150 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VI, April, 1952 
GILBERT ISLANDS: 
Tarawa Atoll, Oct. 1944, Sgt. C. E. R. 
Cameron. 
Tabite Ue A Island [Tapeteuea Atoll]: in 
clumps, abundant lagoon side, perfumed 
roots used to perfume grass skirts, Nov. 5, 
1948, K. Luomala 11, vernacular name '4e 
uteute te mane” [ = the male grass]. 
Rotuma Island: Huo, Oinafa District, alt. 
10 ft., by shore, tufted, in crevices of sea 
cliffs and basalt ledges, July 26, 1938, H. Si. 
John 19,282, vernacular name "pupu”; Haua 
Meamea Island, sea cliff, tufted, in crevices 
of basalt, alt. 15 ft., Aug. 1, 1938, H. St.John 
19,370. 
CAROLINE ISLANDS: 
Kusaie Island, Mot, herb, flower brown, 
grows on shady soil, Jan. 26, 1936, Af . Taka- 
matsu 448. 
Pingelap Island: in woods by lagoon beach, 
Dec. 27, 1945, H. St.John 21,491, vernacular 
name "rosakai.” 
Truk Islands: Truk, sandy soil near sea- 
shore, CIMA Expedition, Sept. 24, 1947, 
C. C. Y. Wong 129, vernacular name "ene- 
nikko.” 
This plant is common on the atolls of the 
Central Pacific and has often been collected. 
It has customarily been identified as F. 
cymosa R. Br., but that species, described from, 
the Gulf of Carpentaria and Prince of Wales 
Islands, has the spikelets single or on longer 
inflorescences with less than half of them 
paired; scales ovate, the 3 lateral veins on 
each side strong; stigmas 3, and 0.5 mm. 
long; and the achenes oblong-obovoid, 
trigonous but somewhat plano-convex, whit- 
ish brown, transversely rugulose. It is a 
member of the section Trichelostylis, and the 
series Glomeratae. On the other hand, F. 
atollensis has the spikelets 3 (or 2) at a node, 
I.3-I.8 mm. wide; scales rhomboid- subor- 
bicular, the lateral veins 2-4 on a side, short, 
obscure, closely parallel to the midrib; stig- 
mas 2 and 0. 7-0.9 mm. long; and the achenes 
turbinate, thick plano-convex, dull fuscous, 
without ridges, lines, or mottlings. This new 
species falls into quite a different position in 
the genus, in the section Dichelostylis and into 
series B** (Clarke, Kew Bui. 106, 1908). The 
several species in this series are strikingly 
different, but it seems that the closest is F. 
macrostachya Boeck. of Port Darwin, Nothern 
Territory, Australia. This differs in having 
the leaves plane above; scales rigid, strongly 
mucronate, many striate, stramineous; ovary 
long stipitate; and the style densely dilate. 
On the other hand, F. atollensis has the leaves 
channeled above, the scales brown, scarious, 
broadly obtuse, only the rriidrib prominent; 
ovary sessile, and the style glabrous. 
The type of F. cymosa R. Br. was recently 
critically studied by the writer at the British 
Museum of Natural History in London. A 
photograph of the type sheet is included 
(Fig. 3). 
