li 
VEGETATION 
1 5 Low shrubs, seldom above M-gsSk high, cover the sides and much 
? I L<V • > 14)^ 
,T ! 3J ° f thS fl °° rS ° f the valle y s yl These consist primarily of SKLanum 
' * nelson! « Chenopodlum oahuense and Sida fallax . and may be mixed or 
in almost pure stands. Less common elements include Sesbani a 
i 
3 
?th- 
eiitosa , Euphorbia celastroides and Eragrostis variabilis . Of the 
.^tfovery few plants of the annual grass Panlcum torridum sighted, all 
"Jp-but one were young seedlings. The shrubs are sparser and the tufts 
0 of Eragrostis more common on the ridges. Intertwining branches of 
the scrambling Euphorbia ^ shrubs form dense mats around velsaiiio 
outcroppings along the edges of the north cliffs. I did not notice 
well defined vegetative associations, although these are found on 
other of the Leeward Islands ( §•). 
There are three species of Portulaca on Nihoa. P. lutea grows 
in shallow, rocky soil and in cracks along the lower south side; a 
large colony is found near the remains of a heiau (temple) at the 
northeast end of Albatross Plateau. P. villosa is in pockets of 
soil and in cracks throughout the islanc^^An introduced species, 
£♦ oleracea . is found in two places, the largest colony being on 
Albatross Plateau. Undoubtedly, the P. oleracea seeds were introduced 
accidentally when a joint military operation—HIRAN, Phase II, 
whose task was to determine the correct location of each of the 
Leeward Islands—used this area as a helicopter landing pad and temporary 
camp during 1961 . A smaller colony, probably established within 
the year previous to my visit, id located at the base of Miller 
Valley on a small rise used as a campsite by the Pish and Wildlife 
