192 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Yol. Ill, July, 1949 
Helicia micronesica Kanehira (1933a: 95, fig. 
23 [foL fruct.]; 1933b: 669; 1935: 311). 
Finschia micronesica (Kanehira) Kanehira 
(1938: 241, fig. 72 ffl.}). 
Finschia W aterh ouseana B. L. Burtt (1936: 
465). 
Grevillea micronesi{ a)ca (Kanehira) Sleumer 
(1939: 129). 
Finschia densiflora (C. T. White) C. T. 
White (ex Walker, 1948: 155). 
Tree up to 25 m, high, trunk buttressed, often 
raised on stilt roots; bark grey to light brown, 
usually marked with pustules in longitudinal 
lines; young parts densely clothed with a tawny 
or ferruginous pubescence. Leaves lanceolate, 
elliptic or narrowly obovate ( "oblanceolate” ) , 
apex acute or blunt, base cuneate, in the dried 
state dull or nitid above; main lateral nerves 
from about 12 on each side of the midrib in the 
smaller leaves to about 30 in the larger ones, 
arching to form an intramarginal vein, some- 
times very distinct, at others not very clearly de- 
fined; blade variable in size, 9-40 cm. long, 
3.5-13 cm. wide; petiole 1-2.5 cm. long. Ra- 
cemes many flowered, axillary or more fre- 
quently on the older wood below the leaves, 
rachis pubescent, to 30 cm. long, including the 
comparatively short peduncle. Flowers yellow- 
green to orange-yellow, pedicels and petals 
(perianth segments) thinly clothed with a few 
scattered brown hairs; pedicels 0.3-1 cm. long; 
petals 0.4-0.8 cm. long. Ovary glabrous, stipi- 
tate, stipes to 0.5 cm. long; style narrowly cla- 
vate, to 1.5 cm. long; torus very oblique, hy- 
pogynous gland prominent, entire, horseshoe- 
shaped or nearly annular. Fruit yellow, com- 
pressed, oblique, 3-4 cm. long, 2.5-3 cm. wide, 
and 2.5 cm. deep; endocarp bony, roughened; 
seed edible. 
A very widely spread species from the Caro- 
line Islands in the north through New Guinea 
and the Solomon Islands to the New Hebrides in 
the south. To the specimens cited by the authors 
quoted above the following can be added: 
Northeast New Guinea: Heath Island, Open 
Bay (nr. New Britain), in rain forest on vol- 
canic soil, K. Mair, N.G.F. 1878 (flowers) May, 
1945 (tree 60 ft., stilt-rooted to 2 ft. 6 in.; 
bark light brown with pustules in longitudinal ' 
lines; flowers yellow-green). Solomon Islands: 
New Georgia Group, Kolombangara Island, in 
lowland rain forest, F. S. Walker & C. T. White 
B.S.I.P. 183 (leaves and seeds from under the 
tree) October, 1945 (tree 70 ft., buttresses sup- 
porting the trunk off the ground on stilt roots 
6 ft. high; bark grey-brown, roughened with 
numerous fine pustular lenticels; seeds with an 
edible, pleasantly flavoured kernel). 
It is with some hesitation that I have united 
all the species quoted above with F. chloro- 
xantha Diels, especially as Sleumer (loc. cit J, 
who had the opportunity of seeing the type of 
this species, kept it distinct from the others. 
Knowing, however, the extreme variability of 
many of the Proteaceae, especially when they 
are brought into cultivation, I have after con- 
siderable thought decided to regard F. chloro- 
xantha Diels as a "formenkreis” species with 
several geographical races. It seems to differ || 
from subsequently named species only in the 
larger leaves and longer inflorescences. 
Sleumer (loc. cit.) suggested that Grevillea 
elaeocarpifolia Guillaum. was identical with ; 
Grevillea densiflora C. T. White but did not ! 
actually synonymise the two- species. Kajewski | 
when in Bougainville, according to his field ! 
labels, recognized the tree there as practically 
identical with the one in the New Hebrides. In 
this latter area he mentions that the trees are 
frequently seen about villages and appear to be 
planted as the seed is quite an important food j 
nut. The New Hebrides tree which was aptly 
named by Guillaumin (1932) as Grevillea 1 
elaeocarpifolia , judging from Kajewski’s ma- 
terial ( two- numbers ) , seems to have consistently 
smaller leaves, but this is an extraordinarily vari- 
able feature in the New Guinea tree of which I 
have seen a good range of specimens. 
Finschia micronesica Kanehira, according to ' 
the author’s description and illustrations, seems 
to differ in the inflorescence being much shorter 
