396 



DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS. 



foliage and coarse herbaceous flowers also have a home in the depths 

 of the forest ; a fact elicited by the keen eye of my companion, Brack- 

 enridge, who from the most unexpected situations produced species 

 after species, our rapid descent seeming alone to set a limit to the 

 number. 



On reaching the unwooded basal portion of Mauna Kea, we found 

 ourselves "between twenty and thirty miles" Westward of Hilo ; but 

 more than a day's journey distant ; the slope being furrowed by 

 deeply-sunk ravines, depressed in some instances a thousand feet, so 

 that travelling consists of descending and ascending all the way, and 

 becomes excessively fatiguing : the sea-coast, except at the mouth of 

 these ravines, being a lolty, abrupt precipice. The forest keeping as 

 much as three miles from the sea, the intervening space was freshly 

 verdant, covered with a dense and almost matted growth of grasses : 

 Leptunis ? prevailing ; but Dl(jltanm of perhaps more than one species 

 abundantly intermingled ; together with lihapis acicalaris, annoying 

 from its frequency; an Andropogon ; and one or more Cyperi: in short, 

 the same grassy sward that covers the Windward side of Oahu and 

 Tauai, and makes its appearance at a certain elevation on the Leeward 

 side, where the climate begins to become moist. — "Seven miles" from 

 Hilo, the lofty precipice facing the sea terminates. At this point also, 

 a coast-crater makes its appearance; much resembling the one at Hilo, 

 and in like manner triple. 



Character and composition of the vegetable growth. Thousands 

 of miles away from any other rocky shore, the Hawaiian Islands hold 

 the most isolated position on the Globe : presenting at the same time, 

 much land-surface, and immensely-elevated mountains. It might 

 therefore be supposed, that the productions would be of an indepen- 

 dent character, neither American, Asiatic, nor Australian. Examina- 

 tion discloses, indeed, independent features, some of them very striking; 

 but it is soon perceived, that the flora is altogether Polynesian. Pecu- 

 liarities, however, are so numerous and strongly marked, that the 

 Hawaiian flora deserves to be placed in opposition to that of all the 

 Groups of Southern Polynesia. 



The mangroves, and the submaritime trees and shrubs of Southern 

 Polynesia have disappeared ; and the forest conmiences everywhere at 

 a distance from the sea-margin. On the humid Windward side of the 

 Group, this does not seem readily explicable : the thickets of Paritiam 

 tiliaceum, the exceptional submaritime tree remaining, being equally 



