27 6 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. IV, July, 1950 
veins and margins, tapering, dark green; 
sheaths 25 cm. long, tight, closed by a brown 
to red membrane; inflorescence 10-15 cm. 
long, branching, pendent, 4-6 nodes, one 
spike per node, internodes 2-3 cm. long at 
the base shortening toward the apex, each 
node and peduncle enclosed by a leafy bract 
1-30 cm. long, the lowest bracts being the 
longest; spikes androgynous except the ter- 
minal one which is staminate, 3-5 mm. wide, 
5-10 cm. long, densely set with fruit, 7-8 
ranks of perigynia around the axis; pistillate 
bracts oblong to obovate, 1.5-2 mm. wide, 
3-4 mm. long, short-awned, three green to 
yellow nerves at the center, margins hyaline, 
brown to purple; staminate bracts lanceolate, 
1 mm. wide, 4-5 mm. long, three center 
nerves yellow to brown, margins brown to 
purple; perigynia subspherical-ovoid or even 
ellipsoid, 2 mm. wide, 2.5 mm. long, lentic- 
ular, bi-convex in cross section with a distinct 
bulge giving one face more convexity than 
the other, two distinct ridges along the mar- 
gins from the rostrum to the base, often a 
third along the bulge, rostrum shallowly bi- 
dentate, 5 mm. long, highly polished, smooth, 
obscurely nerved when immature, light 
brown to very dark brown; achenes obovoid, 
lenticular, glabrous to sparsely hirsute, min- 
utely rugose, not filling the perigynium, yel- 
low to brown; style 2—3 mm. long, doubled 
back against the achene and then passing out 
of the rostrum, splitting into two stigmas at 
the apex of the beak, glandular. 
Distribution: Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, and 
Kauai in Zones D and E of Ripperton and 
Hosaka (1942), the middle and upper for- 
est, in open places in the forest, along ditches 
and roadsides; common. 
Type: U. S. South Pacific Exploring Expe- 
dition under the command of Capt. Wilkes, 
U. S. N., 1838-42, Sandwich Islands, Hawaii, 
U. S. National Herb. No. 27224. 
Specimens examined 
kauai: Degener 2208., Waineke Swamp, 
June 28, 1926, (NY); Degener 2210, Kokee 
Camp, June 25, 1926, (NY); Fosberg 12674, 
Plateau at the head of Kalalau Valley, 1250 
m., Dec. 29, 1935; Fosberg 12675, Plateau 
at the head of Kalalau Valley, 1250 m., Dec. 
29, 1935. 
molokai: Remy 148, 1851-55, (GH); 
Forbes 438. Mo, Kolapamoa, Aug. 1912. 
A B 
E F 
Fig. 17. Perigynia of Car ex alii gat a F. Boott. 
a, Degener 8251; b, Degener 2213 ; c, Krauss 481 ; 
d, Krauss 477; e and f, F.osberg 12675. 
