64 Memoirs Bcrnice P. Bishop Museum. 



which in one specimen is 1.15 ni. long, and, when slieatlied by its several tubular 

 spathes, is 2.5 cm. through: the spathes are lacerate in their upper part, and 

 more or less clothed with a fuscous woolly tomentum ; the rachis or naked pedun- 

 cular part of the spadix is 15 mm. in diam. and very densely woolly tomentose; 

 the upper spathes embrace nearly com])letely the panicle, and have a concave 

 ass's ear-like acuminate, thinly coriaceous, more or less permanently tomentose, 

 finally slashed blade. The Hoiccriiig panicle is erect, slightly shorter than the 

 spathes, rather dense, composed of a few 2-4 partite branches in its lower part, and 

 of simple floriferous branchlets elsewhere; the latter are 8-12 cm. long, relatively 

 thick (about 5 mm. through), permanently clothed with a \'ery dense tomentum 

 of short yellowish hairs, are somewhat angular, and marked with rather deep, 

 irregularly spirally alternate notches for the insertion of the flowers ; bractioles 

 inconspicuous (deciduous?). Flozcers relatively large, 12-14 i""''- long (when 

 unopened) and 5-6 mm. through in their lower part, slightly narrowed above to a 

 conical, obtusely trigonous, subacute point: calyx hairy-woolly, cyathiform, cam- 

 panulate with three small acute teeth: corona more than twice as long as the 

 calvx. the segments elongate-triangular, acute, obsoletely striate: staminal ring 

 very short, not protruding above the calyx: filaments subulate from broad bases: 

 anthers narrow, elongate, distinctly two-auricled, sagittate at the base; ovary 

 turbinate, strongly sculptured above, suddenly narrowed into an elongate, subulate, 

 acutely 3-gonous style: stigmas punctiform. Fruit large, not very regularly 

 globose ovoid, 4.5 cm. long, 38-40 mm. through, rounded at both ends, and con- 

 spicuouslv apiculate l)y the remains of the abortive carpels; the surface (in the 

 dry fruit) is nearly polished, and of a very dark brown color; whole pericarp 

 6-7 mm. thick ; the mesocarp is traversed by numerous, very fine, soft, longitudinal 

 fibers, which at complete maturity separate from each other, especially at the 

 base; endocarp woody, thin and brittle, one-half to two-thirds of a mm. thick, 

 prolonged at the base into a woody obconical, very acute base; endocarpal cavity 

 22-25 "'"''''• ^^ diameter. Seed globose-ovoid, somewhat longer than broad, dis- 

 tinctlv conically ajjiculate; hilum orbicular, fruiting perianth slightly accrescent, 

 thickish. pedicelliform, 8 mm. through. 



Habitat. — Discovered by J. F. Rock, ]\lay, 1911, on the northern slope of 

 ]\It. Haleakala on the island of Maui, in dense swampy forest above Honomanu, 

 at about 1000 m. elevation (Rock Xo. 8821). Rock writes (1. c. ) that "one single 

 tall specimen was also observed above Xahiku, on the same mountain at 4000 ft. 

 (1200 m.) elevation along a stream bed." 



Obscn'Otions. — A very fine, large and distinct species, not likely to be con- 

 founded with any other, characterized by the leaf blade which is covered on the 

 lower surface with an adherent light-yellow nearly golden tomentum; by the 

 densely hairv-tomentose floriferous branchlets; by the hairy calyx; and by the 

 large globose-ovoid fruit having the mesocarp dissolved, at perfect maturity, 

 especially at the base, into fine soft fibers exactly as in the fruit of Arcca Catechu, 

 the fruit of which is very similar in size and shape to that of Pr. arccina. It 

 approaches Pr. lanigcra and Pr. eriostachya in its densely hairy floriferous 

 branchlets, but these latter have the calyx glabrous, whereas it is distinctly hairy 



