variety of the species. 
Molokai (Maunahui); Oahu (Kipapa Gulch, Halemano, Diamond 
Head). 
2. ’ Portulaca lutea Solander ex Forster, PI. Escul. 72.1786; 
Forbes in Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 4:25. 1911; 5:6. 1913; 
Christophersen in Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 9:11. 1931; 
Christophersen and* Caum in Bish. Mus. Bull. 81:28. 1931; 
VON Poellnitz in Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 12:5. 1936; Caum 
in Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 11:8. pis. IB, 3A. 1936; Degener in 
FI. Haw. fam. 117. 1938. 
Woody and more or less prostrate, the lower stems almost 
suffruticose, with a scaly bark; leaves generally crowded toward the 
ends of the stems, obovate and flattened, fleshy, about 2 x 1.5 cm., 
glabrous, on a short petiole 2 mm. long; flowers subses3ile, solitary or 
in pairs, with 2 sepals, carinate, cup-like; petals yellow, fugacious, 
about 1 cm. long, retuse and apiculate apically; stamens about 35, or 
24-48, yellow; stigmas 5, 3 mm. long, yellow; capsule about 7 x3-4 
mm., with about 60 seeds (fide Degener), the seeds about 1 mm. long, 
shining black, minutely stellulate-rugulose. ; 
A Polynesian species, described originally from Tahiti; known 
now from a number of Pacific islands, including the. Galapagos 
Islands. The plant is edible but salty. In Hawaii it is not common, 
but has been found on Oahu, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Molokini, and 
Hawaii, on dry rocky coasts. CHRISTOPHERSEN in an account of this 
species from Wake Islan d and Peale Islet, mentions that his contrast¬ 
ing characters differentiating this species from P. oleracea were based 
on living plants collected at Kaena Point, Oahu. 
.' J v . 
. , t , y . ■ _ . y-.J A: ' • 
Sect. Pseudohipsodasis Legrand in Com. Bot. Mus. Hist. Nat. 
Montevideo n. 31:7. 1953; n. 34:8. 1958. 
Capsule circumscissile at the middle ox, higher, the operculum 
hemispheric or rarely subconoid; leaves linear to oblong, arranged 
apically in verticils of (5-)-6-9 leaves. ST 
Subsect. Lineales Legrand l.c. 1958. ’ X:' ; ' " 
Leaves linear or nearly linear; capsule sessile or rarely pedicellate. 
Group A : Legrand l.c. 
Capsules sessile or subsessile. • ;£■ 
3 . 
Portulaca cyanosperma Egler in Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap, 13 (15): 
167. 1937; Degener in FI. Haw. fam. 117. 1938; St. John 
in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club. 72:24. 1945; Stone in Nat. Hist. 
