FIG. 13. KOA TREE ON NORTH SLOPE OF MAUNA KEA. An isolated specimen. The accompanying photographs were taken between the break of day and sunrise, and the flowers had partially closed. One of the favorite drives from the city leads over a pass in the Koolau Mountains. This pass, called the Pali or Nuuanu Pali, is about 1,200 feet altitude. The view from here is unusually fine. The trade wind blows through here with great force, at times so strong that the passage of vehicles is difficult, and pedestrians must make their way by aid of a wire cable stretched along the cliff. A remarkable effect of the strong wind is seen on a waterfall over a cliff to the west of the Pali. The water falls up instead of down. As it goes over the edge of the cliff it is caught by the wind and shoots straight up in the air. There are two institutions in Honolulu of special interest to the taxonomic botanist. At the College of Hawaii, there is a large herbarium of Hawaiian plants in charge of Professor J. F. Rock, who has studied the flora intensively and has published several memoirs upon Hawaiian plants. Of special interest to visiting botanists are his two books, "The Ornamental Trees of Hawaii" and "The Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands," both profusely illustrated from photographs. The Bishop Museum possesses a large and important collection of ethnologic and natural history objects relating to the Hawaiian Islands and to Polynesia. There is a large herbarium of Hawaiian plants in charge of Mr. C. N. Forbes, who has traveled extensively over the islands and who has published several articles upon their flora. Professor W. A. Bryan, professor of zoology and geology in the College of Hawaii, has published a book upon the "Natural History of Hawaii" which should be consulted by all botanical travelers. The U. S. Experiment Station is in charge of Mr. J. M. FIG. 14. KOA FOREST ON NORTH SLOPE OF MAUNA KEA. The trees as they look when crowded. FIG. 15. SCHOFIELD BARRACKS. The western range of mountains is in the background, Mt. Kaala, the highest point in Oahu, being at the right. The grass in the foreground is mostly pilipiliula (Chrysopogon aciculatus). This is troublesome because the mature spikelets, with their sharp points, penetrate the clothing. Westgate, formerly of the Bureau of Plant Industry, to whom the writer is indebted for many courtesies. A fine collection of exotic trees and shrubs is to be found in the Hillebrand Garden (Fig. 11), now owned by Mrs. Mary E. Foster. This was once the home of Dr. W. Hillebrand, the author of the well-known "Flora of the Hawaiian Islands." Another fine collection of trees is in the grounds of the Board of Agriculture and Forestry, on King Street. The flora in the immediate vicinity of Honolulu is disappointing. Scarcely a native plant is to be seen for several miles around, if one disregards plants of the beach and of the shore marshes. The moist open slopes are taken with Hilo grass (Paspalum conjugatum) and vast areas are overrun with guava and lantana (L. Camera). I saw enough fine yellow guavas going to waste to make guava jelly for an army. Of 60 species of grasses found around Honolulu, 50 species were introduced. An exotic tree, the kukui (Aleurites moluccana) has virtually become a weed, so widely is it introduced. The light green foliage is a striking feature of the landscape (Fig. 39). An introduced tree of great economic importance is the algaroba (Prosopis juliflora), a relative of the mimosas (Fig. 12). This tree occupies great areas or belts in the low land near the coasts of all the islands, especially on the lee side. The flowers furnish nectar from which an excellent quality of honey is produced the annual output of the Molokai Ranch being in excess of 100 tons. The pods are eagerly eaten by all kinds of animals and furnish an important source of feed. Probably the commonest tree in the islands is the ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha), a variable species found from sea level to 9,000 feet altitude. The bark resembles that of our white oak, but the flowers, myrtaceous in structure, with numerous protruding stamens, are bright scarlet, or sometimes yellowish, and very showy. The most important forest tree is the koa (Acacia Koa) (Figs. 13, 14) and in abundance is probably second only to the ohia (o-heé-a). The wood of the koa is used for cabinet making and for construction. The ukulele, a mandolin-like musical instrument, is usually made of koa wood; and the ancient war canoes of the natives were hollowed out from the trunks of koa trees. The leaves of this tree, whose relatives are mostly Australian, are to us peculiar in that they consist of lanceolate flattened petioles (phyllodea), though the young trees, or young shoots on old trees, show twice pinnate leaves with flattened petioles. The interior of Oahu is a plateau lying between the eastern and western chains of mountains. On this plateau is situated Schofield Barracks (Figs. 15, 16), where are quartered many of the troops. The open ground here is fine for parade purposes but is covered with a pestiferous little grass called pilipiliula (Chrysopogon aciculatus) whose mature florets end FIG. 16. STRATIFIED LAVA ON THE ROAD TO SCHOFIELD BARRACKS. VOL. V.-22. |