LILIACEAE. 
The family Liliaceae consists of about 2450 species, and is distributed all over 
the tropics of both the old and new world and also in the temperate zone. 
Hawaii is extremely poor in Liliaceae, as only 5 genera with 8 species ean be 
found. Of interest here is the arborescent genus Dracaena, which is represented 
in these islands by a single species. 
DRACAENA Vandelli. 
Perianth whitish or golden. Ovules ascending, single in each cell of the ovary. 
a aria! ate scarcely divided, style — ma 3 to 1 est te, with large globose 
seeds ich entire, whitish or black to brow Trees or shrubs without stolons. 
Leaves) uve? ene te. Inflorescence a cpciinel folinceous panicle. 
The genus Dracaena consists of about 50 species, distributed over the warmer 
regions of the old world. Only one species, Dracaena aurea (Halapepe) is found 
in these islands, outside of which it has not been recorded. In fact, Dracaena 
aurea is the only representative of this genus in Polynesia. 
Dracaena aurea H. Mann. 
(Plates 34, 35, 36.) 
oe 
eee oo H. Mann Proce. Am. Acad. nae 207;—Wawra in Flora (1875) 
4;—Hbd. Fl. Haw. Isl. (1888) 443 tek "Cast. 1 . Fl. Ins. Mar. Pae. VII (1892) 
28 ;—Heller Pl, Haw. Isl. (1897) 806. Draco aurea 0: Ktze. Rev. Gen. PI. If (1891) 
= ves en linear ensiform, with entire margins, acuminate at the apex, broad 
at the base, w ithout m captor _ pape: recurved, pendulous, about 6 dm long, 
foliose Seastoats flowers single r 3 together on slender pedicels; perianth tubular, 
ee yellow, divided to one thied pas tinea ae. erect lobes; stamens inserted at 
ase of the lobes and of the same opie s the latter; style shortly exserted; berry 
bright red globose, brownish when dry, 8 to 16 mm in diameter; seed generally single, 
globos 
The Halapepe reaches a height of 25 to 35 feet or even more in certain locali- 
ties, and has a straight trunk of 1 to 3 feet in diameter,and is freely branching. 
The branches, which are densely ridged with leaf-scars, are erect and stiff, bear- 
ing at their ends a whorl of long linear sword-shaped leaves. 
The Halapepe is a xerophyte; that is, a dry district loving tree or plant. It 
is especially common on the aa (rough) lava fields on all the islands of the 
group, and is usually to be found at an elevation of from 1000 to 2000 feet. 
The golden yellow flowers, which are arranged in long drooping terminal pani- 
cles, appear in the early spring in the drier localities, while it often flowers 
during the sammer months in districts with more rainfall. 
The Halapepe is very common in North and South Kona, Hawaii, as well as 
in Kau, in the district Hilea. On the Kula slopes of Maui there once existed a 
forest of this tree, the remnants of which ean still be seen. While the tree is. 
very common on the other islands, it is rather scarce on Oahu, and not quite as 
plentiful on Molokai as on Kauai, where it forms almost pure stands at the 
bottom of the cliffs below Kaholuamano, near Waimea. 
: 109 
