Ebenaceae. 
The Lama inhabits the wet as well as the dry regions on all the islands of the 
group. The small leaved form occurs on the Koolau range of Oahu, as in 
Manoa Valley and Niu as well as all along toward Kahuku. Back of Hilo on 
Hawaii it is a very common tree, reaching a height of 40 feet; in this latter 
locality it is quite common in company with Straussia, Metrosideros, ete., fol- 
lowing immediately the Pandanus forest. The trunk of the Lama is vested in a 
black rather smooth bark, but in old trees the bark becomes rough and sealy, 
forming irregular squares of a dark gray color. The tree is common on all the 
islands of the group, but especially so in the dry districts, where it forms often 
pure stands, as in the low lands of Kapua in South Kona where the writer met 
with the finest trees with perfectly straight trunks of a foot in diameter. It 
grows in company with Aleurites Moluccana, Pittosporum Hosmeri var. longi- 
folia, and Antidesma pulvinatum. The berries, which are of a reddish yellow 
color when mature, are quite palatable and are eaten by the natives and birds. 
The trees fruit prolifically during the late winter months, especially in the 
month of February, when the trees are loaded with the bright colored fruits. 
The wood is very hard, close grained, and of a rich reddish brown color when 
old; it was employed in building houses for the gods. A block of Lama wood 
was always placed upon the Kuahu, altar, in the temple of the goddess of the 
Sacred Hula dance, Laka, which latter personality it represented. This un- 
carved block was wrapped in choice yellow tapa, scented with turmeric and was 
Set conspicuously upon the altar.* The wood was also used in making sacred 
inclosures for other tabu purposes. 
A variety B Hbd. with ovate or ovate oblong, larger leaves, which are broadly 
rounded at the base, and pubescent underneath, occurs on the lava flows and 
on the leeward sides of the islands in general, but always in dry situations. 
On Kauai the variety has the largest leaves 10 to 12.5 em x 5 to 5.5 em. 
Maba Hillebrandii Seem. 
HILLEBRANDII Seem. in Flora Vitiensis (1866) 151;—H. Mann 1. ne aap A 
Fl. Hw. Isl. (1888) 275;—Gurke in Engl. et Prantl Natiirl. Pflzfam. 
Cast 1. e—Ebenus Hillebrandii 0. Ktze. Rev. Gen, Pl. Il. (1891) 408. 
MABA 
coriaceous, smooth on the lower face, but deeply ugose on the 
fine areolar network ract d y glabrous, coriaceous, the 1 3-fid ie fis es 
middle with broad triangular acute lobes; corolla 7 mm, hairy, shortly 3-toothe 6 és 18 
This species, which is quite different from the lama, is endemic in the a 
waiian Islands and is peculiar to Oahu, where it can be found in the hills o 
a eee ar ae 
* * ms oe 
Emerson, Unwritten Literature of Hawaii. 
395 
