-
ered with small plants, and occasional bushes of Acacia macra-
cantha, Prosopis dulcis, and Zanthoxylum Fagara. The south
sides of many of the large lava boulders in this region are cov-
-ered with Polypodium squamatum, while the north sides are
toare. This is probably due to the fact that the south sides of
these boulders are bathed by the moist winds during several
months of the year, while the north sides are not. The south
■side of the island was not visited but from a high point it ap-
peared to be covered with a dense growth of bushes, many of
which were covered wdth a brown colored epiphyte, probably a
species of FruUania.

The interior of the smaller ef the two craters was not visied,
but the inner walls appared to be covered with Croton and other
bushes, all of which were heavily covered with lichens. The
floor had a few bushes on it but the growth is not heayj-- enough
to hide the soil in most places. The floor of the larger crater,
to the south of the smaller one, is sparingly covered with Opun-
tia galapageia, and bushes of Prosopis dulcis, and Zanthoxylum
Fagara. In low places around dried pools there was an abun-

Stewart — Botanical Conditions ,on the Galapagos Tslanrh. 311

dant remains of Cyperus rubigiuosus. The inner side of the
ridge, to the east of this crater, is covered with a dense growth
of Zanthoxylum and other bushes all of which were covered with
lichens and leafy Hepaties. Along the top of this ridge, above
an elevation of 1,200 ft., there were bushes and small trees of
Acnistus ellipticus, Chiococca alba, Ci*oton Scouleri var. brevi-
folius, Erigeron tenuifolius, Pisonia floribunda, Scalesia Baurii,
Tournefortia psilostachya, T. Pubescens, and Zanthoxylum Fa-
gara. Exposed rocks in this region are often covered with a
thick growth of ferns which have formed a considerable amount
of vegetable mold upon them. Tillandsia insularis, and two epi-
phytic species of ferns, Polypodium lanceolatum, and P. lepidop-
teris occur to some extent upon the bushes in this region. Sev-
eral grassy areas extend down the east side from the top of this
ridge on which there are also small specimens of Opuntia gala-
pageia.

No large trees occur around the top of this island, although
Pisonia floribunda, and Zanthoxylum Fagara, which grow here,
usually attain the size of large trees at similar elevations on
the other islands where these species occur. The absence of
large trees is probably due to the strong winds which strike the
top of the island during a greater part of the year, and thus
prevent the growth of large vegetation.

Botanical regions are not well marked here but practically all
of the plants which occur below an elevation of 900 ft. are forms
typical of the dry regions, above this elevation many of the
plants commonly found in the transition region make their ap-
pearance.

Gardner Island, Near Charles Island.

This island is situated about four miles off the east side of
Charles Island. It is the smaller one of the two Gardner Is-
lands, Avliich occur in this group, and consists of an immense mass
of lava several hundred feet high. The shores are steep in most
places and are made up of tall cliffs some of which are perpen-
dicular. Landing is dangerous, and can only be done with safety
-when the surrounding water is comparatively still.

The writer did not land upon this island so that the only
plants collected were by other members of the party. They are
few in number and in no way represent the entire flora. The is-
land appeared from the vessel to be covered with low bushes

312 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

which had a grayish color similar to those found on the lower
parts of the most of the other islands. There were many speci-
mens of a low species of Opuntia. Lichens seemed to be abun-
dant on the vegetation.

Gardner Island, Near Hood Island.

This one of the Gardner Islands is situated about a mile off the
north shore of Hood Island. The water in Gardner Bay, be-
tween the two islands, is quite shallow, so it is likely that the
two islands have been connected at some past time. The island
is quite small, and is made up of very old lava, some of which
has broken down in places forming a light covering of soil mixed
with small lava fragments. The east and south sides are rather
flat and sand beaches occur along the shores on these sides. The
remainder of the island is rough, however, and the shores are
bordered by tall cliffs. A small bay is surrounded by these on
the north side.

Low bushes of Cryptocarpus pja-if ormi occur in several places
near the shore. The only trees on the island are those of Bur-
sera graveolens and Opuntia galapageia. Bushes of Cordia
lutea, Lantana peduncularis, and Prosopis dulcis are quite com-
mon.

Hood Island.

Hood is the most southern island of the group, being located
five miles further south than Charles Island, thirty-six miles
west of it. It is also one of the smaller and lower of the islands
as its greater diameter is about eight miles and its highest point
has an elevation of 640 ft. So far as was observed, the shores
are high and rocky on all sides but the northeast where there are
long stretches of sand-beach and low rocky shore. The sides
slope up gradually from the shore at Gardner Bay, to a some-
what flat central region on which there are several rocky hills,,
some of which rise possibly a hundred feet above the surround-
ing country. There is no distinct crater on this island. There
is, however, a broad flat plain, about half a mile south of Gard-
ner Bay, which may be the floor of a crater, the surrounding
hills being all that is left of the rim.

The highest point is towards the southwest side of the island,
and consist of a flat-topped hfll of lava. A considerable amount

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 31?

of soil occurs in various places which has resulted from the
breaking down of the lava. The most of the soil has probably
been washed from above as it usually occurs in low places. The
most of the isalnd has but very little soil on it, and the surface is
strewn with fragments of lava.

The beaches are rather steep here in consequence of which
there is not a great amount of halophytic vegetation. Bushes of
Cryptocarpus pyriformis occur on the sand beaches, and at vari-
ous other places near the shore. Patches of these bushes form
about the only green vegetation during the greater part of the
year, and they stand out sharply when the island is examined
from the top of one of the hills in the interior. Sesuvium Ed-
monstonei grows here but usually not under halophytic condi-
tions. The mangrove vegetation is confined to a small thicket
of bushes of Rliizophora Mangle which occur on the northeast
side of the island below Gardner Bay. The beach, in the vicin-
ity of these mangroves, was strewn with pieces of bamboo, co-
coanut husks, and other drift, showing that this area receives a
moreor less constant supply of such material.

Other plants which occur on or near the beaches are : Cacabus
Miersii, Cenchrus distichophyllus, Coldenia fusca, Discaria pau-
ciflora, Maytenus obovata, and Vallesia glabra.

The only trees of any size on the island are those of Bursera
graveolens and Opuntia galapageia. The Opuntias have rather
low thick trunks and closely arranged branches. Goats, which
have been introduced upon this island within the last few years,
eat off all of the lower Opuntia branches, and they even eat into
the thick trunks in some instances. As these plants form their
only suitable food and probably their only source of water,
for several months of the year, there is danger of this species
being exterminated on this island in time.

The most of the vegetation on the island consists of bushes, the
most common of which are: Acacia macracantha, which forms
small trees in protected places, Cordia lutea, Croton Scouleri,
Gossypium barbadense, Lautana peduncularis, Parkinsonia acu-
leata, and Prosopis dulcis. These bushes occur in patches in
many places in between which there are open spaces which are
probably covered with grasses and annual herbaceous plants
during the rainy season. By following these open spaces one can
travel over the most of the island without much difficulty.

There are some indications of a greater amount of moisture

314 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

around 600 ft. than lower down, as Polypodium squamatum
^ows from the lava crevices at this elevation. There are also a
considerable number of small trees of Zauthoxylum Fagara in
this vicinity which is near the base of the high hill on the south-
west side of the island. The top of this hill is covered with
bushes of Cordia galapagensis, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Ly-
cium geuiculatum, Tournefortia psilostachya, and Vallesia gla-
bra. Ipomoea Habeliana covers the rocks here to a considerable
extent.

Indefatigable Island.

Indefatigable is the second largest, and with the exception of
Duncan, is the most centrally located island in the group. It is
roughly circular in outline, and appears to have a large central
crater when seen from the south side. There is probably no
larger crater present, however, because in sailing around the is-
land towards the west side it is seen that the upper part is cov-
ered with many small craters, twenty-one of which were counted.
Small lateral craters also occur at various places along the sides,
the largest one of which is on the southeast side of the mountain
a short distance below the top.

The shores along the south, southeast, and east sides of the is-
land are bordered by low rocky cliffs of lava in most places,
while on the other sides the shores are low with occasional sand
beaches. There is a large bay on the south side which we chris-
tened it Academy Bay in honor of the California Academy of
Sciences.

The sides of the island slope up very gradually on all sides so
that it is necessary for one to travel several miles inland in order
to get into the region where collecting is good. All of the lower
parts are covered with the usual xerophytic forms so common on
these islands, but which are not in proper condition for collect-
ing through a greater part of the year. The lower parts are
covered with lava on which there is but little soil, but in the in-
terior there is an abundant soil, and in places there is said to be
water, although we were not fortunate enough to find it. The
interior of this island is very fertile, and with proper cultivation
is capable of supporting quite a large population, but up to the
time we visited it no attempt had been made to establish a
settlement there.

We visited the island at Academy Bay, at two places on the

'Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 315

north side, the northeast side, the northwest side at a point a
little south of Conway Bay, and on the southeast side.

Academy Bay.

Academy Bay is a small body of water, partly surrounded by
cliffs, on the south side of the island. It is marked by a small
islet which lies on the east side of the entrance. Small vessels
can find good anchorage in this bay but care should be taken in
anchoring in the western part of it as there are hidden rocks
present there. This part of the bay is the best protected from
the southeast swell, so we anchored there on our first visit to
this place, and were unfortunate enough to get aground on two
occasions. The best landing place for boats is at the north end
of the bay where there is a small sand beach, and a low flat area
covered with bushes and grass, back of which there is an old
trail leading into the interior. Two springs of brackish water
occur here, each of which are marked by a bunch of small trees
of Hibiscus tiliaceus. The country is veiy rough for a mile
or more back from the beach and is covered with low ridges of
lava, many of which run in a direction nearly parallel with the
coast line. There are also many crevices in this lava, some of
which are evidently quite deep. The lava has disintegrated but
little on this part so there is very little soil to be seen on the sur-
face, but nevertheless it is heavily covered with vegetation.

To the north of the rough area just mentioned, there is a line
of cliffs, about 75 ft. high, above which the lava is evidently
much older, as it has broken down in many places into soil,
through which boulders of lava protrude at intervals. The
amount of soil increases farther inland, completely covering the
lava in most places above an elevation of 500 ft. The soil at this
elevation, and above, is composed largely of vegetable mold
which has been formed from the decay of the abundant vegeta-
tion in this region.

Small swamps of Ehizophora INIangle occur at several places
around the shores of Academy Bay and around a small lagoon
which empties into it. There are also clumps of Laguncularia
bushes along the shore, and occasional trees of Avicennia offici-
nalis around salt water pools in the vicinity of the shore. Back
of the beach, at the north end of the bay, there is a small area
that is thickly carpeted with Sporobolus virginicus. Thickets

316 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

of Ciyptoearpus bushes also occur here covered with Passiflora
foetida. Occasional trees of Hippomane Mancinella also grow
on this area. In many places along the west and south sides of
the bay the growth consists of low bushes, with a considerable
number of Cereus sclerocarpus and Opuntia myriacantha trees
scattered among them.

After leaving the immediate vicinity of the shore, at the north
end of the bay, one encounters dense jungles of xerophytic
plants which extend inland a mile or more to the base of the
cliffs mentioned above. This jungle is composed largely of trees
of Acacia macracantha, Bursera graveolens, Erythrina velutina,
Opuntia myriacantha, and Piscidia Erythrina. The specimens
of Opuntia are very large, some of them attaining a height of
thirty or more feet. In general it may be said, that nearly all
of the species Avhich occur in this area either attain a larger size,
or grow more abundantly than they usually do so near to sea
level. There is a dense growth of bushes underneath the trees
consisting of Cordia lutea, Croton Scouleri varieties, brevifolius
and Macraei, Discaria pauciflora, Gossypium barbadense, Lan-
tana peduneularis, Maytenus obovata, Parkinsonia aculeata,
Prosopis dulcis, Scalesia gummifera, Telanthera echinocephala,
Tournefortia pubescens, and Zanthoxylum Fagara. Such ferns
as Polypodium squamatum and Trachypteris pinnata grow on
the sides of the cliffs at an elevation of 75 ft. Above these cliffs
there is a considerable area which is covered with Prosopis and
other bushes of an xerophytic character, but the arrangement of
these is more open than below the cliffs. The trees of Opuntia
myriacantha are numerous and very large in this area, and form
a portion of the continuous zone of Opuntia trees which extend
around the south side of the island. They are so numerous here
that their redish-brown trunks give this color to the surrounding
landscape when seen from a distance.

There is a general thickening up of the vegetation further in-
land, but there is not much change in the species of plants pres-
ent below 350 ft. Around this elevation such forms as Cordia
lutea, Croton Scouleri var. brevifolius, Discaria pauciflora,
Opuntia myriacantha, Parkinsonia aculeata, Piscidia Erythrina,
Prosopis dulcis, and Telanthera echinocephala disappear. The
most of the vegetation, around this elevation, is heavily covered
with fruticose lichens. There are dense forests here made up
largely of trees of Pisonia floribunda, Scalesia pedunculata, and

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 317

Zanthoxylum Fagara, the first and last of which occur near the
shore as bushes. The trees are often covered with a hea\'y growth
of Cisampelos Pareira, which usually put down large numbers of
aerial roots, forming tangled masses, rendering traveling dif-
ficult. Projecting ridges of lava occur in some places in this
region, which are usually covered with dense mats of Polypo-
dium squamatum, ands such herbaceous plants as Peperomia gali-
oides, P. galapagensis, P. Stewarti, and other forms. The trunks
and branches of many ^f the trees, especially those of Pisonia
floribunda, are heavily covered with epiphytic plants such spe-
cies as: Asplenium sulcatum, lonopsis utricularioides, Lycopo-
dium dichotomum, Polypodium lanceolatum, P. lepidopteris,
Peperomia galapagensis, and Tillandsia insularis being the most
common. Phoradendron Henslovii also occurs in this region
and higher up, but it grows much larger than it does lower down.
Owing to the dense shade tliere are fewer bushes, but more herb-
aceous forms than at a lower altitude. Ferns are also common.
The region above an elevation of 500 ft. on this side of the is-
land consists of two distinct parts as far as the vegetation is
concerned. The country immediately north of Academy Bay,
above this elevation, is covered with dense forests which extend-
to wards the east side of the island. In some places north of
Academy Bay these forests probably begin a little lower down,
but farther east they evidently begin somewhat higher, as they
were not encountered at an elevation of 650 ft. when the south-
east side of the island was visited. It might be said in this con-
nection, that all of the botanical regions gradually ascend to-
wards the east side of the island here, a condition which can be
readily seen from the shore by the difference in color of the dif-
ferent regions. The forests, just mentioned, were not visited
but from their appearance they must be made up largely of trees
of Scalesia pednculata, and other species common in the Scalesia
forests of these islands. Northwest of Academy Bay there are
extensive areas covered with bushes on which there is a heavy
growth of Argyreia tiliaefolia and other vines. The vegetation
in this region was denser than in any other place visited upon
the islands. Traveling was very slow and difficult here it being
necessary at times to lift one member of the party up and let him
fall at full length into the bushes and other vegetation in order
to mash them down, for it was almost impossible to cut one's
way through this vegetation, loaded down with water and food

318 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

as wo were. The principal bushes in this i-e^ion are : Psychotria
rufipes, Tournefortia rufo-serieea, Urera alceaefolia, and some
others, the time spent in this region not being sufficient to make
as complete collections as was desirable. There are many ferna
and herbaceous plants in this region. Many of the herbaceous
forms which occur here also occur lower down but are much
smaller in size. The most noteworthy of these are: Crotalaria
setifera and Fleurya aestuans, the last of which has fewer sting-
ing hairs than at the lower elevations where it occurs. Groves,
occur occasionally in the bushy areas, made up of the trees usu-
ally found in the moist regions. Some of these groves are quite
large, but usually they are small. Isolated trees are not at all
uncommon.

No plants were collected above an elevation of 650 ft. on thi&
side of the island, but other members of the party who succeeded
in getting farther inland, report that there is a decrease in the
number of vines and an increase in the size of the bushes higher
up. Messrs. Williams, Ochsner, and Gifford succeeded in reach-
ing an elevation of 1,100 ft. here, reported that the country, a
short distance beyond where ther discontinued their journey, ap-
peared to be covered with low spreading trees or bushes on
which there was a large amount of ' ' brown moss. ' ' A large part
of the country, above the Scalesia forests, and bush areas, had a
distinctly brown color in which there are patches of green. The
brown color is possibly due to a heavy growth of one or several
species of leafy Hepatics, and is confined to the south side of the
island, none of it appearing on the other sides. The top of the
mountain is covered with green vegetation, but it is likely that
there are no trees present there, because none appeared in the
sky-line when the top of the mountain was viewed with a field
glass on a clear day.

As near as could be ascertained, the dry region extends to an
elevation of about 350 ft., the transition region to 500 ft. while it
is likely that the moist region extends to at least 1,500 ft. and
possibly higher.

Judging from the appearance, the upper part of this island
ought to be very interesting botanically, as it is apparently en-
tirely different from the upper part of any other island visited.

It would probably require a week or more to explore this re-
gion properly, and in order to do this, it would be necessary to
out a good trail into the interior, and a camp established, where

Stewart — Botanical Conditions fin the Galapagos Islands. 319

supplies of food and water could be brought iu each day. It
would probably be more economical to have this work done by
laborei's, as they could probably be secured from Albemarle Is-
land at a small cost. Unfortunately our expedition was not fi-
nanced in a way to make this possible.

Southeast Side.

The place visited on this side of the island, is situated about
seven miles east of Academy Bay, the region just described. It
is dangerous for vessels to anchor here, except during calm,
weather, as there is a strong swell at other times. We visited
this place during the month of October, and were greatly incon-
venienced by the violent rocking of the vessel at times. There
are several hidden reefs between the anchorage and the shore, on
which the swell breaks heavily at times. One has to use care in
going in and out in a small boat when there is even a slight
swell, because it is liable to break in unexpected places. A small
crater stands near the shore at this place. Broad sand beaches
border the shore, back of which there is a sandy basin containing
pools of brackish water. There is supposed to be fresh water in
this vicinity but we were unable to find it.

With the exception of a few ravines in the vicinity of the
shore, the country is comparatively smooth for some distance
inland, and is covered with a fair amount of soil. Farther in-
land, above an elevation of 200 ft., there are beds of more re-
cent lava which has been piled up in places forming low ridges-
and valleys. Several small craters are located about four miles
inland, between 400 and 500 ft. elevation, which rise on an av-
erage of about 100 ft. above the surrounding country. The
country to the right of these craters is rough and covered with
irregular masses of lava, while to the left it is comparatively
smooth. The country was not visited beyond these craters, but
it appeared from the top of the one fartherest inland, to have no-
pronounced irregularities in it as it sloped gradually up to the
base of the craters in the central part of the island.

Rhizophora Mangle occurs in isolated patches along the shore^
but there are no large swamps of it, probably due to the fact
that the surf breaks here much of the time. Quite a number of
other species of plants grow on the beaches among which are
Coldenia Darwini, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Heliotropium cur-

320 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

assavieum, Scaevola Plumieri, Sesuvium Portulacastnim, and
Vallesia glabra. The low sandy area back of the beach is cov-
ered in some places with a heavy growth of Sporobolus virgini-
cus, while in other places, where the sand is encrusted with salt,
Ipomoea Pes-caprae grows very abundantly and of great length,
individual plants sometimes being fully one hundred feet long.
Cyperus laovigatus is very common around the pools of brackish
water, which have a strong odor of Sulphurated Hydrogen.
Bordering this sandy area are low dense groves of Avicennia offi-
cinalis, Hippomane IMancinella, and Laguncularia racemosa.
There are several other low areas and ravines in the vicinity of
the shore, above high tide mark, which are filled with thickets
of Discaria paueiflora, and Parkinsonia aculcata. The remainder
of the lower part of the island at this place is covered with
bushes, Bursera trees, and cactus. Cereus sclerocarpus occurs
commonly in the vicinity of the shore but was not seen above an
elevation of 100 ft. Opuntia myriacantha, on the other hand,
occurs abundantly on the lower parts, and to a considerable ex-
tent to about 500 ft. At an elevation of 600 ft., however, it is
scarce, and much smaller than lower down. The specimens seen
at this elevation, were of about the same size as those which oc-
cur at an elevation of 350 ft. at Academy Bay a few miles west
of here. The Bursera trees are larger and more abundant above
an elevation of 350 ft. than they are lower down. They are*
usually heavily covered with fruticose lichens. Piscidia Ery-
thrina is another common forest tree in this region.

There is a very noticeable decrease in the number of many
of the forms common on the lower parts, between 350 and 450
ft. elevation. Some of the species disappear here among which
are : Croton Scouleri, Discaria paueiflora, Maytenus obovata,
and Telanthcra echinocephala. A few stunted specimen of Cheil-
anthes microphylla were found in the lava crevices at an eleva-
tion of 350 ft., and were the first ferns ever collected on this
island.

There are fewer trees in the region of the craters, at 400 ft.,
elevation, than lower down, and the country is covered with
Lantana bushes four to five feet high with a few trees scattered
through them. The sides of the craters are covered with low
bushes of Euphorbia viminea, and other species, while at the
top there are bushes, ferns, and grasses. The country to the
north of these craters, is heavily forested with Bursera and

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 321

other trees, under which there are tangled thickets of Zanth-
oxylum bushes.

Low forests cover the country between 450 and 650 ft. eleva-
tion, which are made up of a mixture of xerophytic and meso-
phytic forais. Bursera trees are common on the lower part of
this area, but they decrease in number higher up, where the
forests are composed largely of Pisonia floribunda, Psidium
galapageium, and Scalesia pedunculata. The Scalesia trees
are smaller, and fewer in number here than they are in the
Scalesia forests higher up. Quite a number of ferns grow in
the vegetable mold, and on exposed rocks in this region, such
species as Polypodium pectinatum, P. squamatum, and Trachy-
pteris pinnata being the most common. A few epiphytes grow
on the trees and bushes among which are : lonopsis utricular-
ioides, Peperomia galapagensis, Polypodium lepidopteris, and
Tillandsia insularis. Common bushes in this region are : Chio-
cocca alba, Erigeron tenuifolius, Gossypium barbadense, and
Tournefortia strigosa. The region above an elevation of 650
ft. was not visited, but it appeared to be covered with Scalesia
forests a short distance above this elevation.

The dry region extends to an elevation of about 400 ft. at
this place. We did not reach the upper limit of the transition
region, but as near as could be estimated, it extends to about
800 ft., the elevation at which the Scalesia forests probably be-
gin.

No effort was made to get far into the interior at this place,
as we made our first visit to the island here, and expected to
find better places for doing this elsewhere later in our trip.
After having failed to accomplish this at other places, it now
seems probable that this would have been the best place to
have made the attempt after all. It is very likely that one
would have no difficulty in reaching the lower edge of the
Scalesia forests in a half day's journey, if no collecting were
done on the way. From this point it is probably not over three
or four miles to the base of a large lateral crater, on the south-
east side of the mountain just below the top. Judging from
its appearance, this crater would present about the same botan-
ical conditions as occur around the top of the mountain. The
advantages to be gained from exploring the interior of the is-
land from this side are ; the slope is not so gradual, so that ele-
vation could be gained by traveling shorter distances, and.
21— S. & A.

322 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

there are heavy forests in the moist region which would prob-
ably have less undergrowth in them, than the bushy areas en-
countered in this region at Academy Bay. Should another
party ever attempt to reach the interior of the island from
there, they should keep well to the south of the group of cra-
ters, about four miles inland, as the country is not so rough,
nor is the vegetation so dense as it is north of these craters. A
low monument of lava boulders w^as built by the side of the
trail where we came into it in coming back from the interior.
It is likely, however, that the trail will bo entirely obliterated
before another party attempts to explore this island.

Northeast Side.

The island was visited on this side at a point about three miles
west of Gordon Rocks Avhich are situated a shoi-t distance off
shore. The coast is bordered by low cliffs in this vicinity, which
rise abruptly fifteen or more feet above the water. There are oc-
casional small sand beaches, however, so that landing from boats
can be easily accomplished. The country is very flat for some
distance inland, and for the most part, is covered lightly with a
reddish colored soil. Farther inland there are rough deposits of
lava. We had expected to try to reach the interior of the island
from this place,- but we did not attempt it after we had dis-
covered the rough character of the country.

There are no true halophytes along the shores in this vicinity,
a condition that is accounted for by the lack of extensive sand
beaches, such as occur on the other sides of the island where there
is a more or less extensive halophytic flora. Such plants as Cryp-
tocarpus, pyriformis, Discaria pauciflora, and Maytenus obovata,
which sometime grow under semihalophytie conditions, occur,
however, at this place.

The country is very barren in the vicinity of the shore, and
there are no trees present unless a few stunted specimens of Bur-
sera, and Prosopis could be called such. The country farther in-
land, however, appeared to be covered with forests of Bursera
trees, but as we visited this region during the dry season, the
general appearance of these forests was too uninviting to tempt
one to venture far to examine them. All of the vegetation of
any considerable size, leans in a northwestern direction showing
the influence of the strong southeast winds during the growing

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 323

season. The strong winds, and the loose character of the soil,
are the probable causes for the small amount of vegetation here.
The ground in most places is covered with a sparse growth of
grass, the two common species of which are, Aristida subspicata,
and Panicum hirticaulum.

Nprth Side.

The shores along the north side of the island are made up of
sand beaches and low rocky coast, which in most instances slope
down gradually to the edge of the water. There are but few
cliffs along the shore on this side, a condition that is probably due
to the fact that this is the leeward side of the island and is con-
sequently not subject to strong wave action as are the more ex-
posed sides.

For a considerable distance inland the country is flat and cov-
ered in many places by beds of basaltic lava on which there is
but little soil. There are small areas, however, which are cov-
ered with a light gray ashy soil in among the deposits of lava.
Rough lava ridges are common, and there are several low lava-
hills, and small craters scattered around at various places on this
side.

The sand beaches for the most part bear the usual herbaceous
plants, and in the vicinity of the shore thickets of Cryptocarpus
pyriformis, and Vallesia pubescens bushes are common. Bushes
of Maytenus obovata line the shore in places, some of which grow
so close to the water's edge that their roots are covered at high
tide. In such places the trunks are more gnarled, and the leaves
more succulent than is usually the case. Mangrove swamps oc-
cur in several places, the largest one being located about two
miles west of the lower end of South Seymour Island. So far as
was observed this is the most typical mangrove swamp on the is-
lands. A shallow hay occurs here which has a narrow opening
into the sea and affords much quieter water than in most places
on these islands. There are several small islets in the bay, and
these as well as the shores of the bay are heavily covered with:
mangroves. One is able to get through the swamp in a small
boat by following the deeper channels at high tide. We found it
to be an excellent place for capturing sea turtles. Trees of Avi-
cennia officinalis and Laguncularia also occur in this swamp, but
Rhizophora makes up the bulk of the vegetation. All three spe-

324 Wisco)isin Academy of Sciences, Arta, and Letters.

cies occur at various otlier places along the north shore, and Avi-
cennia was found in one instance to be {^rowing in a sunken
place, a short distance inland, which was apparently filled with
sea water at high tide.

The interior is barren in many places where there are expos-
ures of lava. With the exception of a few low stunted trees of
Bursera graveolens, a low Opuntia, and scattered bushes these
beds bear no other vegetation. The species of Opuntia is possibly
a new one as it differs quite markedly f loiu the other species in
this genus which occur on these islands. It also occurs on South
Seymour Island, a few miles away, but at neither place were the
specimens in good shape at the times these were visited. Occa-
sional bushes of Acacia macracantha, and thickets of Croton
bushes occur in small patches between the lava beds, where there
is a sufficient amount of soil to support them. Grassy areas oc-
cur, between the patches of bushes, which are usually covered
with Aristida subspicata. These areas continue at intervals, to
an elevation of 1,000 ft. as high as this side of the mountain was
explored. Very little change takes place in the character of the
vegetation at this elevation, except that some of the species grow
to a larger size than thej- do lower down. This is espe^cially true
of Bursera graveolens, and Piscidia Erythrina, both of which are
<iuite small near the shore but form trees in the interior.

The dry region extends to possibly an elevation of 1,500 ft. on
this side of the mountain, as the appearance of the vegetation
did not appear to change for several hundred feet above where
exploration was discontinued. The moist i-egion seems to form
a narrow zone just below the top on this side of the mountain.

Northwest Side.

This side of the island was visited at a place about two miles
south of Conway Bay, which is marked by a small tufa crater
near the shore. Our reason for stopping here instead of at Con-
way Bay, the usual place for landing on tliis part of the island,
was because we had learned at Chatham Island that an old trail
led into the interior from this point.

The coast is low in this vicinity, and is made up of sand
beaches and low cliff's. A flat area surrounds the tufa crater,
mentioned above, covered with a soil composed largely of volcan-
ic ashes, which have evidently originated from the crater. This

Stewart — Botanical Conditions ,on the (Halapogos Islands. 325

condition is local, however, as the most of the soil on the lower
parts is composed of disintegrated lava with small boulders and
bits of lava intermixed. There are also lava ridges in this vicin-
ity without soil.

Tlie slope is very gradual to 700 ft. and in places the country
is slightly terraced. Above this elevation the ascent is quite
steep to 1,000 ft. beyond which there is a broad valley, three or
four miles wide, extending in to the base of the craters on the
west side of the island. There is a heavier growth of vegetation
here than on the north side of the island, probably due largely
to the fact that there is more soil.

About the only vegetation on the beach, where we landed, was
a sparse growth of Sporobolus virginicus, but back of the beach
around the base and on the sides of the cliffs there were bushes
of Cryptoearpus pyriformis, Discaria pauciflora, and Maytenus
obovata. Grassy areas occur back of the shore, where the soil is
composed of ashes, which at the time of our visit Avere covered
with a heavy growtli of Aristida subspicata. There is probably
quite a growth of annual plants in addition to the above, during
the rainy season, as the remains of quite a number of these were
found. Patches of bushes occur in the grassy areas which are
made up of such species as Acacia macracantha, Clerodendron
molle, Cordia lutea, Croton Scouleri var. brevifolius, Gossypium
barbadense, and Waltheria reticulata forma intermedia. Low
trees of Bursera graveolens and Piscidia Erythrina occur among
the bushes. A few specimens of Opuntia grow in the vicinity of
the shore but whether or not these are 0. myriacantha or the un-
described species from the north side of the island, was not de-
termined, as no specimens were collected. They are more abun-
dant farther inland.

The character of the vegetation changes but little to an eleva-
tion of 3-00 ft. except that the grassy areas soon stop and the
country is covered with Bursera forests veiy similar to those on
the lower parts of other islands. Trees of Erythrina velutina
also occur here in considerable number. Cissampelos Pareira
appears first at about 300 ft. elevation, but it becomes more
abundant liigher up where it often covers trees and bushes. A
few of the more xerophytic species of ferns appear around an ele-
vation of 400 ft. We experienced much difficulty with the
thickets of Furcraea cubensis at an ek.ation of 450 ft. and
above, as they often cover areas of several acres in extent in this

326 Wiaconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

region. This species was brought to this island many years ago
by the tortoise hunters who made a temporary settlement here,
and who introduced it among other domesticated plants. They
were planted along the trail, leading into the settlement, by
Captain Thomas Levick of Chatham Island, on one of his period-
ic visits to this place. He hoped to permanently mark the trail
by this means, but judging from the difficulty we had getting
around these thickets and finding the trail again, his method of
marking it was rather too eft'ective. They grow so thickly that
they have driven out the smaller vegetation in places.

The country around 650 ft. elevation is heavily forested with
trees of Bursera graveolens, Piscidia Erythrina, Pisoiiia flori-
bunda, and Zanthoxylum Fagara. This forest is open in places
and the ground is covered with occasional bushes and ferns.
Above 700 ft. elevation the forms which occur abundantly on the
lower parts, disappear. The forests above this are made up of
large trees of Pisonia floribunda, Psidium galapageium, Scalesia
pedunculata, and Zanthoxylum Fagara, the last of which forms
trees 25-30 ft. high, usually heavily covered with mistletoe. The
undergrowth is usually dense in these forests and is composed
largely of bushes of Erigeron tenuifolius, Psychotria rufipes,
Tournefortia rufo-sericea, and several species of ferns and herb-
aceous plants. Epiphytes are common, consisting of ferns and
orchids, lonopsis utrieularioides. Conditions similar to the
above, continue to an elevation of 1,000 ft. as high as this side of
the island was explored. From a tree at this elevation, the coun-
try appeared to change but little for several miles further in-
land.

We visited this place during July, and as it was the last time
that we expected to stop on this island, we made a rather deter-
mined effort to get farther into the interior than we had done be-
fore. We hoped to follow the trail in as far as the old settlement
where it is reported that water can be found, and where there
are a number of domesticated plants growing which are suitable
for food. We expected to camp at the settlement and try to
work inland from there. We lost the trail at 1,000 ft., however,
and had to turn back as our supply of food and water was not
sufficient to justify us in going farther. The only evidences of
former habitation found, was a number of lime trees near where
we lost the trail. We learned afterwards that these were but a
short distance away from the settlement, but as everything was

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 327

so overgrown with vegetation in this region, it probably would
have been impossible for us to have found it unless the trail had
led directly to it.

The botanical regions are fairly well marked here. The dry
region seems to extend to about 450 ft. and the transition region
to about 700 ft. elevation. The moist region seems to be evenly
forested and has none of the open areas covered with bushes and
vines, such as was found at Academy Bay on the south side of
island.

James Island.

James, the fourth largest island in the group, is located nine
miles northeast of Cowley Bay, Albemarle Island, and twelve
mile nortli by west of Indefatigable Island. The general shape
of the island is a parallelogram the length of which is about
twenty miles, and extends east and west. With the exception of
a few sand beaches, the shores are rocky and are bordered in
most places by low cliffs of lava. The eastern part of the island
is loAv, and slopes up gradually to a broad central plateau which
extends, Avith a gentle slope, to the base of the main crater, lo-
cated towards the west end of the island. This crater has an ele-
vation of 2,850 ft., and can be more easily reached from James
Bay than from any other point. Many other craters occur on
the island, but with one or two exceptions, they are all small.
There are a number of these in the vicinity of Sullivan Bay, and
along the south side. Deposits of basaltic lava, and volcanic
cinders, cover the greater part of the island, the most of which is
quite old, and has become veiy much oxidized. In many places
in the interior, it has become entirely broken down on the sur-
faces, into soil, which is mixed with quite a large amount of
vegetable mold.There are, however, some veiy recent deposits
of lava on the south side, some of which have recently come from
a small crater which has been active within the last few years.
Deposits of tufa occur on the west side, but they are very local
in their distribution.

Northeast Side.

This side of the island was visited about six miles northwest
of Sullivan Bay. There is a small salt-water lagoon here, appar-
ently the only one on the island. The shores are low and rocky

328 M'isroiiisin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

in most places in this vicinity, but short sand beaches occur occa-
sionally. Th country is covered with beds of rough basaltic
lava and cinders all of which is very old and has become stained
with a dark brown color. This lava has not become broken down
to any extent, so consequently there is but little soil in this re-
gion. The ascent is very gradual here so that it is necv'-ssary to
go about four miles inland in order to reach the plateau region,
which covers the central part of the island. The eastern part of
this plateau has a general elevation of about 700 ft., but it slopes
up gradually, towards the west, to the base of the mountain.
There is more soil on the plateau than lower down, but it is
mostly in low places so that the surface of the ground is usually
strewn with lava fragments. Several old craters are located on
the plateau at an elevation of 700 ft., all of which are low in al-
titude.

The sand beaches support many of the smaller plants which
are usually found in such situations on these islands. Among
these are: Batis maritima, Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Discaria
paucifiora, and Sporobolus virginicus. Rhizophora ^langle is
the only one of the mangroves that grows on the open coast at
this place. It also grows to some extent around the shores of the
salt water lagoon, mingled in places with Avicennia officinalis.
In the vicinity of the shore, the country is covered in places with
thickets of Discaria, and Maytenus bushes, but there are no
trees except those of Opuutia myriacantha. There are a few
specimens of Bursera, but they are mere bushes, and do not gix)w
to the size of a tree for some distance inland. The crowns of the
Bursera trees are usually much flattened, due to the action of
the wind. There are quite a number of species of bushes farther
inland, all of which grow from the crevices of the lava. Among
these are : Alternanthera rigida, Cordia lutea, Croton Scouleri
var. albescens, Euphorbia articulata, and Scalesia atractyloides.
With the exception of the halophytes along the shore, the Scale-
sia bushes were about the only plants that presented a green ap-
pearance at the time of our visit. There Avere many other plants
in leaf at this time, but the leaves were either small, or covered
with a dense coating of hairs so that the green color was ob-
scured. There are small stretches of lava near the shore on
which there is practically no vegetation.

The vegetation becomes more abundant between 100 and 200 '
ft. elevation where there are extensive thickets of Lipochaeta

Stewart — Botanical Conditions , on the (^ohipogos Ts^nnf]^, 329

bushes, Avhich also occur still higher up ou this side of the island.
This species is infested with Phoradendron Henslovii as are
some other forms in this region and above. The vegetation is
further added to, between 300 and 400 ft. elevation, by the ap-
pearance of small trees of Erythrina velutina, and thickets of
Zanthoxylum bushes, the last of which apparently does not at-
tain tree size on this side of the island. Opuntia galapageia oc-
curs in this region and continues to above 700 ft. elevation.

The plateau, around 700 ft. elevation and above, is covered
with much the same sort of vegetation as the lower country, ex-
cept that it is thicker in places, and some of the species attain a
larger size. No ferns or other distinctly mesophytic plants were
found if occasional small trees of Pisonia floribunda be expected.
The small craters on the plateau are covered with bushes, and
trees of Cereus sclerocarpus and Opuntia galapageia all of which
have a considerable amount of fruticose lichen on them. A good
view of the surrounding countiy can be had from the tops of these
craters. The country to the south and east was barren in the ex-
treme and appeared to be covered with much the same sort of
vegetation which occurs in the region explored on the north side
of the island. The country to the west appeared almost as iln-
inviting, for possibly 700 ft. higher, and the vegetation all had
the distinctly gray color characteristic of the dry regions of these
islands. It was noticed, while we were sailing along the north
shore, that similar conditions to the above are present nearly to
the top of the mountain on this side,

James Bay.

The conditions at James Bay, at the Avest end of the island,
were much more inviting than they were on the northeast side.
A sand beach extends along the east side of the bay and affords
a good landing place for boats the most of the time. The north
side of the bay is bordered by cliffs, which rise in height towards
the northwest and terminate in a tall perpendicular cliff about
opposite Albany Island, which is situated a short distance off
shore. The coast is rocky for some distance south of the bay,
and is made of low up cliffs of recent lava. Back of the sand
beach, just mentioned, there is a stretch of flat sandy country, in
which there is a small salt water lake. The flat country extends
to the base of the mountain which rises quite abruptly to an ele-
vation of about 1,400 ft., beyond which the slope is more gradual,

330 Wisconsi)!, Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

and the country is in the nature of a table land to the base of
the main crater at about 2,200 ft. elevation. The sides of this
crater are steep and the top has an elevation of 2,850 ft. To the
south and southwest of the main crater there are deep valleys
in between other craters and hills. The whole of the south side
of the island is steep, above 900 ft. elevation, for several miles
east of James Bay. Below this elevation, however, the slope is
more gradual and the country is covered with recent flows of
lava, the most of which has probably come from one or more of
the small lateral craters around 900 ft. elevation. The lava
fields are comparatively smooth near the shore, but higher up
they become rough, and in places the lava has cooled enclosing
gas bubbles with only a thin shell of lava above, through which
one breaks in walking.

The region around Sugarloaf mountain, towards the south-
west side of the island, is covered with tufaceous deposits, which
have probably come from the tufa craters in this vicinity. One
of the smaller tufa craters, encloses a salt water lake, on the bot-
tom of which there is a layer of apparently nearly pure salt sev-
eral inches in thickness. The people from the inhabited islands
used to come here for their supplies of salt many years ago.

Except on the recent lava and on the steeper sides of the
mountain, there is a considerable amount of soil to be found all
over this part of the island. The soil is composed of disinte-
grated lava, which on the higher parts is mixed with vegetable
mold. No springs occur on this island but there are a few small
stream beds in the upper region, Avhich appeared to have con-
tained water at some time, as there were water-worn stones and
pebbles in them.

There are but few halophytic plants on the sand beaches around
James Bay. Batis maritima occurs in a few places and there is a
considerable growth of bushes of Conocarpus erectus bordering
the shore. A heavy growth of bushes and small trees surrounds
the salt-water lake, just back of the beach, which consists of the
following species : Avieennia officinalis, Cryptocarpus pyriformis,
Discaria pauciflora, and Maytenus obovata. The remainder of
the sandy area, at the base of the mountain, is covered with open
woodland made up largely of trees of Bursera graveolens, and
Erythrina velutina, the last of which were in blossom when we
visited this place in December. There are also open grassy areas
in the woodland covered mostly with Setaria setosa. bushes of

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the GaJapogos Islands. 331

Telantliera echiuocephala, and Lantana peduncularis. The last
one of these also occurs on the north and south sides of the bay,
where it often forms dense thickets five or six feet high, covered
in shady places with vines of Aselepias angustissima, and Passi-
flora linearloba.

Except for au occasional bunch of Cereus nesioticus, and a
few other plants, all of which occur in protected places, the re-
cent lava beds south of James Bay, are praeticallj' bare of vege-
tation below an elevation of 500 ft. Along the edges of these
beds, next to the older lava, however, there are thickets of bushes
which ai'e made up almost entirely of Sealesia atractyloides,
which does not seem to grow in any other situations, here. Bor-
reria erieaefolia is another plant which is found in similar situ-
ations to the above, and also for some distance out on the lava
beds. Above an elevation of 500 ft. there is a considerable
amount of small vegetation on the recent lava, made up mostly
of Aselepias angustissima, and Polypodium squamatum. This
increases in amount with the ascent and at an elevation of 900
ft., there are small trees of Cereus sclerocarpus, and bushes of
Dodonaea viscosa, and Lipochaeta larcifolia. Quite a number
of ferns are to be found in the old craters and lava caverns
around this elevation among which are : Asplenium, cristatum, A.
formosum, A. sulcatum, Ceropteris tartarea, Nephrolepis bisser-
ata, and N. pectinata. Many of the species which were common
at a lower elevation, occur along the edges of the recent lava beds
here, associated with such mesophytic forms as bushes of Erig-
eron tenuifolius var. tomentosus, and Psychotria rufipes, and
trees of Pisonia floribunda. The presence of ferns and other
mesophytic plants associated with such xerophytes as Bursera,
and Cereus, indicates that the region around an elevation of
1,000 ft., on this side of the island, lies within the transition re-
gion.

There are several islands of vegetation on the lower part of
the south side of the island which are surrounded by beds of re-
cent lava. None of these were visited, but they appeared from
a distance to be covered with the usual species found in the dry
regions. Several small mangrove swamps occur along the south
shore.

The tufaceous region in the vicinity of the Sugarloaf Mountain
is covered wath small Bursera trees. Croton bushes, and other
dry-region forms. The Sugarloaf mountain is a large tufa

332 \yiscoitsln Acudcmxj of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

crater with steep sides, whicii rises to a height of 1,200 ft. The
sides of the mountain are covered with dry-region forms and ap-
parently tlierc is but little change in the cliaracter of the vege-
tation from the bottom to the top. The appearance of the moun-
tain was so uninviting that the top was not visited. The interior
of one of the smaller tufa craters in the vicinity of the Sugar-
loaf was visited, however, and a few halojihytic plants, and trees
of Hippomane IMancinelia were found growing around the salt
water lake in its interior.

The sides of the mountain east of James Bay are covered with
forests, which to an elevation of 1,000 ft. are composed largely
of trees of Acacia tortuosa, Bursera graveolens, Erythrina velu-
tina, and a few trees of Hippomane Mancinella. The under-
growth is usually i-ather open in this region and is made up
mostly of bushes of, Castela galapageia, Cordia lutea, Croton
Scouleri var. brevifolius, Telanthera echinoeephala, Tourne-
fortia strigosa, and Waltheria reticulata forma intermedia.
Occasional trees of Scalesia pedunculata begin to appear
around an elevation of 1,000 ft., but they become larger and
more abundant higher up. Ferns are found abundantly above
1,300 ft. elevation such species as Doryopteris pedata. Polypo-
dium lepidopteris, P. pectinatum, and P. squamatum being the
most common. Such epiphytes as Peperomia galapagensis, and
Tillandsia insularis are also found. The undergrowth, which is
made up largely of Tournefortia strigosa, becomes thicker than
lower down.

The rolling plateau, which extends from l,-400 ft. to the base
of the main crater at 2,200 ft. elevation, is covered with forests
of Pisonia floribunda, Psidium galapageium, Scalesia peduncu-
lata, and Zanthoxylum Fagara. The Scalesia trees are the most
abundant in this region, and form true Scalesia forests, as on
some of the other larger and higher islands of the group. The
trees of Psidium galapageium are smaller than at similar eleva-
tions on other islands where this species occurs. Bushes of
Tournefortia strigosa continue into this region and such other
bushes as Brachistus pubescens, Croton Scouleri var. grandifo-
lius, Erigeron tenuifolius var. tomentosus, Phytolacca oetandra,
Psyehotria rufipes, Tournefortia rufo-sericea, and Urera alceae-
folia are commonly found, especialij' towards the upper part of
this region. There are many open areas, in the deeper valleys
betweeji the hills and craters, which are covered with a heavy

Stewart — Botanical Conditions ,on the Galapagos Islandfi. 333

growth of Paspaluni coujugatum. In his Voyage of the Beagle,
Uarwiii mentions that he found beds of Cype^rus, on the upper
part of this island, in which there was a species of water rail.
The Ornithologists of the expedition succeeded in capturing sev-
eral specimens of this rather rare bird, but in each instance they
were found to be hidden in the thick growth of Paspalum grass,
no beds of Cyperus having been found.

The forest trees, and bushes arc heavily covered with epi-
phytes around 2,200 ft. elevation and above. Ferns are common
among these, Polypodium aureum, and. Nephrolepis pectinata
being the most abundant. Other epiph^M(3S worthy of mention
are: Epidendrum spicatum, Lycopodium laxiLolium, and Peper-
omia galapagensis, besides mosses aad lichens. There are many
species of terrestrial ferns in shady i)laces and on moist banks.
The Scalesia forests extend nearly to the top of the mam crater
on the leeward side, but on the windward side, which is bathed
almost constantly by the strong southeast trade wands for sev-
eral months of the j^ear, the trees begin to thin out a short dis-
tance above the base of the crater and there are none at the top,
although Zanthoxylum persists here as small gnarled bushes.
Bushes of Psychotria rufipes are very common on this side and
around the top. There are many ferns around the top, among
Avhich is Hemitelia multiflora, the only tree fern on the islands.

The top of this mountain was heavily covered with fog at the
time it Avas visited so that no general survey of the surrounding
region could be made. As near as could be determined the dry
region extends to about an elevation of 1,300 ft. on this side
while the transition region extends to possibly 2,000 ft. varying,
however, at different places.

The steep sides of the mountain, above the lava fields on the
south side of the island, are covered with the usual species found
in the transition regions, a condition which extends up to above
1,600 ft. elevation. There are many ravines extending down this
side, which broaden out occasionally and enclose park-like areas.
In most places these ravines are filled with bushes and trees.
Fruticose lichens are very abundant upon the vegetation here.

Jervis Island,

Jervis lies about four miles off the south shore of James Is-
land. It is a small island, not over two miles in diameter, which
rises to a height of 1,050 ft., in consequence of which the sides of

334 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

the island are very steep. A pebble beach extends along a por-
tion of the north side, near which there is a small salt water
lake surrounded on the sides by a small area of level land.
There are three peaks on the island which vary in height from
950-1,050 ft. The flat area near the shore is covered with dark
red soil mixed with bits of lava, but the steep sides have very
little soil on them, except in low places and in crevices of the
lava. The sides in places are strewn with small lava boulders.

Low bushes of Cryptocarpus pyriformis grow along the beach,
while around the lake there are small trees of Avicennia officin-
alis, and Laguneularia racemosa. Tangled thickets of Discaria
pauciflora with very long stiff spines, and bushes of ^Maytenus
obovata occur just above the lake on the side next to the land.
There are many small trees of Bursera graveolens, and Opuntia
myriacantha scattered over the lower part of the island. The
first of these species gradually disappears higher up, while the
second becomes very much reduced in size, appearing at the top
in a more or less decumbent form. The steep sides of the island
are covered with bushes which consist chiefly of Croton Scouleri,
and Waltheria reticulata. All of the vegetation, above an ele-
vation of 450 ft., is heavily covered wdth frutieose lichen indicat-
ing a somewhat greater amount of moisture than lower down.

The vegetation has a decidedly stunted appearance around the
summit, and with the exception of a single species of fern. Poly-
podium squamatum, all of the other plants are distinctly dry-
region forms. There are no trees at the top, and the bushes
which occur there, are usually low and more or less prostrate.

Narborough Island.

Narborough, the third largest island in the group, is situated
just west of Albemarle Island from which it is separated by a
shallow channel about two miles wide at its narrowest point.
The northern end of the island is nearly' opposite Tagus Cove on
Albemarle Island. A large crater, probably over 5,000 ft. in
height is situated somewhat north of the center, and there is a
gradual slope upward from the shore to the base of it on all sides
but the north. The outer walls of the crater rise abruptly on
the north side, and are almost perpendicular in places. There
is a broad flat plain of old lava at the base of the crater on this
side.

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 335

This island shows more evidence of recent volcanic activity
than any other island in the group. The sides are covered in
most places with deposits of basaltic lava and volcanic cinder
Avhich are practically bare of vegetation in most places. There
are, however, occasional islands of older lava, which were not
covered by the more recent flows, on which there is a consider-
able amount of vegetation. Some of these islands are quite
large. One was visited on the north side, and was found to ex-
tend from the base of the crater to the shore, while on the east
and west sides of it there were extensive beds of volcanic cinder
of more recent origin. The older lava was deeply stained
through weathering. There were occasional lava tunnels in the
older lava, the tops of which had fallen in in places leaving
openings into long narrow caverns high enough in places for one
to walk through them in comfort. There wa^ but little soil on
this part of the island in consequence of which the vegetation
was very scanty.

The island was visited for botanical purposes on the north,
and northeast sides. The shores are bordered by low cliffs,
along the north side, which are almost perpendicular in most
places. On this account landing is difficult and even dangerous
except in calm weather. As there is no suitable anchorage on
this side, we visited it in boats, and it was necessary for one
member of the party to remain in the boat and keep it off shore,
while the remainder of the party did their collecting. On this
account our stay here was more limited than it would have other-
wise been.

Botanical conditions were very discouraging. There are no
trees of any kind on this part unless the few small Burseras
which occur here, could be designated as such. Neither Cereus
or Opuntia is to be found although they both occur on the south
side of the island. There is a scattered growth of bushes con-
sisting of: Castela galapageia, Cordia Hookeriana, Euphorbia
diffusa, Lippia rosmarinifolia, Scalesia narbonensis, and "Wal-
theria reticulata forma intermedia. Vines of Asclepias angus-
tissima, and Cissampelos Pareira were found to be growing on
the bushes in places. Several species of grasses grow from the
lava crevices among which are, Bouteloua pilosa, Cenehrus gran-
ulans, Eragrostis ciliaris, and Paspalum canescens. A single
fern, Notholaena sulphurea, was found at an elevation of about
500 ft.

33G Wisconsin Academy of IScicnces, Arts, and Letters.

The part of the island visited on tlie northeast side, is about
opposite Tagus Cove. There is a small bay at this place around
which there are small mangrove swamps, as there are at several
other places alonj; the east and south shores of the island. Bot-
anical conditions were even more discouraging here than they
were on the north side, as all of the country in this vicinity was
found to be covered with beds of recent lava on which there was
apparently no other vegetation than occasional specimens of Cer-
■eus nesioticus and Cyperus Mutisii.

Mr. Beck succeeded in reaching the top of the mountain, when
he visited the island from the south side somewhat earlier in the
season. He reported it to be heavily covered with vegetation,
among which were ferns and other mesophytic plants. He also
reported a heavy growth of tall grass around the top, which
from his description, must have been Penuisetum exalatum.
There are two lakes inside the crater which are probably 2,000
ft. or more below the rim. The inner walls were covered with
recent lava.

Seymour Islands.

The Seymour Islands, three in number, lie off the northeast
corner of Indefatigable Island of which they probably formed a
part some time in the past. The islands are all low and are
separated from each other by relatively narrow and shallow
channels. South Seymour, the only one of the three visited, is
the largest and lies closest to Indefatigable from which it is sep-
arated by a channel about one half mile in width.

The shores of this island are steep and formed by low cliffs,
except in two places on the west side, where there are sand
beaches. One of these beaches borders a rather large bay which
affords good ancliorage for vessels. Back of this bay there is a
flat sandy area of some extent, but otherwise the surface of the
island is covered with large irregular boulders of lava in be-
tween which there is a scanty light red soil.

The densest vegetation on the island occurs on the sandy area
mentioned above, w^here thickets of bushes made up of Crypto-
carpus pyrifoi-mis. Discaria pauciflora. and Maytenus obovata
are to be found. In front of these thickets, there is a consider-
able area along the beach which is covered with Ammophila
arenaria, the only place on the islands where this species has
been found. The remainder of the island is covered with small

Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 337

Bursera trees, bushes of Castela galapageia, Gossypium barba-
dense, small specimens of Opuntia, Parkinsonia aculeata, and
Prosopis duleis. Some of the Bursera trees are evidently B.
malacophylla, an endemic species collected on the Seymour
Isands some years ago by Snodgrass and Heller, but whether
or not they were all of this species could not be determined as
the Bursera trees were in the resting condition both times this
island was visited hy our party. A few dried leaves was all that
<}ould be obtained of this species.

There is a small salt-water lake near the west side around
which there are a few small trees of Avicennia officinalis. Man-
grove swamps are probably present along the shore of the chan-
nel separating the island from Indefatigable, but as they were
only seen from a distance the extent and composition of them
€Ould not be detennined. Goats have been introduced upon this
island during the past few years, by the inhabitants of one of the
other islands. They manage to gain a miserable existence from
the scanty vegetation and render tiie island even more barren
than it would otherwise be.

North Seymour is next in size to South Seymour. It is appar-
ently covered with a dense growth of Croton, and other bushes.
The middle island is low and small. There were large red-col-
ored patches of vegetation on it which had the appearance from
a distance of being composed of Sesuvium Edmonstonei.

Tower Island.

This is one of the smaller islands which lies about twenty-eight
miles east of Bindloe. The shores are bordered by cliffs about
forty feet high on all sides except the south where there is a
small bay and sand beaches. The island is only four miles in
diameter and is low in altitude, the highest point on it not being
over 200 ft. above sea level. There is a crater, nearly a half
mile in diameter near the center, but which can not be seen from
the shore or from the surrounding ocean as there is no rim pro-
jecting above the surrounding country. There is a small salt-
water lake at the bottom of this crater on the shore of which
there is a grove of trees of Ehizophora Mangle. Small blow-
holes occur at other places on the island.

Outside of the mangroves just mentioned, there are no other
trees on the island except those of Bursera graveolens, which are
22— S! & A.

338 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

small and heavily covered with lichens. Low thickets of Opun-
tia Helleri occur along the tops of the cliffs and for some distance
back from them, and l^ereus nesiticus is to be found in several iso-
lated spots on the island. The most common bushes are those
of Cordia lutea, Croton Scouleri, Lantana pcduncularis, and
Waltheria reticulata forma Andersonii. A few grasses, sedges,
and other herl)aceous plants have been reported from this island,
but as our party visited it during the dry season in September,
none of these were found.

Wenman Island.

Witli the exception of Culpepper, Wenman is the most north-
ern island of the group. It is nothing more than an immense
rock, about a mile in diameter, which lies seventy six miles north-
west of Abingdon Island. The main island is surrounded by
perpendicular cliffs on all sides but the north where they are
somewhat broken doAVTi so that a landing can be effected and the
upper part reached. In many places the cliffs are several hun-
dred feet high, and some of them reach practically to the highest
part which probably has an elevation of about 800 ft. There is
a smaller island, to the north of the main one, and separated
from it by a narrow channel. This, however, was not visited by
our party. The channel between the islands is comparatively
shallow and it is likely that an anchorage could be made here.
It was not attempted by our party.

We were unable to remain on this island for more than a few
hours in consequence of this the higher parts were not visited,
botanical collecting being confined to a shelf about 250 ft. above
sea level. The remainder of the island rises several hundred
feet higher.

The only trees found on the island were those of Erythrina
velutina, a small grove of which occurs on the northeast side.
Bushes of Croton Scouleri var. brevifolius occur in dense thick-
ets and some of the specimens are several feet high approaching
the size of small trees. Low thickets of Opuntia Helleri are to
be found along the tops of the cliffs and hanging over the sides.
Ipomoea Kinbergi occurs commonly on trees. Other plants
found rather abundantly are : Scalesia Snodgrassi, and Telanth-
era Helleri var. obtusior. A few feras were seen growing in inac-
cessable places on the sides of the cliffs. By shooting into a

Stewart — Botanical Conditions pn the Galapagos Islands. 339

bunch of these enough material was brought down to show that
Nephrolepis biserrata occurs here, but whether or not there are
any other species of ferns can not be said. The small island, to
the north of the main one, appeared to be covered with Croton,
and other bushes.

340 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

SOME OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE BOTANICAL CONDI-
TIONS ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS.

INDEX.

Page

Introduction 272

Abingdon Island 27J

Albemarle Island 276

Barrington Island 292

Bindloe Island 294

Brattle Island 295

Charles Island 296

Chatham Island 301

Culpepper Island 308

Daphne Island 308

Duncan Island 308

Gardner Island, near Charles Island 311

Gardner Island, near Hood Island 312

Hood Island 312

Indefatigable Island 314

James Island 327

Jervis Island 333

Narborough Island 334

Seymour Islands 336

Tower Island ^^"^

Wenman Island ^**

QK 252 571*°"' "'"'"""' °^""" '-"'"'*
^'^llimifl^i'm ilii ri""® observations concern^*"

5185 00164 7765