I02 Moiioirs Bcniicc P. Bishop Miisciiin 



regions are discussed in detail by llillebrand' and Rock; and also by Heller* for the 

 islands of Oahu and Kauai. The distribution of the grasses as limited to ecological 

 areas is not so distinct as in many other families of plants, but the characteristic 

 habitats of the more common species of Hawaiian grasses are given belnw. 



'J'he only species that is strictly a strand ])lant is Sf'orobohis ■:'ii\!^iuiciis fdund 

 on sandy shores such as the vicinity nf Kaluiku on ( )ahu. This is a low i)erennial 

 with extensively cree])ing rhizdmes. short, sharp, distichous leaves and spikelike 

 panicles. It is found from \'irginia to Brazil and also in the tropics of the Old 

 World from Africa to India and Australia. Lcphtnis rcpois is also a strand plant 

 of the South Pacific islands but does not reach the main group of the Hawaiian 

 islands, having lieen collected only on Palmyra and Midway islands. 



The grasslike vegetation of marshland is made up chieflv of sedges (C\i)er- 

 aceac). An introduced grass, Ilcliiiioclildci cnisgalli cnts-pa:'oiii.\'. is found in taro 

 patches, rice fields, and along ditches. An allied species. £. coloiiuni. is found in 

 wet places but is scarcely a marsh grass. In moist cultivated soil it is a weed. 



The commoner species of weeds in cultivated soil are Syiitlicrisiiia saiigiii- 

 nalis (crab grass) and a more delicate allied species, .S". cliimvisis. In sandv fields 

 Ccuchnis hiUcbrandianus (sandbur) is abundant. 



Characteristic pasture land is found in the interior of Oahu in the vicinity 

 of Schofield Barracks. The most abundant species of grasses at Schofield is 

 Rhaphis aciculata, called by the Hawaiians pilipiliula (PI. XXXI C. and fig. 107). 

 It is a creeping pestiferous little grass whose sharp-pointed fruits penetrate the 

 clothing and cause annoyance. Other species found in pasture land are Sporobolits 

 cloiigcitiis, Agrostis rcfrofracfa, and Cliacfocliloa goiicitlata. All these species are 

 aggressive weeds which, with the possible exception of Agrosfis rcfrofracfa. have 

 been introduced. 



The weeds of streets are often found in fields and those of fields are found 

 along streets, but certain species are characteristic of the streets and waste places 

 about Honolulu and the larger towns. Capriola dacfyloii. Bermuda grass, manienie 

 of the Hawaiians, is abundant in dry open ground. It is also found in pasture land, 

 generally where the soil is not too wet or the rainfall too great. Bermuda is a 

 common lawn grass. Elciisinc indica, goose grass, and two species of Chloris, 

 C. paragiiaxoisis and C. radiafa, are not uncommon. 



There are two species of grass dominant on open or i)artially wooded sloj)es 

 below the forest in the wet i)arts of the islands. These are Paspahiiii orbicidarc 

 and P. coiijugafimi. Both are introduced and neither is of value as a forage grass. 

 Paspahiiii coiijiigatiiiii is locally known as liilo Grass; in the West Indies it is 

 called sour grass. 



Practically all the species mentioned thus far are intrcKluced. The native 

 species appear in the more remote regions. 



'■ HillebramJ, William, (i) The flora of tlic Hawaiian Islands. Xcw York and Ileidollierg, 1888; 

 (2) Die Vegetatioiisforniationeii dcr Hawaiischen Inseln : Engler Bot. Jahrb. Vol. 9. pp. 305-314, 1887. 



"Rock. Joseph F., Indigenous trees of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu, 1913. 



'Heller. A. .-\., Plants of tlie Hawaiian Islands: Minnesota Geol. and Xat. Hist. Survey liuU. 9 (Minn. 

 Botanical Studies Vol. i), pp. 765-777, 1894-1898. 



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