PANDANACEAE 



* **? Pandanus tectorius Park. (Fig. 11; Pis. 35-38,50) 



Formerly Known Distribution : Recorded 1840, 

 unidentified Pandanus; L-3227, Pandanus Islet, seen on Nake 

 by Long. 



Present Distribution : A minor plant community ( Plant and 

 Communities section), Pandanus is primarily associated with 

 Tournefortia or Pisonia on the leeward motus. Most common 

 on Nake. with Cocos and Ipomoea. Range extension from two 

 to seven motus. 



Phenology: Flowers and fruit in October, March, and 

 May. 



Substrata : Variable. Prefers lagoon mud, pure sand, and 

 rubble-humus, but survives in almost pure rubble. 



GRAMINAE 



* +? Digitaria species 



Collected 1883 and recorded as IPanicum (Digitaria) 

 marginata. Examined by Long, who believes it a Digitaria 

 identical to his L-3235. Not found by the authors. 



* Lepturus repens (Forst. f.) R. Br. (Fig. 13; PI. 2a) 



Formerly Known Distribution : Collected 1883; L-3211, 

 322 1 . 3236, 3238, 3247, 3259, 3286 from Windward, Tridacna. 

 Nake, Long, Emerald, Crab, and South Islands, respectively. 



Present Distribution : On most dry Pacific atolls. K-88-4, 

 5 ; K-90- 1 , 2, 1 9 to 2 1, 25 from South, Tridacna, and Ana- Ana. 

 On Caroline, range extension from 6 to 26 motus. 



Ecology : Patchy, rare to locally common. Usually in 

 exposed herb mats with Heliotropium, Laportea, Portulaca, 

 and low Tournefortia scrub. Abundance 1-5% cover where 

 not in thick patches. Occasionally inland under Tournefortia, 

 Cordia, or Cocos, fitting the generalization that Lepturus, 

 though a pioneer, will often persist as undergrowth in forests. 

 Tufts tiny (few centimeters), dry and scrappy in exposed areas, 

 but to 3 dm where shaded. Never in tall, upright clumps, or with 

 the same abundance as on the drier, filled-in equatorial atolls or 

 islands with sandier habitats (Christopherson. 1927; Fosberg, 

 1953, personal observation). Never forms a turf. 



Substrata : Able to survive in coral rubble of varying 

 coarseness, down to high water mark, but preferred habitat is 

 part sand. L-3286 was from "numerous clumps under Suriana 

 scrub on South Island," perhaps the low, sandy portion of the 

 northwest point ( PI. 45 ). our best Lepturus site. Comparison of 

 Arundel's chart (1883), recent aerial surveys, and earlier 

 photographs indicate that several motus have altered shape 

 since 1883. The amount of open area on South Island has also 

 decreased markedly since 1883. The distribution of Lepturus 

 parallels these changes; there is clearly much less on South 

 Island, and more in newly-created islet fringes. 



Since 1965 the lagoon shore of South Island has become 

 overgrown by Cocos, so much that both Suriana and Lepturus 

 are much less common than previously (Pis. 39,40). However, 

 sand and debris will always be shifting, so that Lepturus will 

 move from place to place, establishing wherever conditions 

 permit. In the second situation, a comparison of Pis. 2a and 24 



from 1 883 and 1988, respectively, shows that a century ago the 

 lagoon-facing shores of South Island were far more open than 

 the dense Cocos plantations of today. The clumped grass in the 

 foreground of PI. 2a is undoubtedly Lepturus, probably mixed 

 with introduced grasses not seen since that time (Eleusine 

 indica, Eragrostis plumosa) and the dubious Digitaria sp., 

 above. 



PALMAE 



**# Cocos nuciferaL. (Figs. 14,36,51; Pis. 2,6,18,24,34,37,44) 



Formerly Known Distribution : Recorded 1840, 1884; 

 L-3285 from South Island, extensive groves on South and 

 Nake, scattered on north portion of Long. 



Present Distribution ; Range extension from 3 to 1 5 motus. 

 Planted groves on South, Nake, and Long; the rest derived from 

 drift. 



Phenology: Flowers and fruit year round. 



Ecology : Forms a major vegetation type (Plant 

 Communities section). Primarily South and Nake, where 

 closed canopy forests average 2 1 m high. 



TACCACEAE 



# **? Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) O. Kuntze (Fig. 1 1 ) 



Tacca pinnatifida Forster 



Formerly Known Distribution : Normally an aboriginal 

 introduction on Pacific islands, but on Caroline is first mentioned 

 as planted in 1834 (Bennett. 1840); L-3213 and 3219, and 

 K-90-7 and 90-16 from moist muck, South Island. L-3234, 

 common under Cocos and numerous patches found in muck, 

 south end, Nake. 



Present Distribution : Common in northwest South. None 

 in flower; each plant had two to three leaves, possibly dying 

 back. None found on Nake, despite searching the south end. 

 Has large underground tubers, dies back, and though cultivated, 

 still occurs spontaneously in Cocos groves on many atolls. 

 Currently harvested by the Falconers. 



Ecology : Needs fine, moist soil and shade. Though its 

 seeds float for months (Guppy, 1906), it will probably not 

 become established on any other motu, due to the prevalence of 

 rubbly substrates. 



Phenology : Flowers and fruit in March and May, dies 

 back in October. 



URTICACEAE 



* Laportea ruderalis (Forst. Chew (Fig. 15) 



Fleurya ruderalis (Forst. f.) Gaud, ex Wedd 

 Formerly Known Distribution : Reported 1840, collected 



1884. L-3215 common in shady areas South Island; 



L-3229 scattered on exposed coral and sand, west side Crescent 



Islet. L-3253 under shade of Cocos and Pisonia on north side 



of Long Island. 



Distribution and Abundance : K-88-3 South Island, Tr. 1, 



elevation 0.3 m, under old Cocos plantation, in humus and 



rubble. Range extension from 3 to 32 islets (Table 3). 



Commonest and most widespread ground cover, 



17 



