Laysan Botany Notes from Miscellaneous Sources 
Salisbury (ms, —- RG-22-43) Many bushes had been girdled and vegetation 
appeared to be suffering : f ‘rom their ravages...*. We planted 100 cocoa-nut 
sprouts, protecting them with woven wire guards, fa , .Tobacco, originally 
planted in small quantity by employees of a Guano company, has spread to 
various parts of the island and continues to spread. The finches eat and 
distribute the seed. This plant, eaten to some extent by rabbits, grows 
to a l height of five or six feet, and is strong enough to support the nests 
of the Hawaiian Tern which use it as the other bushes disappear. Albatross 
frequent the tobacco patches for nesting and to escape the sun and wind, 
i 
V 
Letter from G,P.Wilder to E,W, Nelson, dated April 19th, 1926 in RG 22 
When 1 visited Lays an in 1924 there was not a vestige of the seeds or 
plants that I had placed there on a previous visit. The birds had cropped 
very closely any plant life that appeared for I noticed that the nesting 
material consisted of weeds and herbage which they were able to find. 
Letter from G.P, Wilder to Paul G, Reddington, dated 20 March 1928 in RG 22 
Dr, Pietschman reported to me that the vegetation was coming back on 
Laysan, including grasses peculiar to that region, false tobacco, weeds of 
various species, and some shrubs of the seeds I planted when I visited the 
island with the late John Rodgers. 
Letter from G.P, Wilder to E,A, Goldman, 20 July 1928, in RG 22 
The fishing schooner "Lanikai" returns yesterday having been away some 
50 days , * , Captain Andersen • , , Andersen made a short stop at Laysan 
and he says the grasses, which I carried from Midway and planted sometime 
ago and some of the plants are showing up very well. Especially was the 
shrub, Micotiana glaucaV which I carried from Honolulu doing very well. 
Wilder ms, dated August 25th, 1930 —-RG 22 
Many of the plants left there by me in 1924 have got a very good start, 
••••(list of plants planted this visit) ...... cf. original for other plant notes, 
Diggs ms. Record Group 45 ™ (Sept, 1918) 
Lhm sialnd is abundant in vegetation, beginning above the surf line and running 
down the slope on the inner side to a lagoon .... (lagoon's banks flat) 
(and) are covered with thick, reddish hued marsh grass and pasley,. , . Two 
shabby leafed coconuts trees still remain in front of the barracks .... 
(Rabbits found in number) 1 ... in and around their burrows among the stones 
shrubberies and green juncus growing near the lagoon, , * , Only in one spot, 
and that near the southeast end of the lagoon, was there any noticeable amount 
of dead shrubbery and no rabbits at all were to be found, at any time during our 
stay feeding upon this plant, , , • Shrubberies of the same kind existed 
elsewhere but seemed still green and untouched. The green juncus growing lower 
on the ground was quite fresh and seemed to cover immense area around the lagoon. 
Here and upon this the rabbits were seen feeding; at times. 
