4 Notes on the Flora of Kahoolawe. 



small flock of sheep (now reduced to about 300) is to be rapidly 

 disposed of. During a recent long period of unusually dry years 

 these comparativel}' small flocks have been able to prevent any 

 new vegetation from gaining a hold, and have also greatly retarded 

 the growth of the few trees that there are. Goats cause con- 

 siderable harm by girdling the keawe ( Prosopis julijiora), a tree 

 introduced here about fifteen years ago and spread by horses and 

 mules. 



The prevailing shrub on the island is tree tobacco ( Nicotiana 

 glauca), a naturalized plant, not now very common on the other 

 islands. It grows quite plentifully on the rocky slopes and on the 

 sides of the craters, in fact nearly everywhere except on the barren, 

 wind-swept regions, and owes its existence to the fact that it is 

 very rarely if ever touched by animals. The southern and east- 

 ern slopes are fairly well covered with (at this season) dried up 

 pili grass ( Heteropogon contorttis ) . In the mouths of the gulches 

 are to be found small groves of keawe ( Prosopis juliflora) which 

 are slowl}^ extending upward. 



A few wiliwili trees ( Erythrina monosperma) occurring here 

 and there, mainly on the sides of gulches, are the sole survivals of 

 what native forest might have existed on the island in former 

 times. Old visitors to the island inform me that within the last 

 twenty-five years at least they have seen the following shrubs on 

 the island : puu keawe ( Cyathodes Tavieiameiae), aalii ( Dodonaea 

 viscosa), akoko (Euphorbia imiltiforviis var.-), ohe ( Reynoldsia 

 sandzuicensis), and naio ( Myoporiim sandzcicense ). The native 

 names were given, the names in parentheses being my own substi- 

 tution. From this I should judge that Santalum ellipticum, sev- 

 eral varieties of Wikstroemia, Pandanzis odo7'atissimus, perhaps 

 scrub varieties of Jl/etrosidcros polymorpha and other dry land 

 plants occurring at low elevations, must have been plentiful at cue 

 time. Neraudia kahoolazcensis, recorded by Hillebrand^ as the 

 only specialty from the island, was not observed by any member 

 of the party. In former times dry land taro, sweet potatoes and 

 bananas were cultivated on the island, according to an old native. 



^During a second visit Mr. Stokes has since collected two small speci- 

 mens of E. viiiltifonnis at Kaunapou Bay. 



^Hillebrand, \V. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, pp. 416. 



[86] 



