Melastomaceae in Hawaii — PLUCKNETT and Stone 
303 
Volcano Road, 4 miles above Hilo, top of road 
cut, Dec. 5, 1959, Plucknett 79, 80. 
Altitude range 0-1,000 ft. Flourishes in open 
areas of high rainfall on Hawaii. Together with 
its weedy relative, M. malabathricum, M. de- 
cern fidurri has become dominant in the Keau- 
kaha area near the radio tower and also may be 
seen in thickets along the Volcano Road. This 
shrub has been observed as a small tree with a 
trunk 4-5 in. in diameter and up to 12 ft. high 
in the Keaukaha area. 
LESS COMMON MELASTOMACEOUS 
PLANTS IN HAWAII 
There are several species which seem to be 
spreading in certain areas but which at present 
cannot be classed as dangerous or even common 
weeds. It seems useful to indicate briefly their 
presently known distributions. 
Clidemia hwta (L.) D. Don. This rather 
small plant has been collected on Oahu on Mt. 
Tantalus, twice on the Poamoho Trail in the 
Koolau range, and twice near the Hawaiian 
Sugar Planters’ Association nursery in Wahiawa. 
There are no reports of Clidemia from the other 
islands. 
Pterolepis glomerata (Rottb.) Miquel. Speci- 
mens of this plant have been collected from 
Palikea in the Waianae range, and from Poa- 
moho and Pupukea in the Koolau range on 
Oahu. 
Heterocentron subtriplinervium (Link and 
Otto) Br. and Bouche. According to the labeled 
specimens in Bishop Museum there are four 
species of Heterocentron in Hawaii, but prob- 
ably only one or two of these species are actually 
represented. Neal (1948: 568) reported only H. 
roseum Br. and Bouche. Clarification of the spe- 
cies of Heterocentron will probably be pre- 
sented in the new edition of Neal’s In Gardens 
of Hawaii ( in preparation ) . 
There are five specimens determined as H. 
subtriplinervium in the Bishop Museum. These 
were collected from Mt. Tantalus, Oahu, and 
from Hawaii along the Hilo-Kona and Hilo- 
Kilauea roads. 
Arthrostemma latifolium D. Don. This plant 
has been found escaping at the Makiki Nursery, 
in Honolulu, and along south Opaeula ridge on 
Oahu. 
REFERENCES 
Degener, O. 1930. Plants of Hawaii National 
Park. Honolulu. 
1935. Flora Hawaiiensis. Honolulu. 
Hosaka, E. Y. 1945. Noxious weeds of Hawaii. 
Bd. Comm. Agric. For. Honolulu. (Loose- 
leaf. ) 
Moomaw, J. C, M. T. Nakamura, and G. D. 
Sherman. 1959. Aluminum in some Hawai- 
ian plants. Pacif. Sci. 13(4): 335-343. 
Neal, M. C. 1948. In gardens of Hawaii. Bishop 
Mus. Spec. Plibl. 
Pope, W. T. 1929. Manual of Wayside Plants 
of Hawaii. Honolulu. 
Sherman, G. D. 1954. Some of the mineral 
resources of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii 
Agr. Exp. Sta. Spec. Publ. 1. 
