25 



taro, the paper mulberry, Taetsia (dracena), and theawa {Piper 

 in ethy st ic inn). Since the discovery of the Islands by Captain 



Cook in 177s, the Caucasians and Orientals, in their turn, in- 

 troduced plants considered by them valuable or desirable. 

 Among these may be mentioned the commercial forms of sugar- 

 cane and pineapple; and rice, lotus, mango, coffee, avocado, 

 mesquite (Prosopis chilensis), papaya, guava; scores of culti- 

 vated fruits and vegetables; and ornamental plants and fodder 

 grasses. With the enormous increase of local shipping, a host of 

 unwelcome plants have also reached these islands from foreign 

 shores. Many of these have become naturalized and now thrive 

 as weeds at low and middle elevations. 



The native Hawaiian flora, isolated for hundreds of thous- 

 ands of years on these islands, was spared much of the keen 

 competition to which most continental plants were exposed. 

 Hence it is somewhat archaic in character and delicate. With 

 the coming of man, particularly within the last 150 years, this 

 former idyllic balance of nature in the Islands has changed. Vast 

 areas have been cleared of all native vegetation for the cultiva- 

 tion of sugarcane, pineapple and other crops. Vast areas have 

 been browsed bare by livestock. The land that is still available 

 for the growth of native plants is being overrun by aggressive 

 continental weeds. As a result, the greater part of the unique 

 native Hawaiian flora is doomed to extinction, and much of this 

 flora is still relatively unknown! 



Mr. Degener, who brought his herbarium of about 40,000 

 specimens to New York for critical study, exhibited 150 plates 

 of his new Hawaiian flora. The best set of his collection is now 

 being incorporated in the herbarium of the New York Botanical 

 Garden. 



Forman T. McLean 

 Secretarv 



