30 



LAMBERSON 



THE ISLANDS, 1975 TO 1977 



Between January 1975 and May 1977, the author 

 visited most of the atoll islands to record vegetative data. 

 An island-by-island summary of plant species collected or 

 observed is presented in Table 5. 



The northern islands from Bokoluo to Boken were 

 extensively disturbed by the nuclear test program. These 

 islands had an of>en vegetation of scattered Scaevola and 

 Toumefortia to 6 m in height with some Cordia, Guet- 

 tarda, Cocos, and Pandanus with vines; a ground cover of 

 Lepturus and Fimbristy/is; and some Boerhavia. Cassyfha, 

 Triumfetta, Sida, Ipomoea, and Euphorbia (Stages I 

 through III). 



Thirty-four plant sp)ecies, other than those planted in 

 the LLL garden project, were found on Enjebi. The gen- 

 eral vegetation Jwas op>en to dense scrub of Tourriefortia 

 and Scaeuola to. 6 m in height, with occasional Paridanus, 

 Pemphis, Morinda, and Cocos (modified Stage 11 to III). 

 Cenchrus (reported extinct on this island in 1964), 

 Lepturus, Firnbnst\>lis, Cassytha, Euphorbia spp., Phyl- 

 lanthus, Ipomoea spp., Pluchea spp., Stachytarpheta, 

 Heliotropium, and Tridax were common, especially in the 

 LLL garden. This island was once planted with coconuts 

 and was the home of the people of Enjebi, but the coconut 

 plantation was destroyed by Japanese and American mili- 

 tary activities. Ten nuclear tests were conducted on or 

 near the island, and during the test days the vegetation 

 consisted of only grass, vines, and low shrubs. By 1964, 

 however, Toumefortia trees were up to 6 m in height, and 

 Scaevola almost to 5 m (Welander et al., 1966). Some 

 Pisor)ia was reported in 1946 (Fosberg, 1955) and 1964 

 (Welander et al., 1966) but was not seen in 1975 to 

 1977. 



The islands of Mijikadrek through Lujor supported only 

 a scrub vegetation, consisting predominately of Scaeuola 

 and Toumefortia (Stage II to III). Coconut trees were 

 present on Bokenelab; a few sprouts had appeared on 

 Lujor; and a grove of coconut trees with Pisonia occurred 

 on Elle. Pisonia was also present on Mijikadrek, and its 

 sticky fruits may eventually be transported by birds from 

 there to other northern islands. Lepturus, Cass\;tha, Fim- 

 bristy/us. Triumfetta, Sida. and Ipomoea were fairly com- 

 mon, and there was some Guettarda. Lujor had much 

 Morinda, and Elle had a grove of Terminalia on the south 

 end, ocean side. The island of Taiwel or Percy, between 

 Kidrenen and Bokenelab, has been barren at least since 

 1944, and storm waves sometimes wash over it. It has a 

 border of beachrock and may once have been vegetated, 

 but the only evidence of plant life seen there from 1975 to 

 1977 was a sprouted coconut which had died. 



The islands of Eleleron through Bijile were once joined 

 by causeways, though Eleleron was divided by a nuclear 

 test in 1956, and part of it is now separate, although part 

 is still joined to Aomon by a causeway. Aomon was 

 bulldozed and pockmarked with small craters during the 

 PACE program. There was an airstrip on Bijile, which was 

 joined by a bridge to Lojwa, the site of the northern camp 



during the 1977 and 1978 cleanup operations. All of these 

 islands had a mixed scrub vegetation of Toumefortia and 

 Scaevola, with some Cocos, Pandanus, Pisonia (on Bijile), 

 Suriana, Morinda, and Terminalia (on Aomon), Cordia, and 

 Guettarda (Stage II to HI). Pluchea was common, as were 

 Lepturus, Fimbristy/us, Euphorbia, Triumfetta, Ipomoea, 

 and Heliotropium. Stachijtarpheta, Lippia, Eragrostis, Portu- 

 laca, Cassyfha, and Sida were present but uncommon. 

 Aomon was occupied by the Marshallese people during the 

 war and postwar period, and in 1977 Tacca still grew on 

 the ocean side, near stands of Hibiscus tiliaceus and 

 lVo//astonia biflora. In 1977, wedge-tailed shearwaters 

 were found nesting in burrows near Pisonia trees on Bijile, 

 and Laportea and Tacca were seen near the nesting area. 



Alembel was relatively undisturbed and had a central 

 mixed forest of Pisonia, Cocos, Scaeuola, Toumefortia, 

 Premna, Morinda, and Guettarda (Stage III). Cordia Xvas 

 present on the lagoon side, and two large Pandanus 

 trees — one bearing fruit — were at the northernmost end. 

 The outer margin was a thick scrub growth, primarily of 

 Toumefortia, Guettarda, and Scaeuola. with scrub Pisonia 

 and Pemphis on the ocean side, and Suriana on the lagoon 

 side (Stage II). 



Runit, which was extensively disturbed during the 

 nuclear test program and is now a depository for radioac- 

 tive debris from other islands, had an open vegetation of 

 scattered large Toumefortia and Scaeuola bushes and a few 

 coconut trees (modified Stage II). There was a ground 

 cover of Cassi^tha, Con\;za, Heliotropium. Lepturus. Fim- 

 bristijiis. Euphorbia, Triumfetta, and Ipomoea pescaprae. A 

 few individuals of Suriana, Pemphis, Morinda, Guettarda, 

 and Pluchea were also seen. This island was bulldozed 

 during the nuclear test days and was the site of 17 tests, 

 including Lacrosse (1956) and Cactus (1958) which left 

 fairly large craters at the north end. 



The small islands of Boko, Munjor, and Inedrol suf)- 

 ported a limited vegetation (Stage I). Inedrol had only 

 Lepturus and Toumefortia, and the others had those 

 species plus Scaeuola. Inedral and Van had more species, 

 including Pisonia, Boerhauia, Ipomoea macrantha, and 

 Guettarda. Inedral also had Suriana, and Van had a young 

 mixed forest (Stage III) of coconut, Triumfetta. Cordia, and 

 Canavalia. 



Ananij had a Cocos-Pisonia forest (Stage IV) in the 

 middle of the wide portion of the island, with Lepturus and 

 Boerhauia beneath the trees and Scaevola and Toumefortia 

 around the edges of the old runway (Stage II). There were 

 several Terminalia trees, plus a few Cordia, Suriana, and 

 Guettarda. The consolidated rock bar extending oceanward 

 perpendicular to the island was covered with Pemphis. 



Jinimi is an unusual little island which was covered 

 with a dense mat of Boerhauia with scattered scrub 

 Pisonia, Toumefortia. and Scaeuola bushes. Portulaca and 

 Fimbrist\^lis were also common. The island was sometimes 

 the site of a large nesting colony of sooty terns, which 

 were also found nesting on Aomon. 



Japtan was partially cleared during the war and test 

 days and in 1977 became the home of about 80 



