166 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, VoL XIII, April, 1959 
AMARANTHACEAE 
Nototrichium sandwicense (Gray ex Mann) 
Hbd„ var. mihauense var. nov. 
Fig. 4 
DIAGNOSIS HOLOTYPi: Frutex 1-3 m. alta, 
laminis 5.7-15.8 cm. longis, 2.8-9. 1 cm. latis, 
spicis 2-6 cm. longis recurvatis pervillosis et 
floribus clausis, bracteis rhachidis 2-2.5 mm. 
longis, bracteis florarum 2. 3-2. 7 mm, longis, 
sepalis 3-3.5 mm. longis obscure pluri- 
nervosis dense albo villosis in omnibus par- 
tibus excepta margine, antheris 0.5 mm. 
longis celiulis connectis. 
DESCRIPTION OF ALL SPECIMENS: Shrub 1-3 
m. tall, as much as 2 cm. in diameter at base; 
petioles 8-25 mm. long; blades 5.7-15.8 cm. 
long, 28-91 mm. wide, ovate, obtuse, abruptly 
cuneate and short decurrent, above short ap= 
pressed pilosulous, below whitened by the 
appressed pilose tomentum; peduncles 3-30 
mm. long, 2-bracted; spikes 2-6 cm. long, 
8-10 mm. in diameter, recurving and the tips 
pendent, the axis pilose, with glabrous, scari- 
ous lanceolate bracts 2-2.5 mm. long, these 
exposed after the shedding of the fruits; 
flowers almost hidden by the abundant silky 
villosity, the paired bracts persisting below 
the flower 2. 3-2. 7 mm. long, sparsely pilose 
or villous; the four sepals 3-3.5 mm. long, 
broadly lanceolate, densely white villous ex- 
cept near the margins; stamens 3/5 the length 
of the perianth; filament ring prominent, 
dark; anthers 0.5 mm. long, oblong-ellipsoid, 
the ceils joined; ovary subglobose; utricle 
1.5 mm. long, cylindric, transparent; seed 
0.5 mm. long, brown, obliquely elliptic. 
HOLOTYPUS: Niihau, first valley west of 
Kaali Cliff, top of steep basalt talus, 100 ft. 
alt., shrubs 1-2 m. tall, August 16, 1947, 
H. St. John 22,830 (BISH). 
SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Niihau, Mokouia 
Valley, basalt rock beneath Prosopis tree, 700 
ft. alt., March 30, 1949, H. St. John 23,389. 
It was also observed by the writer, but not 
collected, on Kaali Cliff. 
The holotypic collection is abundant and 
with abundant flowering and fruiting spikes, 
but not a whole leaf was left on the plant. 
Some insects had eaten of the foliage, till the 
leaves were reduced to a mere lacework. The 
second collection, made after a heavy winter 
rain, has lush new growth and unharmed 
leaves. A branch of this is shown on the illus- 
tration (Fig. 4) and may be classed as a 
paratype. 
No Hawaiian vernacular name for this spe- 
cies was known to the 'informant, Kalani 
Niau. Being a large and conspicuous shrub, a 
specimen was taken to the village and shown 
to the best informed, older native Hawaiians, 
but none knew a name for it. This is regretted, 
for as a perusal will show, the natives of Nii- 
hau still remember the Hawaiian vernacular 
names for almost all of the native plant spe- 
cies, and they have given Hawaiian names to 
most of the well-established adventive and 
cultivated species. 
These are the first available collections of 
Nototrichium from the island of Niihau, so it 
is not surprising to have them turn out to be 
undescribed. There is an earlier record by 
Forbes (1913: 21) of this species from Niihau 
in his account of the Stokes collections. This 
early collection is lost. It is not now to be 
found in the Bishop Museum, and it does not 
appear in their card index of the herbarium as 
ever having been inserted in the collection. 
The closest relative seems to be var. 
longespicatum Hbd. from Molokai (and per- 
haps formerly from Maui). This differs by 
having smaller blades, the principal ones 4-6 
cm. long and 2. 5-4. 2 cm. wide; shorter 
spikes 2.5-5 cm. long, usually straight, less 
hairy, and with the flowers well exposed; 
bracts of the rhachis 1.5-2 mm. long; floral 
bracts 1.5-2 mm. long; sepals 2. 7-3. 2 mm. 
long, strongly 5-9-nerved, villous at base, 
the hairs diminish and becoming few on the 
pilose back, the apex and broad margins 
glabrous; anthers 0.2 mm. long, the cells 
separate, much diverging towards the base. 
On the other hand var. niihauense has the 
