Cyatheaceae. 



the Island of Hawaii. The wool or pulu of this fern, as well as of the two other 

 species, was used in stuffing pillows, etc., and the trees were ruthlessly cut down 

 by the pulu gatherers in order to get easily at the wool. Since the pulu is no 

 longer in demand and as hardly any is being gathered at present, the ferns 

 have begun to thrive again, and fine specimens can be met with in all the Ha- 

 waiian rain forests. 



It might be of interest to remark that the Ohia lehua (Metrosideros poly- 

 morpha) is a close associate of the Hapu In. Both the fern and the tree are 

 often found growing together to such an extent that it is difficult to distinguish 

 the tree trunk from the trunk of the fern. 



The natives have an idea that the Eapu In fern is the mother of the Ohia 

 lehua. 



The seeds of the Ohia lehua often germinate in the crowns of the tree ferns, 

 sending down their roots along the very fibrous, often water-soaked trunk. In 

 time the fern begins to die and the Oliia lehua is left standing with stilt roots 

 of often 15 feet or more in height, after which the real trunk of the tree com- 

 mences. Such examples are very numerous in the Hawaiian forests, and un- 

 doubtedly led the Hawaiians to the belief that the tree fern is the parent of the 

 Ohia lehua. 



Cibotium Chamissoi Kaulf. 



Eapu. 



(Plate 30.) 



CIBOTIUM CHAMISSOI Kaulf. Enum. Fil. (1824) 230, t. 1, f. 14;— Spreng. syst. IV. (1827) 

 127;— Presl Tentam. Pterid. (1836) 69, t. 11, f. 8;— Endl. Fl. Suds. (1836) no. 

 512;— Hook. Spec. Fil. I. (1846) 83;— Brack. Fil. U. S. E. E. (1854) 279;— Moore 

 Ind. Fil. (1857-62) 259;— H. Mann. Proc. Am. Acad. VII (1867) 212;— Hbd. 

 Fl. Haw. Isl. (1888) 547;— Christ Parukr. (1897) 316;— Heller in Minnea. 

 Bot. Stud. I. (1897) 776;— Diels in Engl. et Prantl. Pflzfam. I. 

 4 (1902) 121;— Christens. Ind. Fil. (1906) 183;— Eobinson in Bull. 

 Torr. Bot. CI. 39 (1912) 243.— 0. pruinatum Mett. et Kuhn in Linnaea 36 (1869) 

 150. — Dicksonla Chamissoi Hook, et Bak. Synops. Fil. (1866) 50, et II. ed. (1874) 

 50;— Hook. Icon. Plant. XVII (1886) pi. 1603.— C. Chamissoni Del Cast. 111. Fl. 

 Ins. Mar. Pacif. VII (1892) 356.— Pinonia splendens Gaud. Ann. Sci. Nat. Ill 

 (1824) 507, idem Gen. p. 96, et Bot. Voy. Uranie (1826 title page, appeared 

 1830) 370, t. 21. — Dicksonia splendens Desv. Prodr. (1827) 318.— Dicksonla, Smith 

 ex K. Brown. 

 Stipes 12 to 24 dm, brownish, smooth, clothed at the base with a pale fawn-colored 

 lustreless matted or cobwel)by pulu, furfuraceous or naked above; frond 12 to 24 dm long, 

 chartaceous, the under face green or dull glaucous and generally covered with a pale cob- 

 webby pubescence; lowest pinnae 4.5 to 7.5 dm long, with 24 to 28 pairs of pinnules, these 

 shortly stipitate, linear lanceolate 12.5 to 15 cm by 16 to 20 mm, acute, the lower ones 

 cut to near the rhachis ipto oblong, straightish, rather obtuse segments with narrow 

 sinuses, the basal segments entire and not deflected; veinlets little prominent; sori 8 to 14 

 to a segment, the involucre small about 1 mm wide, chartaceous. 



The Hapu, which is of much smaller stature than its congener, the Hapu Hi 



or Heii. is one of the most common tree ferns of the group. It occasionally has 



a trunk of 16 or more feet in height, but never reaches the size of Cibotium, 



Menziesii. Both are, however, found growing together and are most numerous 



on Hawaii, especially in the forests of Puna and back of Hilo. Near the Volcano 



House pure stands of these two species can be found, usually associated with 



93 



