Pittosporaceae. 



The writer is not acquainted with this species. Hillebrand records three va- 

 rieties of this species as follows: /?. var. fulvinn, Oahu, Ewa to Waialua; y. var. 

 from Mt. Kaala, and finally <5 var. flocculosum, also from Mt. Kaala. 



It is exceeding!}- difficult properly to diagnose the Hawaiian species of Pitto- 

 sporum and more so the varieties. Pittosporum terminalioides has all possible 

 intermediates finally approaching P. confertiHorum. It is perhaps one of the 

 many forms of the latter. The two species, together with Pittosporum Hosmeri, 

 have tuberculate seeds in common, while all the other species have the seeds 

 smooth and shining. P. Gcnjanum also belongs to this group as far as foliage is 

 concerned, but the seeds are smooth and not tuberculate. 



The writer has abundant material, but even so, it is extremely difficult to sepa- 

 rate them specifically, as all seem to run very much into each other. 



P. glabrum is very close to P. glomeratum and differs from it only in the 

 sepals and pedicellate flowers, a characteristic which can not be very well relied 

 upon, as both forms occur often on one and the same plant. The capsules of P. 

 confertiflorum from the various localities have all possible shapes and forms, but 

 can not be separated successfully into varieties. It will have to remain a poly- 

 morphous species. 



In conclusion the writer wishes to state that he has gathered much material 

 from localities from where Pittosporums had never been recorded. Some of 

 them undoubtedly are new, but owing to incomplete specimens, as the wanting 

 of flowers, or mature capsules, the writer thinks it, advisable not to include them 

 in this already voluminous book, but rather to wait for additional material and 

 then make an exhaustive study of this very variable group, of plants. 



Pittosporum Hosmeri Rock. 

 Aawa Jiua kukui. 



PITTOSPORUM HOSMERI Eock Bull. Torr. Bot. Club. 37 (1910) 297 pi. 1, et Kept. Board 

 Com. Agr. & For. (1911) 84, pi. 20. 



Branches stout, young shoot pubescent, leaves crowded at the ends of the branches, 

 subcoriaceous, glabrous above, wrinkled with a close network, densely tomentose under- 

 neath with a light to dark brown wool, young leaves covered on both sides, entire with 

 revolute margins, 10 to 26 em long, 3 to 6 cm wide, on petioles of 2 to 3 cm; inflorescence 

 axillary and cauline, a corymbose raceme, the tomentose peduncle 2 to 3 cm, bracteate, 

 the peduncle surrounded at the base with numerous linear subulate bracts, sepals tomen- 

 tose, ovate acute 4 mm long; corolla cream-colored, the tube about 8 to 10 mm long, the 

 lobes 5 mm, ovate, with prominent veins; stamens as long as the tube, anthers oblong; 

 ovary tomentose, ovoid-oblong, the style nearly twice as long, slightly exserted; capsule 

 tomentose when young, glabrous and smooth when mature, valves woody, oblong to sub- 

 quadrangular 55 to 75 mm long, 40 to 55 mm wide, and about 45 mm thick, opening into 

 two to four valves, with a longitudinal median groove, endocarp bright orange colored, 

 seeds arranged alternately in two rows on each placenta, black, rugose 6 to 7 mm in 

 diameter, differing from the other Pittosporums in that the capsules are not filled com- 

 pletely by the seeds, but are arranged only in two rows. 



It is a medium-sized tree 18 to 25 feet or more in height with stiff more or 

 less ascending branches ; it is most remarkable for the enormous capsules, which 

 are the largest in the genus. The type specimen was collected on the lava field 



161 

 11 



