BOTANIZING WITH THE OKINAWANS — WALKER 369 



tion, which immediately followed the Perry Expedition that opened 

 Japan to western trade. When the beloved Japanese botanist Prof. 

 Tomitaro Makino found it needed a new name, he graciously honored 

 its first describer. 



It would be superfluous here to mention more of the places visited 

 and the interesting plants collected. The midsummer months, how- 

 ever, are not the ideal ones for plant collecting, for many species are 

 through flowering and have not yet developed mature fruits, and 

 the fall flowering plants are still gathering strength for blossoming 

 forth. Full flowering and fruiting specimens are those most desirable 

 for representing the species. However, by August 12 we had assem- 

 bled nearly 800 collections, or over 2,500 specimens for shipment to 

 Washington. Further operations here would yield a progressively 

 decreasing return of new material. On August 13, after a 10-day 

 delay in finding transportation, Mr. Tawada and I embarked on the 

 FS-204, an Army supply boat which made a monthly visit to the 

 scattered United States stations, and the next day went ashore on 

 remote Iriomote Island, far down the chain. 



BOTANIZING IN THE SOUTHERN RYUKYUS 



Iriomote Shima is about 14 miles wide and 17 miles long. Almost 

 the entire surface of the island consists of heavily forested mountains 

 running up to 1,350 feet. The lower courses of several streams are 

 drowned estuaries lined with mangroves (pi. 10, upper). There are 

 a few small villages, but no roads and no wheeled vehicles, barring 

 rusting bulldozers and coal-mine trucks no longer usable for lack of 

 parts to repair them. The mine, however, which then was being oper- 

 ated by American interests, boasts a railroad about 2 miles long, which 

 brings coal to the loading dock. Ships call only occasionally, how- 

 ever, and the industry is by no means a thriving one. Lumbering has 

 been carried on, but the last American attempts were given up not 

 too long ago, and when Tawada and I sought the interior by means 

 of the logging road, winding up from the farthest point on the Nakara 

 River which we could reach in a small boat, we found it so badly 

 washed out that even traversing it on foot was hazardous. The 

 botanizing, however, was superb, as it was everywhere we went on 

 this island (pi. 10, lower) . 



The nisei Japanese Mr. Katz, temporarily in charge of the 

 American headquarters for the mine, gave me quarters and food and 

 a room for preparing our specimens. From here we sallied forth 

 each day on foot or by boat to more distant parts. Tawada was 

 thoroughly familiar with the region, as he had been a teacher in 

 Sonai village years ago and knew the best collecting places. Sonai 



