10 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, January, 1947 
G. Bennett.” Rock’s paper is a detailed 
monograph of the Hawaiian species of San- 
talum. For S. Freycinetianum he cites only 
four collections from three localities: 
"Wahou” [Oahu], Gaudichaud, in 1827; 
Palolo, Rock nos. 10,063 and 12,512; and 
Bennett’s from "Wouhala.” It is obvious 
that the Hawaiian common name lauhala 
does not apply to Santalum. It means 
"leaves of the hala tree” ( Pandanus ) and 
was and is in very common usage in refer¬ 
ence to mats, baskets, etc., plaited from the 
leaves of the Pandanus; thus Bennett’s use 
of it for Santalum can be rejected as an error. 
Rock gave no explanation of the locality 
"Wouhala.” The subsequent standard gazet¬ 
teer of the Territory of Hawaii (Coulter, 
1935) includes not only the place names on 
the current official topographic maps, but 
also the obsolete names or spellings from all 
available older maps. It does not include the 
place name Wouhala or anything like it. 
The lengthy journal of Tyerman and Ben¬ 
nett has been scanned for data on this point. 
They arrived on Oahu in December, 1821, 
and spent more than 3 months on the island. 
Bennett gives an account of his ascent on 
April 26, 1822, of Erihi [Diamond Head], 
of climbing "the great mountain Punch¬ 
bowl,” and of climbing on April 28 the 
Koolau divide, not far from the Nuuanu 
Pali, "one of the highest accessible points 
in this island.” He and his companion made 
a tour around the island of Oahu, but he 
does not in this account mention his find¬ 
ing of the sandalwood at "Wouhala.” Ben¬ 
nett later mentioned the sandalwood and 
this locality, and gave a helpful description 
of the tree in his book (I860: 420-421), 
but this is a condensed and paraphrased ac¬ 
count from the fuller one (1832: 260-261) 
which is here quoted: 
On the 10th of December, 1829 {1821], I visited 
the district of Wouhala (Island of Oahu); on 
ascending a high hill, the plains on the summit 
were found covered with dry grass, and various 
plants and shrubs, and at some parts deep wooded 
glens formed most picturesque and beautiful scen¬ 
ery. Among the specimens of plants, &c., I col¬ 
lected were the following:— 
A species of Cyathodes, called pokeawi by the 
natives, bearing small red berries; the same native 
name is given to red beads, from their resemblance 
to the berries of this shrub. A species of Phyto¬ 
lacca, called poporo-tumai by the natives: the 
berries (which grow erect in long bunches) yield 
a reddish brown juice, used for dyeing the native 
cloth; the berries externally are of a purplish red 
colour; the leaves of the shrub are cooked and 
eaten. 
On the plains was found a species of Dian ella, 
named uki by the natives, bearing small berries of 
a mazarine blue, which are used by the natives in 
making a permanent blue dye. The Pyrus ^nthyl- 
lidifolia of Smith (in Rees’s Cyclopaedia ), and 
more recently the Osteomelis ^nthyllidifolia of 
Lindley (in the Linnean Transactions '), called ure 
by the natives, was very abundant; it is a small 
shrub, bearing berries of a white colour, contain¬ 
ing a reddish juice of sweet and astringent taste; 
the flowers are white and fragrant. 
The mamati or cloth plant, also named oreyna, 
the U rtica argentea; the bark is used in the manu¬ 
facture of the native cloth, and also produces a 
flax which might form a useful article of com¬ 
merce. A species of Scaevola, named nouputa by 
the natives, was also abundant on the hills, bear¬ 
ing yellow flowers. 
A shrub, attaining the elevation of 9 or 10 ft, 
called karia or taria by the natives, was abundant, 
but the only specimens gathered had abortive 
flowers. 
A small tree, called lumma by the natives, had 
the leaves when young of a beautiful red colour, 
and the foliage has a peculiar appearance, appar¬ 
ently from minute glands situated on the upper 
and under surfaces. There is also a shrub (prob¬ 
ably a Bass ia), called ohava, the seeds of which 
yield a red dye, used by the natives to stain their 
cheeks and fingers. A species of Gnaphalium, 
called poina by the natives, was also abundant. 
Of the uwara, or sweet potatoes (Convolvulus 
Batatas et var.); which are much cultivated at 
the Sandwich Islands, there are seventeen varieties. 
On the declivities of the hills, and in the ravines, 
the tui tui, or candle nut tree (Aleurites triloba) 
is seen abundant; the whiteness of its foliage ren¬ 
dering it a conspicuous object. The whiteness is 
occasioned by a fine white powder on the upper 
surface of the leaf, which is readily removed by 
the finger. Under it the leaf is found of a dark 
green colour. The young foliage is thickly covered 
with this white powder; the older leaves have 
little, or are entirely destitute of it. The foliage 
of this tree varies much in form, depending on 
the age of the tree or leaves. The flowers grow 
in erect clusters, are small, white, and possessed 
of very little fragrance; the fruit is of small size. 
