34 Memoirs Bcrnicc P. Bishop Mitsctiiii. 



Habitat.— The Hawaiian Islands. I had supposed that Hillebrand's speci- 

 mens, upon which the species was founded, came from Molokai, but, as I have 

 pointed out in "Malesia" (p. 294 in a foot-note), much confusion existed regard- 

 ing Hillebrand's specimens of Pritcliardia, and relative labels, in the Berlin Her- 

 barium, and the real home of this species is as yet vuiknown. 



Observation. — Hillebrand had incorporated in his Pr. Gaudicliaudii several 

 quite distinct species. One of these is the present (Pr. llillcbrandi Becc), which 

 must be considered as established on the flowers and fruits described and figured 

 by me in "Malesia" (1. c). Up to the present time there was some vmcertainty 

 about the nature of the leaves, belonging to Pr. Hillcbraiidi, but now that Pro- 

 fessor Rock has procured me numerous complete specimens of this palm, it has 

 turned out to be one of the better known species of Pritcliardia. easily distinguish- 

 able: by the leaf-blade having the lower surface devoid of lepidia and rendered 

 conspicuously glaucescent by a thin waxy-pulverulent coating; by the petiole 

 being densely woolly on the lower surface, the woolliness extending over the 

 lower main costae ; by the glabrous spadices ; and by the medium-sized globular 

 fruit carried on a distinct, cylindrical, pedicelliform fruiting perianth. Pr. Hille- 

 brandi varies a little in the degree of branching of the flowering panicle, and 

 slightly in the size of the fruit. 



In a plant growing in Mr. Young's Kapiolani Park in Honolulu (Rock 

 n°. 12007) undoubtedly referable to Pr. Hillcbraiidi, (the lower surface of the 

 blade being conspicuously glaucous-waxy) the spadix is divided, according to a 

 note of the collector, into 3 distinct panicles — a character visible also in a photo- 

 graph of that plant, and apparently constant in Pr. Hillebrandi. 



Note r.v Joskph F. Rock. 



A very robust form of this species with large leaves and petioles meas- 

 uring 1.50 m. in length and a stiff erect spadix nearly 2 m. long which branches 

 into five distinct panicles, is cultivated on the island of Molokai on the lee-side 

 near Kamalo and in various other places from Kaluaaha toward Halawa. The 

 very robust habit of this plant which differs in several respects from the typical 

 form but only in size and not in shape of seed or flower, might be recognized 

 as a distinct form under the name forma robiista, f. n. The fruits are also 

 larger than those of the typical form. The robust size of this plant may, however, 

 be due to the splendid and rich soil in that locality. I have been so far unable 

 to find the typical Pritcliardia Hillebrandi in a wild state on any of the islands 

 of the Hawaiian group, and so far it is only known from cultivated specimens. 

 On a recent journey in remote regions on Molokai, I was informed by natives 

 that it grew near the sea in Pelekunu Valley, and as it is extensively cultivated 

 on Molokai I presume that it is actually a native of that island. I was unable 

 to verifv the statement made by the natives on account of the impassable condition 

 of the mountain pass leading into that valley and the time of the year, which 

 prohibited the landing of any vessel. 



