30 Director's Anmial Report. 



"Of the large number of interesting plants observed or collected 

 on this trip, perhaps the most remarkable was Mola viauiensis on 

 the slopes of Mauna Loa. This species is known to occur on 

 three of the islands, but always in open bogs or in swampy places; 

 but here it was growing under the shade of Puu Keawe, CyatJiodes 

 7\xmeiameice, on a dry aa f^ow at about 7000 feet elevation. 



"While the flora is very uniform, the scenery along the trail 

 from Hilo to Puu Oo is most unusual. The river of black pahoe- 

 hoe lava is a garden of small ohia trees, low shrubs, cyperaceae 

 and coarse ferns, dotted by hundreds of islands a few square yards 

 to several acres in area, which bear dense woods of tall ohia, tree 

 ferns, and other plants, and sometimes large Loulu palms, Prit- 

 chardia sp., which are often heard before seen, on account of the 

 loud rattle and rubbing of their leaves in the wind. The lava 

 river is bordered by dense virgin forest composed mostly of tall ohia 

 and tree fern. While by no means all of these islands or kipukas 

 could be visited in the time allowed for the trip, as far as observed 

 their flora and fauna are ver}' uniform. Apparently neither time 

 nor isolation has been great enough to produce biological differ- 

 ences in these areas isolated by the lava flow. 



"After the return to Hilo, Mr. L. A. Thurston very kindly 

 took me over the Puna section of the Hilo railroad in a power car, 

 allowing me to stop at various places along the route to see the 

 vegetation. The lava flow of 1840 was visited, this being especially 

 interesting as being the first aa flow of known date where higher 

 plants are established. This is partly accounted for by the very 

 large rainfall in this section, but this flow will need investigation 

 in other places. This was an unusual eruption in manj' ways, and 

 there is some indication that much of this slag was old lava borne 

 on top of or mixed with the newer lava. At Kapoho we met Mr. 

 Henry Lyman who took us over other parts of Puna in his auto- 

 mobile, so that I saw a much greater part of this region than I had 

 intended this year. 



"As on previous excursions a great deal of kindly help has 

 been received from people whom I have been fortunate in meeting. 

 P^special thanks for help in various ways are due Messrs. L. A. 

 Thurston, W. A. Shipman, Luther Severance and Miss H. Sever- 

 ance, Messrs. C. J. Austin, R. T. Guard, Henry Lyman, D. 

 Thaanum, H. Dent, W. S. Rycroft, A. W. Carter and Walter C. 

 Shields. [>46] 



