95 



'The object of this work," the ])reface sets forth, "is ])rimarily 

 to arouse a keener interest in, and to make known to i\ustrahans 

 in particular and the world in general, the diversity of hard- 

 woods with which nature has endowed this wonderful continent." 

 According to remarks in the introduction, the softwoods form 

 such a comparatively small proportion of Australian forests that 

 one is quite safe in saying that the prevailing feature of the woods 

 is their hardness. At that the number of distinct hardwoods is 

 comparatively small, the author further remarking that, *'for 

 so vast a continent it is remarkable that the number of species of 

 trees is not by any means great, particularly when compared 

 with some of the Pacific group of islands, such as the Philip- 

 pines, where, according to Major E. P. Ahern, there are found 

 2,*000 tree species, while the United States and Canada have less 

 than 700. From a rough computation Australia has probably less 

 than 500." Genera containing large numbers of tree species, it 

 is stated, are very few, the genus which stands out in great 

 predominance as a timber yielder being eucalyptus, the described 

 species of which probably number 200. 



Hawaii is indebted to Australia for some of its valuable lumber 

 trees, the Australian red cedar, a softwood, having been the sub- 

 ject of an illustrated article in the March number of this 

 masfazine. 



The Wiliwili Tree 



By C. S. Judd. Superintendent of Forestry 



The most delightful native tree seen by the traveler during 

 the spring months in the arid sections of the Hawaiian Islands 

 is the wiliwili tree, Erythrina vwiiospenna Gaud., which stands 

 out wdth its wealth of crimson blossoms as a very conspicuous 

 object in the surrounding bleak landscape. This is one of the 

 few Hawaiian trees that is deciduous, i. e., that drops its leaves. 

 This happens in the fall and the blossoms appear on the bare 

 branchlets from early spring to June or Jnly before the new 

 leaves appear so that the tree is never, or very rarely, in leaf 

 and blossom at the same time. 



The wiliwili belongs to the gefius Erythrina (from the Greek 

 word meaning "red" ) wdiich has 30 species well distributed over 

 the tropics. There is only one species in these islands, the 

 /:. inonosperma (one-seeded) which is a misnomer because the 

 pods which are hard and woody and dehisce on the tree con- 

 tain often as many as 3 or 4 seeds. The same species is also 

 found in Tahiti and New Caledonia. 



