Malva ceae-Theaeeae. 



Kokia drynarioides (Seem.) Lewt. 

 Eokio. 



KOKIA DRYNARIOIDES (Seem.) Lewt. in Smithson. Mise. Coll. LX. 5. (1912) 3. pi. 5.— 

 Gossypinm drynarioides Seem. Fl. Vit. (1865) 22;— BT. Mann in Proo. Am. Aead. VII. 

 (1867) 157; et PI. Haw. Isl. Proc. Ess. Inst. V. (1867) 141;— Hbd. PI. Haw. Isl. 

 (1888) 51;— Del Cast. 111. PI. Ins. Mar. Pae. VI. (1890) 120.— Hibiscus drynarioides 

 Kuntze Eev. Gen. PI. I. (1891) 68. 



Leaves on long petioles, membraneous, glabrous, but with a few brownish hairs at 

 the base of the veins, cordate 7 to 5 lobed, the deltoid lobes about 3.5 cm deep, the basal 

 sinus quite open; flowers single in the axils of the uppermost leaves, on stout peduncles 

 of 2.5 to 5 cm, which bear at the middle a broadly sessile and obliquely clasping caducous 

 bract of 8 to 10 mm in length; iiuvolucral bracts broadly ovate to sub-cordate, obtuse, 

 entire, 7 to 13-nerved, 2.5 to 3 em long, and 2.5 em or more broad, glabrous, coriaceous; 

 calyx urceolate, truncate, thin scarious; petals red, obovate-oblong, entire, 7.5 to 10 cm 

 long, silky outside; staminal column of same length, truncate or obsoletely 2 to 3-toothed 

 at the apex, antheriferous in the upper third with short filaments; style shortly exserted, 

 clavate, 5-grooved; ovary 5-celled, each cell with one ascending ovule; capsule ovoid 

 2.5 cm, thick woody, opening tardily near the apex; seeds obovoid, covered with a short 

 reddish-brown tomentum. 



Of this exceedingly interesting species there has been only one tree in existence 

 up to a few months ago. This same tree which was declared dead, showed still 

 some signs of life and produced a few capsules with mature seeds ; but this is 

 evidently the last, only a small branchlet having produced a few leaves. Seeds 

 of this tree have been planted by the manager of the Molokai Ranch Co. and by 

 Mr. G. P. Wilder, who secured the last ones to be had. A few have been sent 

 to Washington to the Bureau of Plant Introduction. Thus it is hoped still to 

 perpetuate this most interesting plant. Several trees occurred on the west end 

 of Moloaki, at Mahana, all having now died, owing to ravages of cattle, sheep 

 and goats, which eat off the bark and leaves. On Oahu, at the eastern end, on 

 the hills of Makapuu and Koko Head, grew a variety of this species with lanceo- 

 late involucral bracts, which has long been extinct. It was described by Lewton 

 as a new species, though really only of varietal rank. 



It should be called Kokia drynarioides var. lanceolata. The reasons for this 

 change are explained in the generic discussion. 



THEACEAE. 



The family Theaceae, with its 16 genera and about 174 species, is rather eon- 

 fined to the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. A few appear in the 

 temperate regions of the northern hemisphere in America and Asia. The genus 

 Eurya is the only representative of this family in the Hawaiian Islands, where it 

 has one endemic species. To .this family belongs Thea sinensis L., thie Tea of 

 commerce, which is found wild in the interior of the south Chinese island Hai- 

 nan, and Upper Assam in Bengal, from whence it was introduced as an agricul- 

 tural plant into China and Japan about 810 A. D. 



307 



