386 



DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS. 



being entirely within the Leeward portion of the island, at once 

 arrested attention, as promising interesting botanical ground : shutting 

 off as by a second fence, and rendering the District of Waianai the 

 most arid portion of the whole Group ; the same, seen from the Vin- 

 cennes on first approaching the land. High up along this Leeward 

 flank of the Mauna Kaala ridge, Mr. Brackenridge and myself met 

 with various remarkable plants that were not seen elsewhere : as, 

 Erythrina monosperma^ a pinnate-leaved gen. Araliac, and a Pyrus- 

 leaved (jen. Urticac.?, three kinds of low trees, Peruvian-like in their 

 stout swollen trunks and branches; fjen. Gouanioid, a rambling shrub; 

 a remarkable gen. Convolvniac., having the basal portion of the stem 

 woody, tortuous, and decumbent; gen. Crofon-Jil-e, a shrub with atten- 

 uate serrate leaves and long filiform aments; gen. Morus-ltke, with the 

 female florets solitary ; the remarkable Violaceous shrubs, with flowers 

 arising from the old wood ; and a variety of other plants, mostly trees 

 and shrubs. 



The above constitutes the anomalous portion of the Hawaiian vegeta- 

 ble growth ; the remaining and principal portion, that on the mountains 

 and Windward side of the Group, proved unequivocally Polynesian. 



The PRINCIPAL MOUNTAIN-RIDGE on Oahu extends close along the 

 Windward side of the island. On the grassy slope back of Honolulu, 

 at the end of some three miles and at the elevation of about a thou- 

 sand feet, scattered ferns begin to show themselves ; principally the 

 dwarf tree-fern, BJechimm Fontanesianum, and tufts of a multifid 

 Adiantum-like DavalUoid ; overshadowed by an occasional tree of 

 Acacia IteterophrjUa ; though on Oahu, large full-grown trees are in 

 general rare. Higher up, at the border of the forest-growth, Enplior- 

 hias, large shrubs allied to E. ramosissima. present themselves ; the 

 forest-growth itself consisting principally of small trees, and of arbor- 

 escent and other shrubs. On entering, two or more Scoevolas are fre- 

 quent, rather graceful shrubs : further in, Urticeous shrubs present 

 themselves, some of them peculiar forms, as Nerauclia and gen. Elaios- 

 temoid; intermingled with large shrubs belonging to the GompositcB, as 

 Dnhantias and gen. Bidens-like ; also, species of Metrosideros, and of 

 Cyrtandra; a variety of Coffeaceoe, of peculiar genera, and mostly 

 shrubs; the Hydrangea-like Broussaisia ; the Ilex? liexandra ; gen. 

 incert. Cissus-like, but a branching shrub; nov. gen. Rutac. ; Plantago 

 QueUniaua, a real forest-shrub, six feet high ; and especially Char- 

 pentiera, which seemed almost peculiar to Oahu : Lobelias as yet, being 



