THE PLANT WORLD 235 



is apparently the same species as the common Ceiba of the West Indies 

 iCeiba pe?itandra) . Here the trunks are very straight and the branches 

 in regular horizontal whorls. The trees are sometimes planted along 

 boundary lines between estates. When we get our telephone line 

 established, I think it will be well to follow the example of some of the 

 East Indian islands and plant these trees along the roadside between 

 Agana and the port for live telephone posts. Among the weeds common 

 about my yard are Euphorbia pilulifera, called " Golondrina," and 

 Acalypha hidica, which grows in crevices in the stone wall. Climbing 

 on the wall there is also a fern with leathery lobed leaves {Polypodium 

 phymatodes) , which, the natives call "Kahlao." Among other ferns, I 

 have collected the delicate Lygodiiim scandens, which climbs among the 

 reeds in the marshes and reappears on the treeless patches of the uplands 

 called ' ' sabanas. ' ' The great coarse marsh fern is Chrysodiiim atireum, a 

 species very common in Polynesia and distributed nearly all over the 

 warmer regions of the globe. The natives of this island call it ' ' Lagfiga- 

 yao," Another common Polynesian fern with simple, small, linear 

 fronds is Polypodmni adnascens. It climbs tree trunks and seems to 

 prefer coconut palms. The most beautiful of all the climbing ferns is a 

 species of Davallia very much like Davallia solida, which I have collected 

 in Samoa. It has glossy green divided fronds, and is probably the species 

 called D. liicidula by Presl. I have not yet found it in fruit. On the 

 sabanas of Makahna Mountain I found IJndsaya retusa and Lindsaya 

 ensifolia accompanying patches of Gleichenia dichotorna, which reminds 

 me of the common bracken {Pteris aquilina). The high, sharp-edged 

 "neti," or sword-grass, covering stretches of sabana, is often burned 

 by hunters to drive out the deer. This burns the fronds of the Gleichenia, 

 but leaves the stipes sticking up like sharp-pointed wires, which are very 

 dangerous for bare-footed pedestrians. Few things have pleased me 

 more than finding a pretty little yellow -flowered Hypoxis (//". aiirea) 

 on the sabana — it was like meeting a little friend from home. Among 

 the strand plants the ' ' Hunik ' ' ( Toiirnefortia argented) and ' ' Nanaso 

 iScaevola koenigii) are hard to dry on account of their fleshy leaves. 

 There seem to be a number of plants growing along the beach which do 

 not dry readily. I suppose that if there were not some provision for check- 

 ing their transpiration, or regulating it, their tissues would soon be filled 

 with crystals of salt from the sea- water. 



I collected a plant to-day with small flowers having discs like our 

 "Jersey tea" (^Ceatiot/ms america?ius) . It proved to be Colubriyia asia- 

 tica, which is used in Samoa for washing the white shaggy rugs made of 

 nettle fibre. The fresh leaves make a lather with water, which gives it a 

 name in Fiji signifying "much foam." Jose says its Chamorro name 

 is " Gasoso." Collected specimens of leaves and flowers of the " horse- 



