deep magenta flowers which are over 3 inches long. On Hawaii its place is 

 taken by the also handsome species 8. calaminthoides, while on Oahu only two 

 are recorded, of which one is doubtful. 



The amarantaceous Charpentiera ovata, as well as Ch. obovata, ascend oc- 

 casionally into the middle forest zone, but are really typical of the lower forest 

 region. The biggest trees of the species Ch. obovata were found at Puuwaaw r aa, 

 Hawaii, where the writer measured trunks two feet in diameter. 



A handsome plant growing along streambeds and waterfalls is the begoni- 

 aceous Hillebrandia sandwicensis, the native Begonia or Akaakaawa, or as it is 

 often called, Puamakanui, the big-eyed flower. It is common on Kauai as well 

 as Molokai, and may still be found on Oahu. On Maui the writer found it at 

 about 6000 feet elevation, in the crater of Haleakala in the Koolau gap, where 

 it grew over six feet high under the shade of Perrottetia sandwicensis (Oloniea). 



The queen of all is the lobeliaceous Cyanea siiperba var. regina, an exceed- 

 ingly beautiful plant found only on Oahu, in the gulches of Wailupe and Niu, 

 and in Makaleha of the Kaala range. 



Cryptogams reach also a wonderful development, especially the tree ferns, 

 which have been referred to under the chapter on the Island of Haw r aii proper. 

 Marattia Douglasii may be called a typical fern of the middle forest zone; it is 

 known to the natives as Pala or mule-hoof fern on account of its large, fleshy 

 auricles, which cover the caudex and are a source of food, as they abound in 

 starch and mucilage. 



THE MIDDLE FOREST ZONE ON THE ISLAND OF MAUI AND KOHALA, HAWAII. 



Many of the trees found on Oahu and Molokai are common on Maui and also 

 in the Kohala mountains on Hawaii, and need not be reenumerated ; only men- 

 tion will be made of such plants as are peculiar to the localities treated in this 

 chapter. 



WEST AND EAST MAUI. 



Undoubtedly West Maui once upon a time formed a separate island and was 

 in no wise connected with the extinct volcano Haleakala, which forms the bulk 

 of East Maui, ascending to a height of 10,030 feet. West Maui is very much 

 older than Haleakala, as no trace of a crater is visible at its summit, with the 

 exception of the flat swamp called Manna Eeke, which has the resemblance of a 

 crater floor. West Maui is connected with East Maui by a narrow strip of land 

 or isthmus with a mean elevation of 160 feet. The mountain mass of West Maui 

 is intersected by many deep valleys or gorges, which find their source in the very 

 heart of the mountain. Of these valleys, lao is the biggest, on the eastern side, 

 while it is separated on the western side by a low ridge from another valley, 

 called Oloalu, which has a rather narrow entrance but widens out amphithe- 

 atrically. 



65 



