Celastraceae-Sapindaceae. 



caducous; flowers small, polygamo-dioecious, greenish, pedicellate, numerous in com- 

 pound panicles from the axils of the leaves, peduncle puberulent or tomeutose, branching 

 divaricately; sepals 5, ovate lanceolate; petals 5, triangular ovate, acute; stamens 5, 

 alternate with the petals; anthers 2-celled; ovary ovoid, in the male flowers abortive 

 and sterile; ovules 2 in each cell; fruit bright red, globose, slightly depressed, about 6 mm 

 when mature; seeds marked with minute transverse wavv lines. 



A tall shrub or tree 10 to 18 feet or more in height, nearly glabrous. The 

 branches are short and stiff, but when growing at higher elevation become long 

 and more or less drooping. 



During the month of October and November, when the tree is in full fruit, it 

 is not unattractive. The bright red berries gracefully droop on densely clustered 

 panicles from every branch. The Olomea inhabits both the dry and the wet 

 forests on all the islands, ranging from 1000 feet to 6000 feet elevation. 



It is most common on Maui, in Koolau, the northern gap or outlet of Haleakala 

 crater, where the tree forms a forest to the exclusion of nearly everything else 

 at an elevation of 6000 feet. The undergrowth in this Olomea jungle consists of 

 the native Begonia, Akaakaawa, which stands 10 feet high. It is not uncommon 

 near Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, in the dry forest 4000 feet above sea level, while 

 it is a common feature especially in the rain forests on all the islands. 



The wood of the Olomea is of medium strength, of a golden brown color with 

 red*dish tint, and was used by the natives for producing fire by friction. Two 

 sticks called Aunaki were used, the upper of Olomea wood and the lower of the 

 much softer Hau. In the Hawaiian mythology their origin is explained thus : 

 During the first appearance of the sun which caused the separation of the 

 heavens, Lailai (goddess) is taken up to him ornamented w r ith the dress of the 

 dawn, while he encloses the fire on earth in the rubbing sticks called Aunaki. 



SAPINDACEAE. 



The family Sapindaceae, w r hich is almost purely tropical, consists of not less 

 than 118 genera with over one thousand species, nearly one-third of which (be- 

 longing to five genera of the tribe Paullinieae) are climbing or twining plants 

 peculiar to America. The only exception is Cardiospermum, which is found in 

 all tropical countries, besides one other climbing species, Paullinia pinnata, 

 occurring in Africa. The remaining genera, consisting either of shrubs or trees, 

 are distributed over Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceanea. 



In the Hawaiian Islands only four genera are represented, three of which 

 have arborescent species. 



KEY TO THE GENEEA. 



Petals present: 



Sepals and petals 5; fruit 1-3 cocci, leaves simple or abruptly pinnate. . . . Sapindus 



Petals wanting: 



Sepals 5; fruit of one or two cocci Alectryon 



Sepals 2-5; fruit a winged capsule Dodonaea 



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