Pittdsporaeeae. 



or white, tiilie 10 to 1- miii or less, lobes aliout mm, stamens nearly as long as tlie tube, 

 ■antliers linear sagittate; pistil short, ovary sessile, oblong, tomentose; eajisule giobose- 

 ■ovoid, soinewliat flattened, tlie tliick woody valves 2.5 nun, wrinkled or rough or soino- 

 tiiues sniootli; seeds puri)le, eomjiressed and angled, closely i)aeked in two rows in eaidi 

 <ell, testa dull, minutely tubereulate-rugose. 



A tree -0 feet in heiulit with stiff, stout, aseendiuL; branches. It is a sonie- 

 wliat variable species; the intiorescence is not always tenniual, l)tit also axillary 

 ;md even cauline in specimens from Ilaleakala, J\Jaui. The writer collected 

 -specimens of this species fnmi the ty[te locality southern slopes of llaleal\ala, 

 ^lani, where the tree is not at all common. It also i;rows near Kaupo at an ele- 

 ^atioii of al)ont 5(100 feet. The leaves in the writer's specimen are mttch larger 

 than those figured by Asa Gray. 



Ilillebrand's var. ,3'. from Kan and Kona agrees well with the writer's material 

 from Lanai. The genns Pittospornm is exceedingly well represented on Lanai, 

 the species (■(iiifirliponiiii evidently' being very variable, as there are as many dif- 

 ferent forms as there are Pittospornm tre(.'s and one would l)e naming indivicUtal 

 trees. It is indeed puzzling, the question of specific distinction in the Hawaiian 

 Pittos]iorums, thanks to the insects on -which the plants depend for pollination. 



Ililleiirand's ty])ieal var. /?. occurs in nearly all the valleys of Lanai, as Kai- 

 holena, i\lahana, Koele, and also on the ridges. It differs from the species in its 

 smaller leaves and lanceolate sepals, and is a small tree altont 18 feet in height. 

 In some of the Lanai sp(^cimens the ca|)sules are deeply wrinkled, and rpiad- 

 rangular, with perfectly flat valves 13 cm. each way; one specimen. No. 810!), 

 has a long Ijracteate peduncle of 4 cm., with large pedicellate flowers. 



172 



