714 Forestry Quarterly 



a diameter of six to eight inches, orange-red, and somewhat re- 

 sembling a pineapple. The hala is abundant in many parts of the 

 Hawaiian lowlands. It rarely occurs at an elevation exceeding two 

 thousand feet, and is commonly associated with the koa and 

 kukui. Occasionally, as along the Nahiku coast of Maui, and the 

 Puna coast of Hawaii, it forms pure stands of considerable area. 

 The great majority of the trees are female; male trees are rare. 

 This is probably due to persistent selection by the ancient Hawai- 

 ians, as the fruit -producing trees were the most valuable. The 

 situation is analogous to that of the date palm and the papaia 

 tree. 



The long fibrous leaves were the most valuable part of the plant, 

 and from them, when properly dried and prepared, were woven 

 the house mattings, sails for the double sailing canoes, and a 

 variety of other woven products. The drupes contain nutritious 

 starchy material, and constitute an important item of diet on 

 many of the low coral islands of the Pacific. The hard, glossy, 

 orange colored ends of the drupes are cut and cleaned by the 

 Hawaiians and strung into beautifiil fragrant garlands. The 

 drupes become fibrous upon drying, and were formerly used as little 

 brushes for applying the various dyes to the tapa cloth. The 

 female trees have a soft, fibrous interior, although the outer shell 

 is hard; the stems of the male trees are solid throughout. The 

 closely packed and intertwined fibro-vascular bundles give 

 the wood a distinctive and beautiful grain, and hala wood is used 

 for a variety of ornamental purposes in fine cabinet work. Occa- 

 sionally the pithy stems of the female trees are cleanied and used 

 for water-pipes. 



Of the great palm family, so intimately associated with tropical 

 life and industries, but two genera are native to Hawaii. Prit- 

 chardia, with perhaps a dozen species of fan palms — the botanic 

 status of these is still a matter of question — ^is endemic. Cocos 

 nucifera, the well-known coco-palm, was probably introduced by 

 the first Hawaiians, and is now thoroughly established on the 

 lowlands and beaches. The multitudinous economic uses of the 

 coco palm are so well known that they require no cataloging here. 

 The Pritchardias occur mainly in the rain-forest and along ex- 

 posed humid summit ridges. They are scattered, are usually 

 solitary or in small clumps, and constitute a very minor element 

 in the forest. They occasionally attain considerable height, 



