PREFACE 



T^lIE preseut pMiiur reiiresfiits m iH(iii(i.uraplii<' stiidv uf ;ill tlic kiuiwii Hawaiian 

 Lobelioideae comprising the geuera Lobelia, Tr< matolobelia, Brighamia, Cija- 

 Ilea, Clcrmontia, Delissca and Rollaiidia. 8ix of the seven genera are peculiar to 

 the Hawaiian Islands, while the seventh [Lobelia) is of world-wide distribntion. 

 The largest number of species occur in the geniLs Vijaiiea fifty-two, in Clernioiitia 

 there are twenty-three, in Eollanelia nine, in Delisxea seven, in Lobelia eleven, ami 

 one in each of the two remaining genera {Trcmatolubclia and Brigliainia). This 

 makes a tcilal niiiiilier of one hundred and iour species of Lobelioideae which are 

 all peculiar to the Hawaiian Islands. Hesides these species, there occnr five varie- 

 ties and one form in Vleriiunilia, twenty-five varieties in Vijaiiea, three varieties in 

 Ddissea. three varieties in Uolhiiidid. \o\iv varii'tics and imc tonu in Labilia, two 

 varieties in I'rematolobdia, and one torm in Brighainia, making a tt)tal of one 

 hundred and forty-nine species, varieties, ami forms. Ilillebrand in his Flora of 

 tile Hawaiian Islands eiuunerates fitty-eight species of Lnb< tiiiidi ik in all. While 

 the numher of species and varieties has been more than doubled, it is the writer's 

 opinion tliat many more species will be brought to light, esjiecially in the genus 

 Cyanea. Strange to sa}', Ddissea has Ijrought forth no new species; on the con- 

 trary, the old known species have become extremely rare and several of the 

 species have not been rc-coUected since the days of Ilillebrand. Delissea is in all 

 probability a decadent genus. A few new sijecies ma\- be expected in (Jleriiioniia, 

 Uolleuidia and perhaps Lnbdia. but the greater number of new species must be 

 expected in Cyanea. 



The writer has laliored for nearly ten years on the Hawaiian LobeHnidene. 

 As Botanist of the Hawaiian Board of Agriculture and Forestry and of the 

 College of Hawaii, he made a botanical survey of all the islands of this group, 

 and from the beginning of his work here in Hawaii he felt especially interested 

 in these strange and highlj- interesting plants. Thus he became acquainted with 

 nearly all the Hawaiian Lobelioideae growing in their natural habitat, which is 

 so essential to the proper understanding of this difficult group of plants. It is 

 next to impossible to arrange these plants systematicall}' without having seen 

 them in their native haunts. In the preparation of this monograph, the writer 

 had at his disposal for study the Ilillebrand Collection in the Berlin Ilerliarium, 

 the AVawra Collection in the Vienna Herbarium, Gaudichaud's and J. Remy's 

 Collection in the Paris ]\Iuse\un, Asa Gray's species in the Gray Herbarium, 

 H. iMann's Collection from the Cornell Herbarium and Bishop Museum Iler- 

 liarium; he saw A. A. Heller's species and C. N. Forbes' new species in the 

 Bishop Museiun. and the A. S. Hitchcock Collection which the wi'iter determined 

 for the U. S. National jMuseum. 



In the year IDl^-lDl-l the wi'iter made a .journey sirouud th<' world and for 

 three months studied the collections in Europe. He examined Adalbert de 

 Chamisso's species in Berlin, and saw specimens collected by Lay and Coollie, 

 Bennett, Wawra; Eemy, Gaudichqud and Hillebrand. In America he studied 

 the collections in the (jray Ilerbariimi at Cambridge. 



In luost instances the types of the early authors have been photographed by 

 the writer, whose own types have also been photograi)hicall.\' re])rodnced. ()nl.\- 



