lorifolia, together with Pseudomorus Bnmoniana, form the last stragglers. From 

 here the country merges into the great central plateau whose vegetative charac- 

 teristics have already been described. 



Adjoining Puuwaawaa on the north is another interesting strip of land called 

 Puuanahulu. The plant formation on this land is very similar to that of Puu- 

 waawaa, but harbors species of trees which can not be found in the latter locality. 

 In this respect the vegetation approaches very much that of Kapua or Manuka 

 in South Kona. 



On the way to Puuanahulu the road leads over a bluff of about 100 feet in 

 height, over which the lava flowed cascade-like. The trees growing on this blufE 

 are mainly Reynoldsia sandwicensis (Ohe) and Dracaena aurea (Halapepe). 

 The land forms a promontory and is in reality an ancient crater; the soil is a 

 yellow loam, and no trace of lava is visible. Opuntia tuna is exceedingly num- 

 erous, together with Brousonettia papyrifera, which has been cultivated by the 

 natives living there. It is one of the driest districts and very few trees can be 

 found, such as the above mentioned and Erytlirina monosperma (Wiliwili), all 

 of them trees adapted for districts with very little rainfall. 



Immediately beyond the bluff, the 1859 flow, which found its source on the 

 flanks of Mauna Loa, crossed the government road. The lava is pahoehoe 

 (smooth), and is bare of any vegetation with the exception of some weeds, 

 such as Solarium pseudocapsicum, which is very numerous in that neighborhood. 

 Beyond this comparatively recent flow is an old aa (rough) lava flow which 

 supports a very interesting xerophytic vegetation. Here we find Xanthoxylum 

 Hawaiiense, a small tree, also Eokia Bockii, and Alphitonia excelsa. 



Adjoining Puuanahulu is Keaumoku, a large plain with a scrub vegetation 

 which merges into the Parker ranch, and is really a continuation of the slopes 

 of Mauna Kea. The shrubs found here are mainly Dodonaea viscosa (Aalii), 

 Wihsiroemia phyllyreaefolia (Akia), a low shrub with brick-red globose ber- 

 ries; and a few others also common to the central plateau. From Keaumoku 

 on, the country is flat and mainly grassland; the grasses growing there are 

 of recent introduction, such as Cynodon dactylon, Melinis rosea, Bromus vil- 

 losus, and others ; mixed with them are Sida falax, Argemone mexicana, Wal- 

 theria americana, Silene gallica, etc. The country is extremely dry, and when 

 very windy the dirt is carried for miles and so thickly that everything appears 

 to be hazy as in a dense mist or fog. 



Of interest in this locality is the large crater Nohonaohae, as it harbors still 

 some of the original vegetation which covered these lands before they were 

 stocked with cattle and sheep. 



Of great interest is the Labiate Haplostacliys Gray ana, an exceedingly 

 scarce plant which, like its congeners Haplostacliys rosmarinifolia and H. trun- 

 cata, belongs to the dry, open grasslands. As these lands are usually used for 

 ranching, these beautiful plants were of the first to be devoured by sheep and 

 cattle alike. It is also only in such places as Nohonaohae, owing to the partial 



54 



