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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XVII, October 1963 
end hirsute with trichomes 0.8- 1.0 mm long; 
but the whole petiole glabrate and ultimately 
glabrous. Blades 5-10 cm long, 3-6 cm broad, el- 
liptic, usually rounded at base, broadly subacute 
at apex or there minutely retuse, ventrally gla- 
brous even in bud, densely villous beneath all 
over the dorsal surface and densely hirsute along 
the costa, with pale stramineous trichomes ca. 
1 mm long, the indument more or less perma- 
nent; costa raised and rounded dorsally; lateral 
nerves 8-14 per side, nearly straight and parallel, 
the connecting marginal nerve deeply arched, 
with several minor veinlets intervening between 
it and the margin; marginal nerve ca. 2-8 mm 
from the edge. Inflorescence a highly reduced 
cyme with usually 1 or rarely 2 to 3 flowers, 
axillary among the leaves; peduncle and pedicel 
sparsely and minutely puberulent in flower, later 
subglabrate; peduncle reduced to a slight pro- 
jection no higher than the 2 or 4 bractlets it 
bears, and hidden by them; pedicel ca. 5 mm 
long, 0. 3-0.4 mm thick, slightly flaring at calyx 
to a breadth of 07-0.9 mm, with bractlets 
tightly appressed at base of pedicel on the ob- 
solete peduncle; bractlets deltoid, ca. 0. 3-0.4 mm 
long, opposite, decussate; pedicels and perianth 
segments copiously opaque-punctate. Pistillate 
flowers ca. 3 mm high, sepals broadly ovate with 
rounded summit and sharp apex, 1.3 mm long, 
1.5 mm broad, glabrous except for the minutely 
ciliolate margins. Petals glabrous, broadly ovate, 
acute, 2-4 mm long, ca. 1.7 mm broad. Stamens 
sterile, all shorter than the style, in 2 subequal 
quartets, the shorter quartet just under 1 mm 
long, the longer quartet bare more than 1 mm 
long. Ovary 4-lobed, glabrous, ca. 1 mm high, 
1.3 mm broad, on a glabrous shallow somewhat 
reddish-speckled disk, the style 0.5 mm high, 
stigma 4-lobed, ca. 0.7 mm broad, the lobes dark 
purplish and minutely papillate. Staminate flow- 
ers unknown. Immature capsule nearly 10 mm 
diameter, the lobes (some abortive) still more 
or less ascending, 5 mm long, deeply parted 
(16-%), sepals caducous; exocarp glabrous, co- 
piously glandular-punctate; endocarp glabrous; 
lobes 2 -seeded. 
TYPE: Kauai: Waimea, 2000-3000 ft. alt., 
Mann & Brigham s.n. (Cornell). 
DISTRIBUTION: Kauai. 
Only one further collection of this species is 
known; it is from the general area of the type 
locality (Waimea, Kauai) and was discovered 
by Otto Degener. Unfortunately, it is a sterile 
specimen. 
This species has been consistently misinter- 
preted since its first description. Hillebrand 
(1888) described under the name Pelea kauai- 
ensis a species superficially similar to that which 
Mann had actually described, but clearly distinct; 
Hillebrand’s material was correctly segregated 
by Rock (1918) under the name Pelea recurvata 
Rock. In 1897 Heller described Pelea cruciata, 
which was however considered by later authors, 
such as Rock, to be a synonym of Pelea kauai- 
ensis Mann. Such was not the case; Heller’s 
species was justly distinguished, and is quite 
distinct from both Pelea kauaiensis or Pelea 
recurvata. Skottsberg (1944) noted the discrep- 
ancies between descriptions and specimens of 
these three entities, and published in tabular 
form some of their differences. Upon comparing 
type specimens of the three species it becomes 
quite apparent that they are distinct. The above 
extended description of Pelea kauaiensis is based 
on the original material, and should serve finally 
to clarify this least understood member of a trio 
of superficially similar species. 
Pelea kauaiensis may be quickly distinguished 
from the two other species formerly confused 
with it as follows: 
1. Endocarp glabrous. 
2. Blades permanently pilose beneath; 
capsule lobes ascending or rotate; 
capsules 10-? (perhaps 20) mm di- 
meter; inflorescence reduced, 1-3- 
flowered kauaiensis 
2. Blades ultimately slightly glabrescent; 
capsule lobes recurved; capsules 21- 
23 mm diameter; inflorescence stout, 
3-9-flowered. recurvata 
1. Endocarp pubescent; blades densely pu- 
berulent cruciata 
Mann’s original description indicated the 
name as kavaiensis; since, however, the Latin v 
is more commonly spelled out either as a true v 
or as u in modern usage, and since the u is es- 
sential to the meaning as well as the pronun- 
ciation of the name, it is thought best to retain 
with Hillebrand the name of the island in its 
correct form, as kauaiensis. See art. 73, note 6, 
