Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-02-12
AMONG THE CORAL REEFS
HOW THEY ARE BUILT UP OPT
THE COAST OF FLORIDA.
Curious Species of Trees and Plants OF
the Islands There-Florida Upas
and a Berry which Oocu-
pies the House.

The captains of some fishing and
turtling vessels, who have been cruis-
ing among the Florida reefs announce
that islands which few years since
were mere heaps OF rock. are now
covered with vegetation writes Key
West Fla. correspondent OF the Wash
ington STAR and that new species OF
trees are taking root on keys where
they were unknown five years ago.
These islands are, it seems. follow
ing the old process of continent build
ing and are gradually increasing In
size and drawing closer together, ex-
cept in spots where currents are swift
and tideways powerful Their soil
consists of lime and sedimentary rocks
covered with a light vegetable mold,
produced by decaying vegetation, and
their subsoil being hard and permeated
with brackish water. There is not
much opportunity for the development
of varied and vigorous flora
The total number of botanical
species found on all the Keys extend
ing from Dry Tortugas to Blscayne
bay does not exceed $50, or aboat a
fourth Of the number found in other
regions Of equal extent but the pro-
portion of shrubs and trees is unusually
large being about a third of the
whole, while the ratio of woody to
herbaceous plants in other portions OF
the state is only one TO seven. This
makes the botany of the islands inter-
esting, particularly as the prevailing
species belong TO the tropical and the
sub-tropical families found in the Ba-
hamas and other islands of the West
Indies.
The towering trees that thrive on
the mainland are strangers to the
reef their places being taken by the
satinwood. mastic. crabwood, button
wood. cedar. bay wild fig, myrtle.
chincona and their kindred and these
often form dense thickets along the
coasts which are impossible to even a
bird. Vines and creepers are very
abundant and frequently bind the
shrubs so closely together that even a
snake can not crawl through them in
some parts. The parasites are tough.
| flexible and woody, and so strong and
long that one requires an AK or mach
cite to cut through them Some trees
have the habit Of sending out many
lateral branches, evidently to secure
as much elbow room. air and light as
| possible, and as these soon become
one mass of tangled vines and weeds
a faint idea OF. the difficulty of travers-
| ing the woods may be obtained. /
have essayed to force my way through
places where the wild sapodilla, but
tonwood. mastic and other trees grow
and have always failed, owing to the
density of the thickets and the
abundance of creepers.
A very striking popularity of sew
eral of the species indigenous to the
reefs in that they are shrubs in the
open ground where they have room to
grow, but towering vines where they
are crowded and environed by tall
trees. One group of islands among
the reefs differs radically from all the
others both in physical and botanical
features This group is about $50
miles in length and lies at almost
right angles to the other keys Its
general trend is from Northwest to
Southeast and its outlines are varied
and broken. The most abundant trees
on the group are the Cuban pine and
the silvery thrinax, and wax myrtle
and dwarf palmetto are not uncommon.
These and three herbaceous plants
are the only specimens that are in
digenous alike to the reefs and North
ern Florida; so that the person who is
familiar with the trees OF the main
land will meet few arboreal acquaint-
ances on the coral islands OF the
South, although he may hear species
having no relationship called by old
familiar names. botanical lore not be-
ing q speciality of the Bahamians
who form the larger portion of the
inhabitants of the reefs.
Two species of plants on the reefs
have secured reputation that is sure
to commend them to the notice OF
travellers. One Is the manchincel or
Florida upas whose juices are poison
Gus and raise severe blister on any
part of the body they may touch, and
the other is a chaparral, which has
such fetid odor that an extract of
the berries will dispense an audience
from ball room or theater in few
moments. Some wags chew these
berries and then spit on the floor Of a
room which they wish to see cleared
OF its occupants and generally sue
coed in their purpose, the smell being
overpowering. Key West has mu-
nicipal law against the use of these
berries. and as it is strictly enforced
travellers rarely hear Of the peculiar
virtues OF the chaparral
The rhus metopium. or poison wood,
is also credited with many bad quail.
ties, but like the manchincel,. it is
not so fatal as its reputation would
lead one to expect
True, Hut Strained.