The Flora of Tungshatao (Pratas Island)

Tungshatao, situated among Taiwan, Huinan and Luzon, about 430 kilometers from Kaohsiung harbor, Taiwan, is 1.74 square kilometers in area. The vegetation of this island can be classified into three kinds native, secondary and artificial vegetation. The most important community is coastal thicket composed mainly of Scaevola sericea mixed with members of Messerschmidia argentea, Suriana maritima, Morus australis, Guettarda speciosa, Morinda citrifolia and Pisonia grandis. The grassland, occupying a smaller part in the island, is mainly composed of Sesuvium portulacastrum, Thuarea involuta, Wedelia biflora and Ipomoea pes-caprae ssp. brasiliensis. A total of 111 species, including 24 cultivated species and 14 naturalized species, are recorded from this island. Among the natives Cordia subcordata, Pisonia grandis, Suriana maritima, Tribulus cistoides, Triumfetta procumbens, and Syringodium isoetifolium are not recorded from Taiwan proper and its adjacent islands.