54 
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE HITCHCOCK OR THIMBLE BERRY 
GROWING AT PARKER RANCH, HAWAII. 
In a letter sent to me by j\Ir. R. S. Hosmer, Superintendent of 
Forestry, during my stay at Parker Ranch, Hawaii, I was in- 
structed to secure specimens of the so-called Hitchcock or Thim- 
ble Berry in its different stages of growth and make notes and 
observations on the same. 
In compliance with this instruction I went to Paauhau No. 1, 
2 and 3 where the plant is found abundantly in company with the 
erroneously called German Ivy (Scnecio mikanioides) . Its 
specific name I had not been able to secure positively, on account 
of the limited literature on the order Rosaceae respectively the 
polymorphous Genus Rubus. According to Engler and Prantl’s 
Natuerliche Pflanzenfamilien it belongs to the Order Rosaceae 
Genus Rubus, Section IX, Lampobatus, and is in all probability 
Rubus jamaicensis Sw. 
In a wide sense there are between 180 and 200 species of Rubus 
with a legion of varieties so that up to the present time there are 
1,500 species described. 
The plant in question is an erect armed shrub subherbaceous 
of eight inches to three feet in height with pinnately divided leaves. 
Calyx free, deeply five lobed, persistent petals five, stamens nu- 
merous. Carpels numerous, with two pendent ovules in each, 
only one of which matures. Styles subterminal. The fruit, a 
granulated berry, is oval, an inch or more long, three-quarters 
of an inch wide, and is formed by the union of the succulent 
carpels round the conical or shortly oblong dry receptacle. 
Flowers in terminal leafy panicles. The fruit is sweet and quite 
palatable. It is most abundant at Paauhau N"o. 1, 2 and 3, espe 
cially 2 and 3, where the soil is rich and rainfall very frequent. 
In the drier regions as N^ienie and Paauhau it is only found 
alongside of fallen tree trunks which afford them shade and 
moisture. Its spread into the districts of iMana, Punohu, Maka- 
halau, etc., is not to be feared on account of the dryness of that 
region. 
As the plant is only reproduced by seed it will be necessary for 
the entomologist to find an insect which will attack and destroy 
the fruit before it matures. 
Respectfully submitted, 
Joseph F. Rock, 
Botanical Assistant. 
DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. 
Honolulu, Hawaii, February 1, 1910. 
Honorable Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, 
Honolulu. 
Gentlemen : — I respectfully submit my report of the work of the 
Division of Entomology for the month of January. 
