102 Memoirs Bcniicc P. JJisliop Miisciiiii 



regions are discussed in detail by 11 ilk-brand" and Rofk,' and also by Heller* for tlie 

 islands of Oahu and Kauai. The distribution of the grasses as limited to ecological 

 areas is not so distinct as in many other families of plants, but the characteristic 

 habitats of the more common si)ecies of I lawaiian grasses are given below. 



The iiulv s])ecies that is strictly a strand plant is Sporohohis -i'iri^iiiiciis found 

 on sandy sliores such as the vicinity of Kahuku (Hi ( )ahu. This is a low perennial 

 with extensively creeping rhizomes, short, sliarp, dislichnus ka\es ,-ind s])ikelike 

 l)anicles. It is found from \'irginia t(j 15razil and also in the tropics of the Old 

 World from Africa to India and Australia, l.cffitnis re pens is also a strand jjlant 

 of the South Pacific islands but dues nut rcich the main group of the Hawaiian 

 islands, having been collected mily on I'almvra and Midway islands. 



'['he grasslike vegetation of marshland is made u]) chiefly of sedges (Cyper- 

 aceae). An introduced grass, licliiiiocliloa cnisi^^iilli cnts-pavoiiis, is found in taro 

 patches, rice fields, and along ditches. An allied species, /:. coloiiuiii. is found in 

 wet ]>laces but is scarcely a marsh grass. In moist cultivated soil it is a weed. 



The commoner species of weeds in cultivated soil are Syiiflicrisnia sangiii- 

 iialis (crab grass) and a more delicate allied species, .S". cliiuensis. In sandy fields 

 C'emiinis hillcbrandianus (sandbur) is abundant. 



Characteristic ])asture land is found in the interior of Oahu in the vicinity 

 of Schofield Barracks. The most abundant species of grasses at Schofield is 

 Rliaphis acicttlata, called by the Hawaiians pilipiliula (PI. XXXI C. and fig. 107). 

 It is a creeping i)estiferous little grass whose sharp-pointed fruits penetrate the 

 clothing and cause annoyance. Other species found in pasture land are Sporobolus 

 eloiigafiis. .Igrostis rcfrofraefa, and Cliaelocliloa gciticitlata. All these species are 

 aggressive weeds which, with the possible exception of Agrostis retrofracfa. have 

 been introduced. 



The weeds of streets are often found in fields and those of fields are found 

 along streets, but certain si)ecies are characteristic of the streets and waste ])laces 

 about Honolulu and the larger towns. Capriola dactylon, Bermuda grass, manienie 

 of the Hawaiians. is abundant in dry ojjcu ground. It is also found in pasture land, 

 generally where the soil is not too wet or the rainfall too great. Bermuda is a 

 common lawn grass. Elciisiiie indica, goose grass, and two species of Cliloris, 

 ('. paragitaycusis and C. radiata, are not uncommon. 



There are two species of grass dominant on ojjcn or partially wooded slopes 

 below the forest in the wet parts of the islands. These are Paspahim orhiciilare 

 and P. conjiigatnm. Both are introduced and neither is of value as a forage grass. 

 Paspciliiiii conjiigatnm is locally known as Hilo Grass; in the West Indies it is 

 called sour grass. 



Practically all the species mentioned thus far are introduced. The native 

 species appear in the more remote regions. 



- llilU-hr.iiul, William, lU 'tin- lior.i of llic Hawaiian Islaiuls, \cw York and Heidelberg, 1888; 

 (2) Die Vegclationsforinalioncn ikr Havvaiisclien Inselii : Engler Bot. Jahrb. Vol. 9, pp. .-^OS-.^M, 1887. 



"Rock. Joseph V .. Indigenous trees of the Hawaii.m Islands, Flonolnlu, 1913. 



'Heller, A. .\.. I'lants of the Hawaiian Islands: .Minnesota Geo), and .\at. Hist. Survey Bull. 9 (.Minn. 

 Botanical Studies Vol. i), pp. 765-/"7, 1894-1898. 



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