PLANTS FIRST KNOWN FROM GUAM. 63 



Very little is known of the alj^ae, and still less of the fungi, lichens, 

 mosses, and hepatics of the island. 



'As in every part of the tropical world, there is much uncertainty 

 about the various forms of cultivated yams, aroids, bananas, plantains, 

 and breadfruit, and complete botanical specimens of these should be 

 obtained, together with photographs of the growing plants, their 

 flowers, fruits, and roots, and notes of the odor of the flowers and 

 flavor of the fruit or roots. Similar work should be done on the screw 

 pines of the island in order that careful comparisons may be made 

 with the species and w^ell-defined varieties from other parts of the 

 world. Notes of particular methods of propagation, cultivation, and 

 prei)aration for use are also valuable. The bamboos are not deflnitely 

 known, and the entire genus Ficus, which includes the banyans, 

 remains to be worked up. Special efl'orts should be made to get photo- 

 graphs of flowering bamboos and aroids. 



GUAM TYPES. 



To the botanical collector the most desirable species are those wdiich 

 were first described from type specimens collected on this island. 

 Some of these original types are in very poor condition or are incom- 

 plete, lacking fruit or flowers or leaves from various parts of the 

 plant or a representation of one of the sexes, and the identitv of others 

 is not well established, owing to the lack of a suflicient number to form 

 a series for comparison with closely allied species from other locali- 

 ties. The handsome caper growing on the rocky shores of the island 

 {Capjyaris marlana Jacq.) is supposed to be a variety of CappaHs 

 spinosa;^'- Cldoxylon marianxnn Miill. Arg. is very closely allied to 

 Claoxylon taitense of Tahiti; Iponioea mariannensis^ a plant which has 

 never been figured, should be compared with the American Tp)omoea 

 triloba; the epiphytal fleshy-leaved DischldUi puhcruhi should be com- 

 pared with 1)1 sell id la henghalensis, for which it was first mistaken by 

 Gaudichaud; the fragrant Gynop>ogon tm'resianus of Guam should be 

 compared with the allied species from other Pacific islands; a series 

 of specimens of Melastoma m,arianuvi should be secured for compari- 

 son with the closely allied Melastoma denticidatum and M. maJahath- 

 ricum of Polynesia and the East Indies. The Guam Pipers and 

 Peperomias need further study, and the Guam types of species of 

 Ochrosia, Cormigonus, Phyllanthus, Glochidion, Euphorbia, and the 

 hispid-leaved, yellow-flowered Stemmodontia canesceiu should also be 

 secured. 



YAMS, BANANAS, AND BREADFRUIT. 



Man}^ distinct kinds of yams (Dioscorea), bananas (Musa), and 

 breadfruit (Artocarpus) are recognized wherever these plants are cul- 



aSee Schumann, Flora deutschen ost-asiatischen Schutzgebietes, p. 201, 1888. 



