210 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



till- lower forest, while its eoniiniuioM oii the fore hills, the wiliwili,"'- seldom 

 reaches the thousand-foot level: but the bastard sandalwood/'^ while it reaches 

 the upper limit of vegetation on the highest mountains, may also occur well down 

 into this lower zone, thus exhibiting a great vertical range in lial)itat. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

 PLANT LIFE OF THE HIGH MOUNTAINS, 



Passing now from the lowland zone to the lower forest zone, we find it 

 tropical in appearance. Though not sharply defined it is by common agree- 

 ment said to begin at about one thousand feet elevation and to extend as a belt 

 about the high mountains up to about three thousand feet. 

 Plants of the Lower Forest Zone. 



The range of the kukui ' is almost confined to the limits of the lower forest 

 zone, and since it is the most abundant and conspicuous tree of the region, 

 it is regarded as the characteristic tree of the lower forests. The pale green 

 foliage of this useful tree sets it out in marked contrast with the darker greens, 

 and adds a touch of variety to the Hawaiian forest that delights the eye of the 

 beholder. The plants of this region are larger and more thrifty than those of the 

 costal plain, and being more numerous the open sylvan character of the zone is 

 well defined. 



The ki - (now connnonly written ti)is at home on the steep valley sides and 

 in the gulches, at the lower edge of the forest zone all over the islands, and, 

 indeed, through all Polynesia, the ]\Ialayan Archipelago and China. Specimens 

 fifteen feet in height, with leaves from one to three feet in length and three to 

 six or more inches in width, are not uncommon. The ki belongs to the lily order 

 and the leaves are peculiar in having many parallel nerves diverging fi-om a 

 short mid rib. The large saccharine root was made use of in ancient times by 

 the natives in making a curiously flavored beer. Later they learned a method 

 from the sailors of distilling a strong, intoxicating drink from the soaked roots. 

 The ki root was baked by the Hawaiians in their imus (underground ovens, 

 elsewhere described), and eaten by them as a confection; it was their substitute 

 for candy, now so generally eaten by all peoples. The Ivi root prepared in this 

 \x;\y is very sweet, much like molasses candy; it is offered for sale in the market 

 in Honolulu every Saturday. Among other uses, a stalk with the leaves at- 

 tached served as a flag of truce in native warfare, and the juice of the plant 

 was used by the Hawaiian belles to stiffen their hair. The leaves, luiown as la-i 

 or lauki, served and still serve as wrapping. And, since the coming of domestic 

 animals, the plant has proved useful as fodder. 



Closely related to the ki or ti, belonging to the same order in fact, is the 

 curious halapepe or calibage tree,-'' sometimes called a palm lily. Its chief in- 

 terest lies in the fact that it heljis to give the foliage that weird character 

 which is expected of tropical verdure. The plant is the largest of the order 



' Mi/tjporuni Stindiri 



