Thymelaeaceae. 



in America, and In the old world from New Zealand to Norway. It is poorly 

 represented in the tropical and temperate regions, but is very rich in species in 

 the sub-tropical regions of Africa and Australia, and in the steppes of Asia. 

 In the Hawaiian Islands the family is represented by the genus Wikstroemia, 

 which has about eight species in this archipelago, all of which, with the ex- 

 ception perhaps of one, are endemic. Three species become trees. The others 

 are small shrubs. 



WIKSTROEMIA Endl. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, tetramerous. Beeeptacle long cylindrical. Calyx lobes 

 spreading, petals none. Stamens in two alternate rows, inserted in the upper portion of 

 the receptaeular tube, the upper near the top of the tube opposite the lobes. Hypogynous 

 scales 4 to 2. Ovary sessile, glabrous or tomentose. Style very short, the large globose 

 stigma therefore almost sessile. Fruit a drupe, or dry, and then enclosed by the 

 receptaeular base. Albumen scanty' or none. Embryo with fleshy cotyledons. — Shrubs or 

 trees with opposite or rarely alternate leaves. Flowers terminal in sJiort racemes or 

 spikes. Bracts none. 



This genus, whose Hawaiian species are known to the natives by the name 

 AJiia, is composed of about 20 species, found in the Indo-Malayan region, China, 

 Australia and the Hawaiian Islands; in the latter locality about eight species 

 are endemic. All have a very tough baric and furnished one of the strongest 

 Hawaiian fibers. The Hawaiian AJx-ia or Akea contain an acrid narcotic and 

 were used for stupefying fish. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES'. 

 Leaves ovate, small, 3.5 cm, glabrous. 



Spikes short, glabrous W. oahuensis 



Leaves large, ovate-oblong, occasionally pubescent. 

 Spikes tomentose, thick. 



Branches often drooping, spikes often 3 cm long W. sandwicensis 



Branches stiff, erect, spikes 4 to 7.5 cm, many forked W. furcata 



Wikstroemia oahuensis (Gray) Rock. 



Akia. 



(Plate 124.) 



WIKSTROEMIA OAHUENSIS (Gray) Rock.— Wikstroemia foetida var. Oahuensis Gray 

 in Seem. Journ. Bot. III. (1865) 302;— Seem. Flora Vit. (1866) 207;— H. Mann in 

 Proc. Am. Acad. VIL (1867) 199;— Wawra in Flora (1875) 175;- Hbd. Fl. Haw. 

 Isl. (1888) 385.— Wikstroemia indica Del Cast. 111. Fl. Ins. Mar. Pac. VII (1892) 

 280. — Diplomorpha Oahuensis Heller in Minnes. Bot. Stud. Bull. IX. (1897) 860. 



Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate 2.5 to 5 cm long, 12 to 25 mm wide, on petioles of 

 2 to 4 mm, acute at the apex, rounded or slightly contracted at the base, glabrous, pale 

 underneath, thin chartaceous; flowers 6 to 12 on pedicels of 1 mm, clustered at the head 

 of a short terminal peduncle, the cluster at most elongating into a spikelet of 4 mm in 

 length; perianth pale or greenish yellow, tubular, puberulous, about 7 mm long, including 

 the spreading lobes, which are somewhat obtuse, and perhaps half, often less, the length ol 

 the tube; lower stamens at the middle of the tube or somewhat higher; hypogynous 

 scales 4 to 5, linear, connate at the base, as long as the ovary, which is glabrous except 

 the apex which is often, but not always, strigose-pubescent, style very short, with capi- 

 tate stigma; drupe ovoid, 6 to 8 mm, reddish yellow. 



This species of Alia is usually a shrub 2 to 4 feet high, but on the upper 

 slopes of Mt. Konahuanui it is a small tree 12 to 15 feet in height, where it 



316 



