90 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, VoL XIII, January 1959 
The intertidal zone, whether of calm, 
sandy-bottom lagoons or of coral pavement 
or boulders, is a very important ecological 
feature of an atoll, but except for the ubiqui- 
tous marine angiosperm Thalassia, which was 
noted at Nomwin Atoll, the vegetation is of 
algae and is not cataloged here. 
Collections were made on Ulul (June 22, 
1957), Magur (June 29), Ono (June 30), and 
Pisarach (July 2) islets of Namonuito Atoll; 
on Nomwin (July 3) and Fananu (July 4) 
islets of Nomwin Atoll; and on Ruo Islet 
(July 5) of Murilo Atoll. The specimens have 
been deposited in the herbarium of the Bernice 
P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. 
Economy 
The island economy is completely agricul- 
tural. The coconut furnishes, in the form of 
copra exports, the principal or only source of 
income, as well as a wide array of uses for 
food, shelter, and cordage. Wherever possi- 
ble, coconut palms have been planted and the 
original forests replaced. In Namonuito Atoll, 
on Magererik and Magur islets, there are 
some stands of Fisonia forest in relatively un- 
disturbed condition, however. These are usu- 
ally intermixed with breadfruit and Eugenia 
trees. Breadfruits are one of the staple foods; 
the tubers of Cyrtosperma, and to a lesser 
degree, of Colocasia, are the other staples. 
Breadfruits are preserved for future use in 
shallow depressions in the earth which are 
lined with banana leaves and covered with 
stones. In this manner they are kept several 
months as a reserve to be used in the months 
during which the breadfruit trees bear no 
fruit. Breadfruit seeds furnish a minor but 
well-liked source of food. Alocasia, the third 
"taro,” is not actively cultivated, but grows 
spontaneously and is used on occasion for 
food, especially during droughts or famines. 
Tacca is a similar reserve food. Papayas, ba- 
nanas, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and panda- 
nus fill out the vegetable diet. Chickens, pigs, 
and seafood are the main sources of meat. 
Much of the income derived from the sale of 
copra is spent for imported foods, such as 
rice, flour, sugar, coffee, and tinned meats, 
as well as for clothing, hardware, and tobacco. 
Most islets also have some plants of Nicotiana 
to furnish tobacco between visits of the 
copra steamer. 
Brief Description of the Islets 
The islet of Ulul, or as it is sometimes 
spelled, Olol, is dominated by coconut palms. 
Other trees include breadfruits, Pandanus, 
Eicus, Eugenia, Hernandia, Barringtonia, Hi- 
biscus, Allop hylus, Premna, Calophyllum, ■ and 
Casuarina. Abundant shrubs are Scaevola, 
Messer schmidia, Callicarpa, Pipturus, and Clero- 
dendrum. Glochidion and Wedelia are also 
rather frequent. The low herbaceous species 
include OpUsmenus, Thuarea, Eimhristylis, Mi- 
crosorium, Nephrolepis, Portulaca, Ipomoea, and 
Triumfetta; climbing and creeping vines in- 
clude the very abundant Piper fragile? and 
Piper ponapense, Vigna, Canavalia, and Cassytha. 
Introduced weeds include Eleusine, Chryso- 
pogon, Cenchrus, all grasses, and Euphorbia 
hirta, E. thymifolia, and Vernonia. In the 
village, Plumeria, Nerium, Crinum, Hibiscus 
rosa- sinensis, Mirabilis, and Zephyranthes are 
cultivated as ornamentals. Characteristic of 
Ulul and the greater part of Namonuito Atoll 
is the great abundance of Piper vines in the 
forest, forming a ground cover and climbing 
high up tree trunks. Glochidion, however, is 
infrequent here, and is not nearly so important 
a component of the under-story as it is on 
Nomwin Islet. 
On Magur Islet, there is a good stand of 
forest, consisting of Pisonia, Eugenia, and 
breadfruits. The second story of this forest, 
developed especially at the forest fringes, 
consists of Morinda, Allophylus, Crataeva, 
Eicus, papayas, and seedlings of the upper- 
story trees. The ground cover is chiefly Piper 
fragile?, Nephrolepis, Microsorium, Wedelia, and 
Vigna. Asplenium nidus is an abundant epi- 
phyte and is also sometimes terrestrial. The 
soil developed here is a light black organic 
mulch mixed with white coral sand and coral 
