MYRSINACEAE:. 



The family Myrsinaceae consists of 32 genera and about 770 species. The 

 family is a distinctly tropical one and is distributed over the whole world. In 

 the eastern hemisphere it ranges from the island of Tsu Sima, Korea straits, 

 to Victoria in Australia, and in the western hemisphere from Florida to Argen- 

 tine. 



In the Hawaiian Islands only two genera are represented, Suttonia and Em- 

 belia, the former occurs outside of Hawaii only in New Zealand arid has arbores- 

 cent forms, while the genus Embelia has two species in these Islands, which 

 are climbers, but consists of more than 92 species which have a wide distribution 

 (Africa, India, Hawaii, Australia). 



SUTTONIA Hook. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, 4 or 5-merous. Sepals shortly, or very shortly united, or free 

 at the base, imbricate or open, with ciliolate margins. Petals free, valvate or very obscurely 

 imbricate, broadly or rarely narrow-elliptical, or very rarely obovate, rounded or subacute 

 at the apex, with papillulose or ciliate margins, often punctate or lineate. Anthers usually 

 sessile and little shorter than the petals, introrse, somewhat acute at the apex or subobtuse, 

 and papillose. Ovary ovoid, style wanting or very short; stigma capitate and often 

 fimbriate. Placenta 2-4 ovulate. Fruits globose or ovoid, 1-seeded, crowned by the stigma; 

 endocarp'crustaeeous to chartaceous. Seeds globose with the rudiments of the placenta, 

 albumen horny, embryo cylindrical. Trees or shrubs with entire, very variable leaves. 

 Inflorescence lateral, fasciculate in the axils of fallen leaves, few-flowered. Flowers small, 

 pedicellate. 



The Hawaiian species of the genus Suttonia form a section by themselves 

 "Subgenus Rapaneopsis Mez;" with pentamerous flowers. 



The Hawaiian Kolea were originally placed in the genus Myrsine by A. 

 DeCandolle, and later transferred to the genus Suttonia by Mez. The whole 

 genus consists of 17 species, 11 of which are endemic in the Hawaiian Islands; 

 of the remaining 6, 5 are found in New Zealand and one in Norfolk Island. 

 Originally only four Hawaiian species were known and are described in Hille- 

 braud's Flora of the Hawaiian Islands. Since then 4 were added by Mez, and 

 3 distinct new species and 3 new varieties by the writer. H. Leveille described 

 10 new species of which 6 are now synonyms ; one of his species, Suttonia molo- 

 kaiensis, is a small leaved form of Sideroxylon sandwicense. As the descrip- 

 tion of the remaining ones is so vague, and material of them not in the writer '& 

 possession, they are very dubious and are here ignored. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Leaves tomentose underneath. 



Branches glabrous, leaves 65 mm S. Kauaiensis 



Branches covered with ferruginous tomentum, leaves 100 mm or mor< S. Wawraea 



Leaves glabrous. 



Leaves thin, without marginal nerve, petals markedly punctate S. Lanaiensis- 



Leaves large 210 mm, elongate elliptical, petiolate, chartaceous.... S. Fernseei 



Leave's succulent, spathulate, 75 mm, petiole margined, S. spathulata, 



367 



