SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY NUMBER 17 

Partial Flora of 

the Society Islands: 

Ericaceae to Apocynaceae 

Martin Lawrence Grant, 

F. Raymond Fosberg, 

and Howard M. Smith 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS 

City of Washington 

1974 
ABSTRACT 

Grant, Martin Lawrence, F. Raymond Fosberg, and Howard M. Smith. Partial 

Flora of the Society Islands: Ericaceae to Apocynaceae. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, number 17, 85 pages, 1974.-Results of a botanical investigation of the Society Islands carried out by Grant in 1930 and 1931, and 

subsequent work on the material collected and other collections in the U.S. 

herbaria and other published works are reported herein. This paper is a partial 

descriptive flora of the Society group with a history of the botanical exploration 

and investigation of the area. 

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded 

in the Institution’s annual report, Srnithsonian Year. SI PRESS NUMBER 5056. SERIES COVER 

DESIGN: Leaf clearing from the katsura tree Cercidiphyllurn juponicum Siebold and Zuccarini. 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Grant, Martin Lawrence, 1907-1968. 

Partial flora of the Society Islands: 

(Smithsonian contributions to botany, no. 17) 

Supt. of Docs. no.: SI 1.29:17. 

1. Botany-Society Islands. I. Fosberg, Francis Raymond, 1908- , joint author. 11. Smith, 

Howard Malcolm, 1939- , joint author. 111. Title. IV. Series: Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian contributions to botany, no. 17. 

QK1.2747 no. 17 581’.08s [581.9’96’21] 73-22464 

Ericaceae to Apocynaceae. 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402 Price $1.75 (paper cover) 
The senior author, after spending almost a year during 1930 and 1931 in the 

Society Islands, collecting herbarium material and ecological data, worked intensively on a comprehensive flora of this archipelago for the next five years. Most 

of this work was done at the University of Minnesota, but six months were spent 

at the B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, and shorter visits were made to other 

herbaria. A vast card catalog of literature and herbarium records was made, and 

the families Ericaceae through Apocynaceae were completed and submitted as 

a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements fer the Doctor of Philosophy 

degree at the University of Minnesota, which he was awarded in 1936. This 

thesis was practically ready for publication at that time, and in 1937 I urged him 

to submit it to the Bishop Museum for publication. He said he preferred to wait 

until the entire flora was finished before publication. After that more and more 

of his time was consumed by teaching and other activities, and, although his 

card file on Polynesian plants was greatly expanded, no further manuscript had 

been completed by the time of his death in 1968. 

The manuscript came into my hands in 1969. I looked it over and realized 

that in the time elapsed, because of changes in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and because of great advances in knowledge of many of the 

plant groups concerned, the work could not be published in the condition it was 

in. 

With the help of Mr. Howard Smith I undertook the task of putting it in shape 

for publication. The entire manuscript was gone over critically, and necessary 

changes in nomenclature were made and such taxonomic changes as seemed 

essential. Every effort was made to preserve the author’s own taxonomic viewpoint and such opinions as had not been rendered completely obsolete by later 

work. Even though in many cases my own taxonomic concepts differ from 

Grant’s, his were retained, as was his style of writing and even certain editorial 

peculiarities. 

His section on botanical exploration of the region treated was judged totally 

inadequate, so Mr. Howard Smith, whose interests are mainly in the history of 

botany, undertook to redo this. The result is included under his own name, 

following the body of the taxonomic treatment. 

I accept full responsibility for the nomenclatural aspects of the work and for 

any taxonomic changes as have been introduced that may not be what Grant 

would have accepted if he had lived to bring the work to publishable form. 

It is with some hesitation and apology that Mr. Smith and I place ourselves 

as junior authors; but the amount of additional work probably justifies it, as 

does bibliographic honesty, not to mention facilitation of publication in the 

Smithsonian series. 

... 

111 
MARTIN LAWRENCE GRANT 

(1907-1968) 

Martin Lawrence Grant was born 31 January 1907 in Chelsea, Michigan. 

After an active scientific career that included botanical and ornithological work 

on three continents and in the Pacific Islands, as well as almost 40 years of 

teaching biology, mostly at what is now the University of Northern Iowa, he died 

in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on 22 June 1968. An excellent plant collector, he made 

significant herbarium collections in the United States, the Society Islands, 

Colombia, and Iran. These will stand as a monument, valuable to his colleagues, 

even though he published very little of the vast amount of information he 

amassed during his life. 

After Martin’s too early death, in 1968, I had the privilege of spending a 

couple of days in his library and study in Cedar Falls, Iowa, selecting certain 

Pacific Islands materials that he had said he wanted me to have. I had known 

him well during parts of his life and had a picture of a keen intellect, broadly 

interested, highly competent at whatever he chose to do. I had been critical of 

his apparent incapacity to bring any major work to the point of publication, 

especially the Flora of the Society Islands that he undertook during his explorations there in 1930-1931. 

This examination of his library, catalogs, and papers revealed an intellectual 

breadth previously unsuspected, as well as giving a clue to his lack of productivity of major scientific works. His interests virtually encompassed the world in 

a material sense, and man especially as a religious being. His library was vastfor a private one-very inclusive, but with certain areas emphasized: botany, 

ornithology, Pacific Islands, religion, nudism, and popular periodical literaturemagazines. 

To accumulate this collection and to grasp its content left little time for the 

concentrated mental work required to finish a scientific book. Add active teaching and active participation in professional and intellectual organizations, and 

one could no longer be surprised that the Flora of the Society Tslands never 

appeared, even though Martin showed me a finished typescript of the families 

Ericaceae through Apocynaceae in 1937. 

Information from people close to Martin during his life suggests an additional 

obstacle to his finishing and publishing any major work. He was undoubtedly a 

perfectionist, hesitating to put anything into print until he had studied all the 

material, consulted all previous work, and was absolutely sure of his conclusions. 

It has even been suggested that he did not want anything of his in print for fear 

others would find omissions or errors in it. This may not have been a conscious 

attitude, but could very well have been a real block, subconsciously. There is, 

however, no doubt at all that one lifetime could not possibly have sufficed to 

complete all the projects that he was engaged in. 

His principal accomplishment on the Pacific Islands flora was a massive 

unpublished bibliographic catalog of the Polynesian flora, centering on that of 

the Society Islands, cross-indexed, expressing some judgments of his own but 

generally setting forth the latest taxonomic conclusions of others. Many putative 

new species are indicated, but quite a few of them he generously permitted others 

to publish. Others may never see the light of day unless future workers study the 

same or similar material and happen to agree with his judgments. 

As this work stands it comprises the only modern revision of the Society 

Islands members of the families covered, and as such, will be useful to anyone 

working on the Polynesian flora or visiting the Society Islands. It also provides 

iv 
a starting point, as well as a model, for the much needed complete flora of this 

island group, centrally placed in southeastern Polynesia. Biogeographers and 

specialists in the families treated will also find the work of substantial help. We 

hope we have, in the necessary revision, not lost any of either the substance or 

the flavor of the work. 

The following biographical sketch was contributed by his sister, Mrs. Charlotte 

Kaufman of Reston, Virginia. 

Martin Lawrence Grant was the eldest son of four generations of Martin Grants. The first was 

a Scot who emigrated from Yorkshire County, England, bought property, settled, and prospered 

in Springfield, Ohio. The fourth Martin Grant embodied such major family traits as independence, alertness, curiosity, and a kind of emotional solidity that is disciplined in relation to 

accomplishing tasks but somewhat aloof in personal relationships. All the Martin Grants married 

women of warmth and intellect who produced many children and softened somewhat the rigid, 

protestant dogmatism that was passed on from generation to generation. 

The subject, second in a group of seven, was born on 31 January 1907 in Chelsea, Michigan. 

His father, Martin Lee Grant, was graduated from Oberlin Divinity School and had gone to 

Chelsea for his second small parish at the Congregational Church. His next flock was in Detroit, 

Michigan: and from there the family moved to Marion, Indiana, where Rev. Grant remained 

the next twenty years. 

Young Martin had early shown an interest in birds, and all kinds of plants and animals. One 

of the many family stories about him that his younger siblings remember is that he was kicked 

off the junior high school baseball team for watching a bird in flight, rather than catching a fly 

ball. About that time also he came into church late after one of his regular long walks in the 

country carrying in each hand a garter snake. He was puzzled that the church emptied SO fast 

as he assumed that everybody would know that they were harmless. Another story that his then 

five-year-old sister remembers with great glee happened at the Sunday night supper table with 

at least four family guests present. One large frog from Martin’s always specimen-stuffed pockets 

got out and leaped into the middle of a huge cut glass bowl of floating islanda soft custardand his Mother’s special creation for the family party. As usual Martin didn’t understand the 

adult consternation that he had caused, and demanded his frog as he was being ejected from the 

dining room. Martin was graduated from Marion High School at the head of his class of one 

hundred and fifty. It is not known whether the fact that he was the only boy in knee pants 

bothered him; he did not gain his full height of six feet for three more years. 

Oberlin College was also his choice and after many financial struggles he was graduated from 

there in 1927 with honors in botany. He considered himself fortunate to obtain one of the few 

teaching fellowships available in his field and went on to the University of Minnesota for his 

doctorate. He met Dorothy Sweet a nursery school teacher in Minneapolis and they were married 

in Minneapolis. His first foreign assignment was in Tahiti on a Yale-Bishop Museum fellowship. 

They had three children, all scholarly, the two living daughters having earned graduate degrees 

in anthropology. After securing his doctorate he again felt lucky to be hired at what is now the 

University of Northern Iowa, as it was by then the bottom of the “Great Depression” and 

academic appointments were scarce. 

During World War I1 he was assigned by the federal government to locate Cinchona trees, 

the source of quinine, in South America. Characteristically, he proceeded on horseback and on 

foot across the land, up and down the high mountain ranges, marking trees and collecting plant 

samples all the way. A Fulbright lectureship in Iran in 1963-1965 resulted in a superb collection 

of the flora of that country. His assignment in Iran was to establish a science department in the 

new Pahlavi University in Shiraz. In the meantime he had continued to hold his professorship 

in the natural sciences at the University of Northern Iowa where he remained until his death. 

True to his scientific bent he tabulated his physical reactions to the bite of a gila monster 

from his hospital bed, as well as the effects of the cancer of the bone that resulted in his death 

on 22 June 1968. 

Information to supplement my own recollections was supplied by Mrs. 

Charlotte Kaufman, Mrs. Dorothy S. Grant, Mrs. Janet Grant, and Mrs. Barbara 

Sibley. 

22 August 1973 F. R. FOSBERG 

V 

Contents 

Preface .............. ................ ... 

Marti ence Grant ....................................... . .. 

Introduction ................................................... . .. 

. .............. , .............. 

Acknowledgments ....................... ....... ........ 

....................... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

.......................... ................ 

t.. .. . ....... .. .. ..............,... 

............... . 

Herbarium Abbreviations . , , . . . . . . . . . , , ...... ........... 

Ericaceae . , , . , , , , , , , , , . . . . , , , , . , . . . . . . . . ................. 

Epacridaceae , . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . , . . . . . , . . . . . 

Myrsinaceae ,.......,,..,., ,,........... ...................... 

.................... 

Primulaceae . , , , , , , , . , , , . , , . , , , , , , , , , . , 

Plumbaginaceae . . , . . . , . , , , , , . , , . . . , . 

Sapotaceae ....................... 

Ebenaceae ....., ,.,............ .............................. 

Styracaceae . . , . . . . . . ............................ 

. , , . . . . . . 

,...... ,. 

................................. , , . . . . . . . 

Apocynaceae _................................... ,......... 

History of the Botanical Exploration of the Society Islands, 

Literature Cited 

Appendix 1: Synonymy of Names ciety Islands , . . . . . . . . 

Appendix 2: Landing Localities in the Society Islands . , . . . . 

Appendix 3: Voyages to the Society Islands in the Eighteenth Century. . , 

Index of Botanical Names . . . . . . , , . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . , . , . , , 

by Howard M. Smith.. . . . , . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . 

, . , . . . . , , . , . . . ........................... 

Page 

111 

iv 

1 

1 

2 

2 

2 

4 

4 

4 

6 

6 

9 

12 

23 

23 

25 

28 

28 

28 

29 

32 

37 

37 

... 

54 

70 

80 

81 

82 

83 

vii 

Partial Flora of 

the Society Islands: 

Ericaceae to Apocynaceae 

Martin Lawrence Grant, 

F. Raymond Fosberg, 

and Howard M. Smith 

Introduction 

MATERIALS.-Grant spent the period from 28 April 

1930 to 3 March 1931 collecting plants on eight of 

the Society Islands (Tahiti, Mehetia, Moorea, 

Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Borabora, and Tupai). 

About 2000 numbers were secured, including all 

groups of plants. About 50 to 60 new species of 

vascular plants are represented in the collections, 

six of these being described in the present paper. 

This collection is the basis of the present flora, 

although many species described from the Society 

Islands are not represented in Grant's collection. 

In addition, all of the specimens in the Bishop 

Museum Herbarium have been studied. The following are the principal collections involved: 

1909. B. Leland, E.W.B. Chase, and J. E. Tilden. Tahiti. Nos. 

1910. J. E. Tilden. Tahiti. Nos. 345-382. 

1912. J. E. Tilden. Tahiti. No. 393. 

1921. F.B.H. Brown. Tahiti and Raiatea. A few numbers. 

1921, 1922. Whitney Expedition: E. H. Quayle and C. C. 

1-88. 

Curtiss. Tahiti, Mehetia. Many numbers. 

Martin Lawrence Grant, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar 

Falls, Iowa [deceased, 19681. F. Raymond Fosberg, Department 

of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian 

Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560. Howard M. Smith, Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, 

Virginia 23173. 

1 

1922. W. A. Setchell and H. E. Parks. Tahiti. Several hundred numbers. 

1926-1927. J. W. Moore. Raiatea. About 800 numbers. 

1926-1932. G. P. Wilder. Tahiti, Moorea, Tetiaroa. Several 

hundred numbers. 

1927. L. H. MacDaniels. Tahiti. Many numbers. 

1929-19110. A. M. Adamson. Tahiti. Many numbers. 

1934. Mangarevan Expedition: H. St. John, F. R. Fosberg, 

and others. Tahiti, Mehetia, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, 

Tahaa, and Borabora. 628 numbers. Duplicate sets 

of some of these have been seen in other herbaria 

(University of Minnesota, University of California, and 

Field Museum). 

All of the specimens studied have been collected 

fairly recently. All other specimens that have been 

cited in the literature, however, have been included 

in an attempt to make the work more complete. 

Such specimens are always cited here with a 

reference to the taxonomist responsible for the determination in order to make it clear that the sheet 

has not been checked by Grant. This applies principally to the collections in European herbaria, 

particularly at the British Museum, Kew, Paris, 

Vienna, Berlin, and Geneva, all rich in Polynesian 

material, none of which has been seen. While Grant 

hoped to see these collections eventually it was 

deemed advisable to sum up the known flora of the 

islands in the light of the material then available. 

A report on the ferns of the collection has already been published (Copeland, 1932). 
2 

SCOPE.-AS an attempt at a complete flora, the 

scope of the present work is restricted to the 14 

Society Islands. Particular pains are taken, however, 

to give the distribution of all the species as carefully 

as possible, especially with reference to other parts 

of Polynesia. In addition, there is included in the 

summaries for each genus and family a list of all 

the species occurring in Polynesia that are not found 

in the Society Islands. If the species involved are 

few, their names are given; if a genus has a large 

number of endemic species in Polynesia, the number 

of species in each island group is listed. Thus it is 

hoped that this Flora can also be used to provide a 

summary of the distribution of all Polynesian 

flowering plants. 

The term Polynesia is used in this Flora to cover 

the following islands and island groups: Hawaii, the 

Marquesas, the Tuamotu Islands, the Gambier 

Islands, Easter Island, the Austral Islands, Rapa, 

the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and all the 

smaller islands lying between these groups and west 

through the Phoenix and Ellice islands. Thus New 

Zealand, the Kermadecs, Norfolk Island, New 

Caledonia, the New Hebrides, and most of Micronesia (from the Gilbert and Marshall islands west) 

are omitted. This natural region is thus almost 

exactly the same as was included by Drake del 

Castillo (1886-1892) in the most recent summary of 

Polynesian vascular plants. 

The lists of cultivated species, other than for the 

Society Islands, are by no means complete, as generally only those that had been seen by Grant in 

herbaria or that have appeared in works dealing 

with the native flora have been included. This particularly applies to the Hawaiian Islands, where 

occur an enormous number of introduced plants 

whose names have not appeared in systematic 

literature. 

In the citation of species names an attempt is 

made to include all references of nomenclatural 

importance and all citations which record the occurrence of the plant in Polynesia. Most general 

references and all references to plants of wide range 

that do not specifically deal with their occurrence in 

Polynesia are omitted. Similarly, only such synonyms 

as have been applied to the plant in its Polynesian 

range are included. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.-The field work on which 

this Flora is based was carried out under the auspices 

of the Bishop Museum of Honolulu while Grant was 

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

a Bishop Museum Fellow of Yale University, and 

to the directors and officers of these institutions full 

acknowledgment is accordingly due. Particularly Dr. 

Herbert E. Gregory, Director of the Museum, and 

Mr. Edwin H. Bryan, Curator of Collections, have 

by their constant advice and material assistance done 

the most to render the completion of this work possible. An additional grant from the Bishop Museum 

permitting 6 months of study at the Museum Herbarium at Honolulu greatly facilitated the progress 

of the work. Other members of the museum staff to 

whom the writer is deeply obligated for assistance 

are Dr. Harold St. John, Miss Marie Neal, Mr. E. Y. 

Hosaka, and Miss Margaret Titcomb. At the University of Minnesota, where the major portion of the 

rest of the work was done, Dr. Frederic K. Butters 

has served as advisor and has edited the manuscript; 

Dr. C. 0. Rosendahl has also assisted in an advisory 

capacity; and Dr. J. W. Moore has generously made 

available his collections from Raiatea and has in 

numerous other ways contributed to the present 

flora: to all of these it is a deep pleasure to express 

an appreciation for invaluable assistance. While in 

the Society Islands the work was greatly expedited 

by aid rendered by Mr. J. Frank Stimson and Mr. 

Kenneth P. Emory of the museum staff, and several 

of the native chiefs, in particular Tu Temarii 

Nadeaud, grandson of the French botanist of that 

name, Raiarii, and Teriieroo Teriierooiterai. I also 

wish to thank Prof. W. A. Setchell and Prof. E. B. 

Copeland, both formerly of the University of California, for encouragement and assistance. [These 

acknowledgments are as written by Grant in 1936.- 

F.R.F.] 

GEOGRAPHY 

The Society Islands lie northwest of the center of 

the southeastern quarter of the Pacific Ocean. The 

archipelago consists of 14 islands stretched along in 

an irregular line running 19" north of west for a 

distance of 720 km (450 mi). The latitude covered 

is from 15'46' to 17'53' south, and the longitude 

from 148'04' to 154'50' west. From southeast to 

northwest the islands are Mehetia, Tahiti, Moorea, 

Tetiaroa, Tubuai Manu, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, 

Borabora, Tupai, Maupiti, Mopelia, Motu One 

[Bellingshausen], and Manuai [Scilly]. The area 

(estimated for the smaller islands), maximum alti- 
NUMBER 17 

tude, and dimensions of the islands, arranged according to area, are shown in Table 1. Islands are referred to by their current Polynesian names. See 

Appendix A for synonyms. 

Most of the islands are volcanic, with a fringing 

reef along the shore, a barrier reef a mile or so offshore, and a lagoon in between. In this class fall 

Tahiti, Moorea, Tubuai Manu, Huahine, Raiatea, 

Tahaa, Borabora, and Maupiti. Mehetia is a small 

cone with a poorly developed fringing reef and no 

barrier reef’. The other islands are coral atolls: 

Tetiaroa, Tupai, Mopelia, Manuai, and Motu One. 

Seven of the eight volcanic islands (all except the 

smallest, Tubuai Manu) were visited in the course of 

the present survey, and also Tupai, the largest and 

best developed of the atolls. 

Several of the islands are composed of pairs of 

volcanic peaks. Thus Tahiti consists of two distinct 

cones, Tahiti-nui (“large”) and Tahiti-iti (“small”) 

or Taiarapu, with a very narrow and low isthmus 

connecting them. Similarly, Huahine is composed of 

two peaks, which are separated by water at high 

tide, and Raiatea and Tahaa are enclosed within 

one barrier reef. 

The largest and highest of the islands is Tahiti, 

which includes 65 percent of the area of the group; 

second is Raiatea, with 12 percent, and third is 

Moorea, with 8 percent. The eight islands visited 

represent 97.5 percent of the land area of the 

archipelago. 

Atoll or 

island 

Tahiti .................................... 

Raiatea 

Moorea 

Tahaa .................................... 

Huahine 

Borabora .............................. 

.............................. 

.................................. 

............................... 

Tupai ............................... 

Maupiti ................................. 

Mopelia .............................. 

Manuai 

Tetiaroa 

Mehitia ............................. 

Tubuai Manu ................. 

Total .............................. 

............................ 

......................... 

3 

Area Maximum altitude {Dimensions km) 

Sq km Sq mi Meters Feet E- W A’- S 

1042 402 2237 7340 60 33 

194 75 1033 3389 14 22 

132 51 1212 3975 17 12 

82 32 590 1936 13 13 

73 28 710 2331 10 15 

30 12 725 2379 6 9 

18 7 ca 10 ca 30 8 11 

12 5 244 800 3 3 

7 3 ca 6 ca 20 9 13 

8 3 ca 6 ca 20 12 15 

6 2 ca 6 ca 20 6 8 

5 2 ca 6 ca 20 4 6 

3 1 435 1427 2 2 

2 1 168 550 2 1 

1614 624 

The volcanic islands all have very rugged topog 

raphy, as the original cones are considerably dissected by sub-aerial erosion. Darwin (1852:413) 

said after coming from crossing the Andes, “In the 

Cordillera I have seen mountains on a far grander 

scale, but for abruptness nothing at all comparable 

with this.” Steep cliffs are particularly characteristic 

of Borabora, Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, and 

Tahaa, approximately in the order named. In fact, 

the highest mountain in Tahiti, Me. Orofena (2237 

m; 7340 ft.) in the early 1950s was climbed by 

Maurice Jay, a resident of Tahiti. Among those who 

had attempted and failed may be mentioned James 

Dwight Dana, Darwin, many other early explorers, 

and more recently, James Norman Hall, Charles 

Nordhoff, Harold St. John, F. R. Fosberg, and 

Martin L. Grant, who failed on two attempts. The 

second highest mountain, Mt. Aorai (2064 m; 6770 

ft), has been climbed about 20 times of which there 

is record; the ascent is relatively easy. The ultimate 

summits of Mehetia, Huahine, and Tahaa were 

reached by Grant. Those of Raiatea and Moorea 

were not attempted, but the former has been climbed 

by Dr. J. W. Moore. Mt. Otemanu, the principal 

peak on Borabora, was given up after two attempts, 

though every other promontory on the island was 

scaled. On all the islands where the upper slopes are 

not too steep they are always rather densely forested 

with a scrubby type of tree growth, the lower stories 

thickly matted with lianas (Freycinetia) and climb- 
4 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

ing (Lygodiurn) and sprawling (Gleichenia ) ferns. 

In general the major vegetation regions consist of 

the strand forest (e.g., Cocos, Hibiscus, Pundanus), 

the lower valley forests (e.g., Hibiscus, Znocarpus, 

Aleurites), the lower dry ridge scrub or brake 

(Gleichenia and various shrubs), the upper valley 

forests, and the upper ridge forests, the last two 

dominated by a multitude of small trees which are 

largely endemic. 

CLIMATE 

The warm moist season is from October to May, 

and the cooler drier season from May to October. 

The average annual temperature (all figures from 

Papeete) is 28" C (82" F). The maximum temperature rarely exceeds 34" C in January and 28" C 

in July (Liot, ms). The minimum in the warm season rarely goes below 22" C and in the cool season 

below 18" C. The absolute maximum and minimum for the period 1901-1905 (Crampton, 1916: 19) 

were 35" and 17" C, respectively (95" and 62" F). 

On several occasions in the field Grant recorded 

temperatures as low as 14" C (57" F) at high altitudes. On the summit of Mt. Aorai he found a 

note left by L. Gautier on 8 October 1917, saying a 

minimum temperature of 7.5" C (45" F) had been 

experienced during the night; this is apparently 

the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Society 

Islands. 

The only official meteorological station is at 

Papeete, and the only figures available to Grant 

were for the years 1901-1905 (Crampton, 1916:21), 

1923 (Setchell, 1926:247), and 1926-1929 (Liot, 

ms), during which broken series of ten years the 

annual precipitation varied from a minimum of 101 

cm to a maximum of 327 cm, with an average of 

197 cm (78 in). At Papeari, on the south side of 

Tahiti, the rainfall recorded by H. W. Smith for the 

years 1923, and 1926-1929 averaged 258 cm (102 

in). Crampton (1916:22) has estimated the rainfall 

in the upper valleys at 2590 mm (1020 in; the 

estimate is little more than a guess), which is more 

than double the heaviest rainfall known in the 

world. The wettest month is February and the driest 

is June. 

In 1929 at Papeete the mean monthly relative 

humidity was 77 percent at 8 A.M. and 73 percent 

at 4 P.M. Crampton (1916:22) has published a three 

year average (1902-1904), also at Papeete, of 84.1 

and 78.9 percent for the same times of day. The 

absolute minimum at Papeete from 1901 through 

1905 was 61 percent. 

The trade winds blow from a direction varying 

from east southeast to east northeast. Westerly winds 

are infrequent and of short duration. During the 

warm season the trades are weak, and irregular 

winds may blow from the northeast-northwest. 

ETHNOBOTANY 

In the more primitive parts of the Society Islands 

the native inhabitants still depend almost exclusively 

on the indigenous (or aboriginally introduced) 

plants for food, shelter, canoes, instruments, etc. In 

this paper these uses are listed under the respective 

plants. 

A few notes on the Tahitian dialect of the Polynesian language are given here, inasmuch as a special 

effort was made to secure the native names of the 

plants collected. The alphabet consists of thirteen 

letters, i.e., the five vowels and eight consonents: f, 

h, m, n, p, r, t, v. Every syllable (and thus each 

word) ends in a vowel and two consonents are never 

placed together in a word. In other Polynesian dialects the Tahitian h may become s, f, or may be 

omitted, the Y may become I, the t may become k 

(in Hawaiian only), the IJ may become w (in Hawaiian and Maori), and the f (or h) may become wh 

(Maori) or be omitted. The sound of g (often spelled 

ng) and of k (except for the Hawaiian k), which 

occur in many Polynesian dialects are absent in 

Tahitian. To illustrate this variation in dialect, and 

to show the simplicity and constancy of the transliteration, the Polynesian word for "plant" or "tree" 

is given: 

2Laau (Samoa, Hawaii) 

%kau (Tonga, Marquesas) 

Lakarc (Niue, Futuna, Fakaofu, etc.) 

Rakazi (Rarotonga, New Zealand) AP 

%Raw (Tahiti) 

In Fiji the word is kau, and in the Gilbert Islands, 

hi. A few names, such as niu (coconut), are constant 

in almost all central Pacific dialects. 

FLORISTICS 

Compared to the two largest Polynesian archipelagoes the Society Islands flora (about 700 species 
NUMBER 17 5 

of vascular plants) is relatively small, but larger than 

the relative size of the group (625 sq mi as compared 

with 6570 sq mi for Hawaii and 7435 sq mi for 

Fiji) might lead one to expect. The only other Polynesian group with a flora comparable in size is 

Samoa. 

The number of interesting endemic plants in the 

Society Islands does not compare with that of Hawaii, 

but it is comparable with that of Samoa and Fiji, 

each of which offers little that cannot be duplicated 

either to the east or to the west. Thus of the eight 

endemic genera of Composi tae in Polynesia, seven 

are confined to Hawaii, and the remaining one, 

Fitchia, has four species in the Society Islands and 

one each in Rarotonga, Mangareva, and Rapa. 

Fiji, with its large proportion of endemic species in 

Indo-Malayan genera has but one endemic in this 

family, whereas there are 13 in the Society Islands 

and 129 in Hawaii. Of the Polynesian Compositae 

(172 species native, all but 8 being endemic, including 50 species in 8 endemic genera) 96 percent of 

the species are endemic, probably a higher figure 

than can be demonstrated for any other large flora. 

The woody habit of most Polynesian endemics 

has often been stressed. In the Compositae, for 

example, 102 (63%) of the species are woody, 

33 are suffruticose, and 28 herbaceous. Six of the 

eight endemic genera in this family are exclusively 

woody. All of the widely ranging Polynesian Compositae (8 species) are herbaceous. 

Only one endemic sympetalous genus occurs in 

the Society Islands, Apetahia (Campanulaceae). 

Another genus, Hitoa (Rubiaceae), supposedly endemic is better regarded as an aberrant form of the 

wide-spread genus Ixora. A number of genera, originally thought to be endemic to the Society Islands, 

have proved to be of slightly wider range and occur 

in other parts of Polynesia. Such are Lepinia (Apocynaceae), Sclerotheca (Campanulaceae), and Fitchia 

(Compositae) . One of the principal interests in the Society 

Islands flora is that it lies near the easternmost 

limit of range of a very large number of genera, 

such as Alyxia and Geniostoma (Madagascar to 

Tahiti, the Marquesas, and Henderson), Palaquium 

(India to Tahiti), Planchonella (tropical Asia to Tahiti), and Fagraea (Ceylon to Tahiti and the Marquesas). A large number of species, e.g., Plumbago 

zeylanica, have a similar range. Genera of this type 

represent the largest single floristic element in the 

Society Islands flora, a group of genera best developed in southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and 

northern Australia, which gradually fade out as they 

cross the Pacific, losing more and more species and 

species-producing vigor as they reach farther and 

farther east. Thus each of the genera mentioned 

above has a large number of species in the East 

Indies and only one or two in the Society Islands. 

For an exception to this rule, however, see the 

remarks under Rapanea. 

A second conspicuous element in the Tahitian 

flora is the Australian-New Zealand complex, represented by Styphelia and Metrosideros, which 

differs from the first group in being non-Asiatic. The 

eight native nonendemic Compositae in Polynesia 

are all clearly of Australian or Malasian origin. Only 

one reaches Hawaii (Adenostemma) and that was 

not found by the earliest collectors; only two reach 

the Tuamotus and none get to Easter Island. 

A third type of distribution is shown by the Antarctic element of groups which occur in southern 

South America, New Zealand, and Australia, such 

as Fuchsia and Nertera depressa J. Gaertner (= N. 

granadensis (L.f.) Druce) in the Society Islands, and 

Lagenophora elsewhere in Polynesia. A fourth element of interest, but small in numbers, is the boreal 

element, represented by Vaccinium, which reaches 

its southern limit in Polynesia. A fifth group consists 

of genera such as Jasminum which are more or less 

cosmopolitan in the tropics. A sixth element shows 

strictly American affinities (cf., 10 genera of 

Astereae, 8 of which are endemic, and the Campanulaceae). The endemic genera make up a group 

by themselves. 

Arising as it has, by eruption from the sea-bottom, 

the Society Archipelago has been populated by plant 

disseminules brought in from without. The paths 

along which these have come are probably in most 

cases correlated with the various floristic elements 

mentioned. Presumably the islands have never been 

connected to any present continent, nor is there any 

geological or biological evidence favoring the former 

existence of a continent in the general eastern Polynesian region. The region of the Pacific to the west 

provides a great abundance of islands in the form 

of stepping-stones, by means of which the ancestors 

of most of the species of the present flora probably 

entered the Society Islands in the form of windblown, bird-carried, and a few water-borne disseminules. The American element, due to the distance 
6 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

involved, with no stepping-stone islands of any size, 

is more difficult of explanation. 

A number of very conspicuous plants are undoubtedly of aboriginal introduction. Such are the breadfruit, eating banana, taro (Colocasia), and sugar cane. 

A much greater number have been accidentally or 

purposefully introduced since the advent of the 

Europeans, and have provided both beautiful ornamentals and troublesome weeds. In Polynesia, for 

example, there occur 53 species of introduced weeds 

in the Compositae alone. Two of these were collected as early as 1773, but the average date of the 

first collection or report is 1887. Of these 53, the 

original homes are in America (32), Asia (7), Europe 

(7), Eurasia (3) cosmopolitan (3), and Micronesia 

(1). Most of the species were accidently introduced 

from America, this probably being true of the European and Eurasian species as well. Half of these 

introductions (24 species) have been reported only 

from 

B 

BISH 

BM 

G 

K 

MIN 

NY 

P 

S 

uc 

wu 

\I 

Hawaii. All are herbs except three. 

HERBARIUM ABBREVIATIONS 

Berlin, Germany: Institut fur Systematische Botanik 

und Pflanzengeographie der Freien Universitat Berlin 

Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum 

London, England: British Museum (Natural History) 

Geneva, Switzerland: Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques 

Kew, England: The Royal Botanic Gardens 

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Department of Botany, University of Michigan 

New York, New York: The New York Botanical Garden 

Paris, France: Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 

Laboratoire de Phanerogamie 

Stockholm, Sweden: Botanical Department, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum 

Berkeley, California: Department of Botany, University of California 

Vienna, Austria: Botanisches Institut und Botanischer 

Garten der Universitat Wien 

EFUCACEAE 

Other than Vuccinium, the only genus in this 

family in Polynesia is the Indo-Malayan Agapetes, 

represented by A. vitiensis (Seemann) Bentham & 

Hooker ex Drake, which is endemic in Fiji. 

1. Vaccinium L. 

Vaccinium L., Gen. P1. 5th ed. 191. 1754. 

Metagonia Nuttall, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., n.ser., 8:263. 1843. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-V. myrtillzis L. 

RANGE.-About 125 species in the northern hemisphere, with a few somewhat below the equator 

in tropical Africa, Polynesia, and Melanesia. With 

regard to the Tahitian species Banks and Solander 

wrote in 1769 (in Seemann, 1866:146), “Quis expectat speciem genuinam huius familiae intra 

tropicos legere?” Reinecke’s (1898:664) statement 

that his V. antipodurn (= V. whitmeei F. Mueller) 

is the first species from the southern hemisphere 

is not correct. 

In Polynesia, besides the species below, one 

species occurs in Rapa (V. rapae Skottsberg), one 

in Samoa (V. whitmeei F. Mueller), and five in 

Hawaii. 

1. Vaccinium cereum (L.f.) G. Forster 

Andromeda cerea L.f., Supp. 238. 1781. 

Vaccinium cereum (L.f.) G. Forster, Prod. 28. lf86b.-Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus. 1:170. 1836.-Guillemin, Ann. Sci. 

Nat., ser. 2, 7:248. 1837.-W. Hooker, Icon. P1. 1, sub t. 87. 

[excl. var. beta, gamma, and delta, and t. 871. 1837.-Dunal 

in de Candolle, Prod. 7:575 [excl. var. beta, gamma, and 

delta]. 1839a.-Steudel, Nom. Bot. 2:739 [excl. var. beta 

and gamma]. 1841.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti. 

234. 1860.-Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 5:323, 1862c.Seemann, F1. Vit. 146. 1866.-Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti. 62. 

1873.-Butteaud, F1. Tahit. 55. 1891.-Drake del Castillo, 

Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:223. 1892; F1. Polyn. 115. 1892.Skottsberg, Bish. Mus. Bull. 43:86, t. 6 pro parte. 1927; Acta 

horti Gothb. 8:83, fig. 1-10, 30-32. 1933. 

Metagonia cerea (L.f.) Nuttall, Trans. Am. Phil. SOC., n.ser.. 

8:263. 1843. 

Vaccinium alaternoides Solander ex Seemann, F1. Vit. 146. 1866 

[pro syn.; non Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth 1819 

(Peru)]. 

DESCRIPTION (based on the Tahitian specimens 

seen).-A shrub, often arborescent (Grant 3754 was 

2.5 m high and 7.5 cm in diameter at base; St. John 

17007 was 2 m high). Wood very hard and 

rather heavy (Grunt 4373 with specific gravity 

of 0.82). Leaves large (5 X 3.4 cm) and coriaceous 

on old twigs, thinner and smaller (average 2.3 X 1.6 

cm, may be 1.8 X 1.1 cm) on flowering shoots, persisting for 4-5 years, elliptical on old twigs, usually 

somewhat obovate on flowering branches, shiny 

above, paler beneath, appressed glandular-serrate 

with 9 to 19 teeth per side (may vary to the extent 

of 4 teeth on opposite sides of the same leaf), obtuse, 

acutish, acuminate, or abruptly apiculate. Flowers 

produced throughout the year, axillary, solitary, on 
NUMBER 17 

5-8 mm pedicels, about 1 cm long. Bractlets 2, rarely 

1, at or below the middle of the pedicel, about 4 mm 

long. Corolla white, or with a reddish tip. Aristae of 

anthers 0.8-1 mm long. Fruit dark reddish purple 

to black, about 1.5 cm in diameter, very palatable, 

though St. John states on the label of his no. 

17109, “rather acid, not at all sweet.” 

The young twigs and bases of the leaves are puberulent, and occasionally even the mature leaves 

may be sparingly so on both surfaces (Grant 

?754). The pubescence of the flower is very 

variable, and on this character Skottsberg has 

founded a number of varieties and forms. While 

these segregates merge to some extent, they are 

nevertheless usually recognizable and accordingly 

can be maintained. The receptacle varies from glabrous to densely tomentulose with short curly hairs 

(St. John 17007). Some of the sheets show variation 

from an essentially glabrous flower to one sparingly 

puberulent (Grant 4373, St. ,John 17109). All the 

flowering specimens seen in which the stamens were 

examined have hirsute filaments. 

RANGE.-society Islands, hfarquesas, Rarotonga. 

The records listed here as “Society Islands” are probably all from Tahiti, the only record elsewhere within the group being a single collection from Raiatea 

(cf., var. raiateense). 

This species was observed at a total of 40 stations 

in Tahiti, all in the northwestern quarter of Tahitinui (districts of Pare, Arue, Mahina, and Papenoo) 

except for a single station on the ridge between Papenoo and Mataiea. It was found from an altitude of 

500 m (1660 ft) to the very summit of Mt. Aorai, 

7 

2064 m (6770 ft), the highest point that Grant 

reached on the island. At the lower elevations it is 

a very low shrub (about 0.5 to 1 m tall) scattered in 

the Gleichenia formation. On these dry slopes, its 

abundance is favored by the small fires set by the 

native goat-hunters, as it reproduces by root-shoots. 

At the lower edge of the forest on these slopes, and 

again in the cloud forests of the upper crests, it may 

be a dominant species in the vegetation, but in between it usually appears as one of the larger shrubs 

in the low forests. Its most common dominant 

associates at these 40 stations were, in order of 

abundance, Weinmannia paruipora, Metrosideros 

collina, Gleichenia linearis, Zlex taitensis, Styphelia 

pomarae, Fagraea berteriana, and Santalum insulare. 

ETHN~B~TANY .-English: b Zueberry . Tahitian: 

opu-opu (recorded by Guillemin (1837) as obu-obu). 

No native name is given by Cheeseman (1903:286), 

but Wilder (1931:85) states that it is calledporoporo 

in Rarotonga, probably on account of the similarity 

to species of Solanum and Capsicum, to which the 

name poro (ball) is applied in various combinations, 

poroporo being the diminutive. I was told in Tahiti 

that the Rarotongan name is hopuhopu; however, 

that name in Tahitian refers to Centipeda minima. 

In the Marquesas it is called heua (Jardin, 1862:24), 

toa-ton (Decaisne, 1864:23), or, according to 

F. B. H. Brown (1935:216) hueki in Nukuhiva and 

puatoaton in Fatuhiva. 

The fruit is edible, but is not used much by the 

natives. In fact, Grant was told by some that it was 

poisonous! 

Key to the Society Islands Forms of Vaccinium cereum 

1. Perianth glabrous, or essentially so. 

2. Pedicels glabrous. 

3. Filaments glabrous ........................................................................ la. var. cereum 

3. Filaments hirsute .......................................................... lal. var. cereum f. eriostemon 

2. Pedicels puberulent ........................................................................... lc. var. raiateense 

4. Filaments glabrous ............................................................................. Ib. var. pubiflorum 

4. Filaments hirsute ................................ Ibl. var. pubiflorum f. skottsbergii, new name 

1. Perianth puberulent. 

la. Vaccinium cereum (L.f.) G. Forster var. cereum DEscRIPTIoN.-F1Owers glabrous. Typical form 

J’nccinium cereum var. typicum Skottsberg, Acta horti 

TwE.-Collected by Forster in Tahiti, 1773-1774. 

T’nccinium cereum var. genuinum Skottsberg, Acta horti 

Gothob. 8:87, fig. 1-10, 1933 [in obs.]. RANGE.-society Islands: Bidwill in 1850, pro 

with filaments glabrous. 

Previously collected by Banks in 1769. 

Gothob. 8:85, fig. 1-10. 1933. 
8 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

parte, flower and fruit (K, fide Skottsberg). Tahiti: 

U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1839, flower (P, fide 

Skottsberg); Andersson, Fautaua Valley, September 

1852, flower (S, 2 sheets, fide Skottsberg); Grant 

4?7?, Mahina, Ahonu Valley, alt. 823 m (2700 ft), 

in open forest of Metrosideros and Gleichenia, 

4 November 1930, flower, wood specimen (BISH, 

MIN ). 

parte, flower and fruit (K, fide Skottsberg). Tahiti: 

Forster in 1773-1774 (S, flower; K, fruit; B, 2 sheets, 

erroneously labeled “Ins. Amicor.,” flower and fruit; 

fide Skottsberg); Sparrman in 1773-1774 (S, 3 

sheets, 1 erroneously labeled “Nova Zeylandia,” 

flower); D’Urville in 1837-1840 (P, fide Skottsberg); 

St. John and Fosberg 17109, Orofena, 1350 m, 25 

September 1934, flower and fruit (BISH). 

The following have not been determined as to 

variety. 

Society Islands: Nelson in 1777 (BM, fide 

Seemann); Wiles and Smith (BM, fide Seemann). 

Tahiti: Banks and Solander in 1769 (BM, fide 

Seemann); Bertero and Moerenhout in 1831-1834 

(P, fide Guillemin); Hombron in 1837-1840, and 

Ltpine 174 in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Decaisne); Nadeaud 405 in 

1856-1859 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Quayle 37, 

Aorai trail, alt. 1694 m, 22 September 1921, flower 

and fruit (BISH, 2 sheets); Quayle, Pirae-Aorai trail, 

1-3 August 1922, flower and fruit (BISH, 5 sheets). 

Skottsberg (1933:91) has called attention to the 

Forster specimens labeled “Ins. Amicor.,” with the 

remark that “it is not impossible that the labels 

speak true.” These specimens were probably the 

basis of the report in Steudel (1841, 2:739) and the 

Index Kewensis (2: 1162) of this species being native 

to Tonga rather than Tahiti. Forster (1786b) records 

it from Tahiti only, and none of the 18 (at least) 

collectors who have visited Tonga since Forster’s 

time have found it there. The “Ins. Amicor.” specimens, according to Skottsberg, agree in all respects 

with the typical plant, which is not positively known 

outside of Tahiti. The same remarks apply to 

Sparrman’s “Nova Zeylandia” specimens. 

Hooker (1837) and Skottsberg (1927:86; 1933:91) 

cite Cuming 1429 from “Toobouai” (Tubuai, Austral Islands) at Kew, but the plant is sterile and 

thus undeterminable. 

lal. Vaccinium cereum var. cereum f. eriostemon 

Skottsberg 

Vaccinium cereum var. typicum f. eriostemon Skottsberg, 

Acta horti Gothb. 8:87, fig. 11-18. 1933. 

DEsCRIPTIoN.-Flowers glabrous; filaments hirsute. 

TYPE.-Collected by US. Exploring Expedition 

RANGE.-society Islands: Bidwill in 1850, pro 

in 1839. 

lb. Vaccinium cereum var. pubiflorum 

Skottsberg 

Vaccinium cereum var. pubiflorum Skottsberg, Acta horti 

Gothob. 8:89, fig. 19-25. 1933. 

DESCRIPTION.-PediCel, calyx, and corolla Vehtinous. The typical form with filaments glabrous. 

-h’PE.-Collected by Andersson in 1852. 

RANGE.-Tahiti: Andersson, Fautaua Valley, 

1852, flower and fruit (S, 2 sheets, fide Skottsberg); 

Grant 5613, Mahina, Aorai ridge, alt. 1364 m 

(4475 ft), in Metrosideros forest, 6 June 1930, fruit 

(BISH). 

lbl. Vaccinium cereum var. pubiflorum 

f. skottsbergii Grant, new name 

Vaccinium cereum var pubiflorum f. eriostemon Skottsberg, 

Acta horti Gothob. 8:89, fig. 26-29. 1933 [non V. cereum 

f. eriostemon Skottsberg, 19331. 

DESCRIPTION.-AS in var. pubiflorum, but filaTYPE.-Collected by Moseley in 1875. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Moseley, alt. 

1220 m (4000 ft), September 1875, flower (K, fide 

Skottsberg); Grant ?754, Pare, Fautaua Valley, ridge 

below Diadem, alt. 1021 m (3350 ft), in ridge 

forest, 13 May 1930, flower and fruit (BISH, MIN): 

St. John and Fosberg 17007, Orofena, s. ridge, 1700 

m, 22 September 1934, flower and fruit (BISH). 

Skottsberg applied the name eriostemon for the 

form with hairy filaments both to the typical variety 

and the var. pubiporum, which latter is here renamed, since the same name cannot be used for 

different subspecific entities within a given species 

unless they are based on the same type. 

ments hirsute. 

lc. Vaccinium cereum var. raiateense 

(Moore) Grant, new combination 

Vaccinium raiateense Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:35. 1933. 
NUMBER 17 9 

Vaccinium cereum f. eriostemon Skottsberg, pro parte, Acta 

horti Gothob. 9:190, fig. 17-23. 1934. 

DESCRIPTION.-Differs from var. cereum in the 

pubescent pedicels, from var. pubiflorum in the 

glabrous perianth, and from both in the prevailingly smaller leaves. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands: Raiatea: Moore 741, 

Temehani, alt. 750 m, 15 April 1927, flower 

(BISH, 2 sheets; MIN). 

Skottsberg had concluded that this is not specifically distinct from V. cereum, but some of the 

features, listed above, seem to warrant recognition 

as a geographical variety, though Grant suspected 

they were due to the ecological conditions of the 

peculiar upland moor habitat in which the plant 

grows. The slight differences in the measurements 

given by Moore and Skottsberg result from studying different sheets of the same collection. 

Id. Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum 

(Decaisne) F.B.H. Brown 

Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum (Decaisne) F.B.H. Brown, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:215. 1935. 

Vaccinium adenandrum Decaisne, Voy. Venus Bot. Atlas. t.17. 

1846; Voy. Venus Bot. (Text):23. 1864 p. adinandrum 

Drake del Castillo, 1892:115, pro syn. (sphalm.)]. 

Vaccinium cereus Jardin, Ess. Marq. 24, 41. 1862 [sphalm.]. 

Vaccinium cereum f. eriootemon Skottsberg, pro parte, Acta 

horti Gothob. 8:92, fig. 33-37. 1933. 

DESCRIPTION.-see F.B.H. Brown (1935) for 

a description and a discussion of the reasons for 

retaining this as a variety. 

TYPE.-Collected by Du Petit-Thouars in 

RANGE.-Marquesas: “S.F.Z.M. no. 168,” flower 

(P, fide Skottsberg). Nukuhiva: Du Petit-Thouars 

in 1836-1839 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Jardin 

101 in 1853-1855 (P, fide Drake del Castillo). 

F.B.H. Brown (1935:216) says, “collected from 

Nukuhiva, Uapou, Uahuka, Hivaoa, and Fatuhiva.” 

He correctly cites specimens, however, only from 

Nukuhiva, Uahuka, and Hivaoa. The specimen he 

cites as from Fatuhiva (Quayle 1153) was actually 

collected on Uapou, although there is a sterile specimen from Fatuhiva in the Bishop Museum (Brown 

1082, alt. 800 m, January 1922). Another unrecorded sterile sheet is Mumford and Adamson 145, 

Hivaoa, ah. 1100 m, 23 March 1929 (BISH). 

1836-1839. 

le. Vaccinium cereum subsp. cheesemannii 

Skottsberg 

Vaccinium cereum subsp. cheesemannii Skottsberg, Acta horti 

Vaccinium cereum Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. SOC. 6:286. 1903. 

Vacciniurn reticulutum sensu Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:85. 

Gothob. 8:95, fig. 38-43. 1933. 

1931 [non Smith, 18191. 

DESCRIPTION.- See Skottsberg (1933) for description. 

RANGE.-cOOk Islands: Rarotonga: Cheeseman 

597, crests of mountain ridges, 240-600 m (800- 

2000 ft), June 1899, fruit (K, fide Skottsberg); 

Wilder 546, alt. 460 m (1500 ft), 15 June 1927, 

flower (BISH); WiEder 804, alt. 560 m (1850 ft), 

20 April 1929, flower and fruit (BISH, 2 sheets). 

Wilder’s designation of his plant as V. reticulatum Smith seems to have been wholly unintentional. In the first place, Cheeseman had previously 

recorded V. cereum from Rarotonga, and Wilder 

followed Cheeseman very closely. Furthermore, 

Wilder 804 bears the label “V. reticulatum Forst.,” 

showing Wilder undoubtedly had Forster’s plant 

in mind and not the Hawaiian endemic V. reticulatum. 

EPACRIDACE AE 

Other than Styphelia, the only Polynesian representative in this family is the Australian-Melanesian 

genus Leucopogon, with one species (L. cymbulae 

Labillardikre) in Fiji, New Caledonia, and the 

New Hebrides. 

1. Stypheliu J. E. Smith 

Styphelia J. E. Smith, Spec. Bot. New Holl. 45. 1795. 

Cyuthodes Labillarditre, Nov. Holl. PI. Spec. 1:57, t.81. 1804 

[1805]. 

TYpE-SpEcIEs.-Styphelia tubiflora Smith. 

RANGE.-AbOut 170 species in the AustralianNew Zealand region with outposts in eastern and 

northern Polynesia. Besides the following, there are 

two other Polynesian species, S. acerosa (Solander 

ex R. Brown) in New Zealand, the adjacent subantarctic islands, and Rapa, and S. douglasii (Gray) 

F. Mueller ex Skottsberg in Hawaii. 

LOCAL NAMES.--S. tameiameiae is called aitomoua 

in Tahiti (Nadeaud), ohupukei in the Marquesas 
10 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

(Brown), and pukeawe (Puakeawe), maieli (mai- Styphelia pomarae is also called aitomoua (“mounele), and kawau in Hawaii (Hillebrand, Rock). tain Casuarina”) in Tahiti. The Rapan species is 

The only name I heard in Oahu was pukeawe. called magie, according to Stokes’ field label. 

Key to the Species of Styphelia in the Society Islands 

Leaves variable in shape, linear, elliptical, or obovate; petiole 1 mm or less long; leaf mucroglabrous; corolla 2.4-3 mm long, the tube not much, if any, exceeding the calyx; style about 

half again as long as the ovary 1. S. tameiameiae [including var. brevisyla] 

Leaves elongate-elliptical; petiole 1-2 mm long; mucro with a deciduous tuft of hairs at the 

apex; corolla 4.3-5.2 mm long, the tube much exceeding the calyx; style about 3 times the 

length of the ovary 

1. Styphelia tameiameiae 

(Chamisso & Schlechtendal) F. Mueller 

Cyathodes tameiameiae Chamisso & Schlechtendal, Linnaea, 

1:539. 1826.-Endlicher, Ann. U’ien Mus. 1: 170. 1836.- 

A. P. de Candolle, Prod. 7:741. 1839b.--Nuttall, Trans. Am. 

Phil. SOC. n.ser. 8:270. 1843.-Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:329. 

1862c.-Mann, Proc. Am. Acad. 7: 188. 1867.-Wawra, Flora 

56:59. 1873.-Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 272. 1888.-Drake 

del Castillo, 111. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:244. 1892.-Heller, Minn. 

Bot. Stud. 1:872. 1897.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 89: 

637. 1913.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 8(6):332, 

f.9. 1922.-Degener, P1.Haw.Nat.Park 247, t.69. 1930. 

Cyathodes banksii Gaudichaud, Voy. Uran. Bot. 98. 1827 

[nomen nudum1.-Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus. 1: 170. 1836 

[nomen nudum1.-A. P. de Candolle, Prod. 7:742. 1839b. 

[cum desc.1.-Nuttall, Trans. Am. Phil. SOC. n.ser. 8:270. 

1843. 

Cyathodes macraeana A. P. de Candolle, Prod. 7:742. 1839b. 

Cyathodes tameiameiae var. societatis Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 

5:325. 1862c.-$eemann, F1. Vit. 146. 1866.-Nadeaud, 

Enum. PI. Tahiti 62. 1873.-Drake del Castillo, F1. Polyn. 

Fr. 116. 1892. 

Styphelia tameiameiae (Chamisso & Schlechtendal) F. Mueller, 

Fragm. 6:55. 1867.-Drude in Engler and Prantl, Nat. Pfl. 

4 (1):78. 1889 [under C. tameiameiae, sphalm.1.-Rock, 

Indig. Trees Haw. 365. 1913.-Skottsberg, Medd. Goteb. 

Bot. Tradj. 2:254. 1926. 

Styphelia tameiameiae f. marquesensis F.B.H. Brown, Bish. 

Mus. Bull. 130:218. 1935. 

DEScRIPTIoN.-shrub, 2 m high, with spreading 

or erect branches. Young twigs pubescent, old ones 

glabrate. Leaves erect on young shoots, soon 

spreading, and becoming reflexed before they drop 

off. Petiole 1 mm or less long. Leaves very variable 

in shape, often of 3 distinct types: linear, elliptical, 

and obovate, rarely all 3 occurring on the same twig; 

5-17 (-30 on young sprouts) mm long by 1-3.2 mm 

wide; tip acute when the leaf is linear and obtuse 

2. S. pommae 

when the leaf is obovate, but rather regularly mucronulate; usually ciliolate along the distal third (or 

more) of the margin; grayish or bluish-green above, 

usually paler or glaucous below; with about 7 primary veins which branch dichotomously from base 

to margins of leaf, giving a striolate appearance. 

Flowers axillary or pseudoterminal, solitary, 3-4 

mm long. Pedicels 1-2 mm long, bearing 5-9 

imbricated sepal-like bractlets, which are obtuse, 

scarious-margined, and ciliolate. Sepals 1.5 mm 

long, obtuse, ciliolate. Corolla 3 mm long, pinkish 

white, cut half-way to the base, the tube usually 

very slightly exceeding the calyx, although this 

character is very variable; lobes spreading at maturity, each with 4 or 5 conspicuous hairs on the inner 

surface. Stamens slightly exserted from the tube. 

Scales 0.3-0.4 mm long. Pistil 1.7 mm long, the 

ovary subglobose, somewhat 5-angled, puberulent, 

0.7 mm long, the style 1 mm long, the stigma 

praemorse. Drupe 4-6 mm in diameter, oblatespherical, 5-8 celled, light to dark rose. 

The above description is based on Hawaiian 

specimens (Grant 7004 and 7388, Waianae Range, 

Oahu), and includes all the variations seen in herbaria and mentioned in the original description and 

the subsequent accounts of Gray, Nadeaud, Hillebrand, Drake del Castillo and Rock, with the following exceptions. At higher elevations the plant 

becomes a small tree, to 3.5 m high; the corolla 

may be wholly glabrous (var. brownii Gray, var. 

macraeana (de Candolle ) Hillebrand); and the 

drupe may be white. Hillebrand says that the leaves 

are aciliolate, but I assume that is merely a matter 

of relative magnification; leaves several years old 

may be essentially smooth-margined. Rock has 
NUMBER 17 

copied Hillebrand’s description. Degener’s plate 

shows the leaves as clearly ciliolate. 

Gray described his var. societatis as “corollae 

lobis intus parcissime barbatus; foliis plerisque 

linearibus,” but doubted its validity, due to the variability of each of these characters in this species. 

F. B. H. Brown (1935) based his f. marquesensis 

on a single character: ‘I. . . the leaves are on 

the average longer than those of the Hawaiian 

forms, The Marquesan form differs little from that 

of the Society Islands.” He gives the leaf length as 

10-15 mm. Grant examined the type (Brown 533, 

sheet A), and found the leaves average 11 X 2.5 

mm. Hillebrand gives the length of the leaves as 

4 to 6 lines (8-12 mm), and as stated above, the 

variation is even wider in the Hawaiian plant. In 

Brown’s plant the leaves may be aciliolate, the 

corolla tube is 1.7 mm long, slightly exceeding the 

calyx, the corolla lobes 1.2-1.5 mm, the ovary 0.7 

mm, and the style 1-1.2 mm long. The other 

Marquesan specimens cited below agree in all important particulars. Grant postulates a segregateable form in the Marquesas, as there are very few 

truly indigenous species which have just this distribution (Hawaii, Marquesas, Society Is.), but he 

could find no characters on which to separate it. 

TYPE.-collected by Chamisso in Oahu in 1816. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands, Marquesas, Hawaii. 

Society Islands: Tahiti: Nadeaud 404, alt. 900 

m, in 1856-1859 (P, fide Drake del Castillo, 1892b). 

Moorea (Eimeo): Picking in 1839 (fide Gray). 

Marquesas: Nukuhiva: Brown 533, alt. 900 m, 

15 July 1921, flower and fruit (BISH, 3 sheets); 

Quayle 1237, alt. 900 m, 30 December 1922, 

flower and fruit (BISH); Mumford and Adamson 

560, alt. 915 m, 22 October 1929 (BISH, sterile; 

NY, fruit). 

Hawaiian Islands: Numerous records. 

According to Nadeaud the plant is common in 

Tahiti, but no other collector has secured it since, 

and he may not have distinguished it in the field 

from S. pomarae. I have not seen the typical plant 

from the Society Islands, 

R. Brown (1810:539) referred to a Tahitian 

species of Cyathodes, which would be either this 

or S. pomarae, and presumably had seen a specimen collected by Banks and Solander in 1769, 

nothing further is known of this record. Seemann 

11 

and others apparently have not found the specimen 

in the British Museum. 

la. Styphelia tameiameiae var. brevistylu 

(Moore) Grant, new combination 

Styphelia brevistyla Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:36. 1933. 

DESCRIPTION.-Differs from the typical form in 

its low habit of growth (40 cm high or less), 

smaller leaves (6-7.5 X 1.5 mm) with veins not as 

freely forking (due to the smaller size of the leaves), 

calyx slightly longer than the corolla-tube, corolla 

slightly shorter (2.3-2.5 mm) with the tube 1 mm 

long, and smaller pistil (1.3 mm long, with ovary 

0.5 mm high and style 0.9 mm). Flower red, according to St. John. 

All of these differences are reductions, which 

are appaEently correlated with the high moor environment of the plant. The interesting thing about 

the vegetation of this environment is that almost 

all the species which grow there exhibit this type 

of reduction. 

Moore in describing his new species pointed out 

four differences between S. brevistyla and S. 

pomarae, all of which hold, and there is certainly 

no question about these two plants being different 

species. The affinities of his plant, however, are not 

with S. pomarae, but with S. tameiameiae. Two of 

the ways he gives in which his plant differs from 

S. pomarae are just the ways in which S. tameiameiae differs from S. pomarae, namely, “leaves 

without a pronounced tuft of hairs at the apex” 

and “a relatively shorter corolla.” Moore also states, 

“smaller narrower leaves,” which is true. The 

fourth difference-‘‘a style that is shorter than the 

ovary”-would separate it from both the other 

species, but this does not hold (cf., the measurements above). Moore must have examined pistils 

of greater age in which the ovary had grown following fertilization, as he says “ovarium 1 mm. in 

diametro,” whereas, at anthesis, the ovary is but 

half that diameter, and the style decidedly longer 

than the ovary; brevistyla is thus a misnomer. 

RANGE.-Raiatea: Temehani Plateau. Moore 106, 

alt. 470 m, in wet moss, 21 September 1926, flower 

and fruit (BISH, type, 2 sheets; MIN); Grant 5217, 
12 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

TYPE.-Collected by Pickering in Tahiti (US. 

Exploring Expedition) in 1839. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands: Tahiti: Pickering, 

mountains, in 1839 (fide Gray); Nadeaud 403, 

crests of Mt. Aorai, 1858, fruit, and Ure e Hiro 

(Orofere Valley, Paea), alt. 1200 m, flower (P fide 

Drake del Castillo 1892); Quayle 35, Aorai trail, 

alt. 1694 m, 22 September 1921, flower and fruit 

(BISH); Quayte, Aorai trail, 1-3 August 1922, 

flower and fruit (BISH, 6 sheets); Grant 3549, Pare, 

Fautaua Valley, face of Mt. Diadem, alt. 1085 m 

(3560 ft), 13 May 1930, flower (BISH, MIN); 

Grant 3739, Mahina, Aorai ridge, alt. 1220 m 

(4000 ft), in thicket of Vaccinium and Metrosideros 

5 June 1930, flower and fruit (BISH, MIN); 

Grant 4397, Mahina, Ahonu-Tuauru ridge, alt. 

915 m (3010 ft), in Weinmannia-Metrosideros forest, 

5 November 1930, flower and fruit, wood specimen 

(BISH, MIN); St. John and Fosberg 16982, Orofena, s. ridge, alt. 1570 m, low woods, 21 September 1934, flower and fruit (BISH). 

Grant observed the plant at 15 field stations in 

Tahiti, all, including the above-listed records, from 

the northwestern quarter of Tahiti-nui, in the 

districts of Papenoo, Mahina, Arue, Pare, and 

Paea. It ranges in altitude from 900 m to the 

summit of Mt. Aorai (2064 m) the highest point 

Grant reached on the island. It usually occurs as a 

dominant or subdominant shrub in the low forests 

of the upper humid crests, its most common dominant associates being, in order of abundance, 

Weinmannia parviflora, Metrosideros collina, and 

Vaccinium cereum. 

Faaharato, alt. 600 m (1970 ft), high moor, 29 

January 1931, sterile (BISH, MIN); St. John 17293, 

alt. 750 m, high moor, flower and fruit, 5 October 

1934 (BISH). 

2. Styphelia pomarae (Gray) Moore 

Cyathodes pomarae Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:324. 1862c.-Seemann, F1. Vit., 146. 1866.-Drake del Castillo, 111. F1. Ins. 

Pac. 7224. 1892; F1. Poly. Fr. 116. 1892. 

Cyathodes tahitensis Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti 62. 1873. 

Styphelia pomarae (Gray) Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:36, 

footnote. 1933. 

In herbaria Grant saw this combination attributed to F. Mueller, who reduced the genus 

Cyathodes to Styphelia, but could find no record 

of its publication. Nadeaud was unaware of Gray’s 

earlier name when he published his species. 

DEsCRIPTI0N.-Shrub, 2 m high, with branches 

usually ascending; lower stems often twisted and 

rope-like; wood heavy (Grant 4397 with specific 

gravity of 0.89). Twigs tan, with light pubescence. 

Leaves erect, soon spreading, with puberulent 

petioles 1-2 mm long, elongate elliptical, 10-14 X 

2-2.5 mm, usually, but not necessarily, ciliolate, 

mucronate, with a deciduous terminal tuft of hairs 

on the mucro, glaucous below, with about 7 principal veins which fork to a variable degree. Flowers 

axillary, solitary (or rarely in clusters of 2 or more, 

fide Nadeaud), including pedicel about 6 mm long, 

with 3-9 ciliolate bractlets. Sepals 2.3 mm long, 

ovate, ciliolate. Corolla 4.3-5.2 mm long, the tube 

2.5-3.2 mm, much exceeding the calyx, and the 

lobes 1.7-2 mm long, glabrous or sparingly hairy 

along the adnate filaments within, the lobes usually, 

but not always, with a few long hairs on the inner 

surface. Anthers slightly exserted from the tube. 

Scales 0.3 mm long. Ovary 0.7-0.8 mm long, style 

2-2.2 mm. Drupe 8 mm in diameter, subglobose, 

about 6-celled, dark red becoming purple in drying; mesocarp mealy, with flat taste. 

The above key brings out the differences between this species and S. tameiameiae. The distinction given by Drake del Castillo (1892:116): 

“Arbuste dressk-C. pomarae, Arbuste Q rameaux 

ascendants-C. tameiameiae” is incorrect. Nadeaud 

says “ramis nigrescentibus,” and this is true of 

Grant 3739 and 4397, but the color is due to 

infection by fungi. 

MYRSINACEAE 

Besides the following (Rapanea and Ardisia), 

five other genera of this family are represented in 

Polynesia. There are 12 species of Maesa, one in 

Samoa, one in Tonga, and 10 in Fiji. Fiji has 

eight species of Tapeinosperma. There are three 

species of Discocalyx in Fiji and one in Tonga. 

Embelia is represented by two species in Hawaii, 

one in Samoa, and one in Fiji. Hawaii has 11 

species of Suttonia. Each of these species is endemic in a single Polynesian archipelago, except 

for two doubtful records in the genus Maesa. Including Rapanea and Ardisia there are 60 species 

in Polynesia in this family, all endemic except the 

introduced Ardisia elliptica. 
NUMBER 17 

Species of 

Rapanea 

1. taitensis .................................... 

3. hartii ........................................ 

5. vescoi 

6. obovata .................................... 

7. nadeaudii ................................ 

9. ronuiensis ..................... 

2. longifolia ................................ 

................ 

........................................ 

........................... 

13 

Tahiti Moorea Huahine Raiatea Borabora 

x - - - - x 

x 

x 

x 

- - - - - - - - 

X X 

X 

- - - - - - - - - - 

x - - X - x - - - - - - - - 

Key to the Genera of Myrsinaceae in the Society Islands 

Flowers large, 1 cm long, 5-merous, in subterminal peduncled corymbs; cultivated ........ 1. Ardisia 

Flowers small, 2-4 mm long, 4-merous, in sessile cauline umbels; native ........................ 2. Rapma 

10. collina ...................................... 

10a. collina var. falcata ................ 

11. fusca ........................... 

lla. jusca var. fasciculata ............ 

12. viridis ...................................... 

1. Ardisia Swartz 

x - X X 

x - X X 

X X X 

- X 

- - X 

- - - - - - - - - 

Ardisia Swartz, Prod. Veg. Ind. Occ. 3 and 48. 1788. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-A. tinifolia Swartz. 

RANGE.-TrOpiCS, about 280 species, mostly in 

Asia, some in America, Africa, and Australia. Two 

other species occur in Polynesia, both endemic in 

Fiji. 

1. Ardisia elliptica Thunberg 

Ardisia elliptica Thunberg, Nov. Gen. P1. 8:119. 1795 [cf., 

Merrill, Trans. Am. Phil. SOC. n. ser. 24(2):298. 19351. 

Ardisia humilis sensu Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9:127. 1902.- 

Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:86. 1931.-Christophersen, Bish. 

Mus. Bull. 128:166. 1935 [non Vahl, 17943. 

TYm.-Frorn Ceylon. 

RANGE.-society Islands (cultivated) : Tahiti: 

Seen by Grant, not collected. Raiatea: Moore 

190, Uturoa, 9 October 1926, flower (BISH, MIN). 

India to the Philippines and Java. In cultivation 

and as an escape everywhere in the tropics. Reported from Rarotonga (Wilder, 1931) and Samoa 

(Christophersen, 1935) as an escape. Native to 

south and southeast Asia. 

2. Rapanea Aublet 

Rapanea Aublet, Hist. P1. Guiane Franc. 1:121, t. 46. 1775. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-Rapanea guyanensis Aublet. 

DESCRIPTION (based on the Society Islands 

species).-Small trees, with alternate, glabrous, 

usually entire, lucid, punctate leaves. Flowers borne 

in cauline fascicles which are essentially umbels, 

on short (0.5-1 mm) wart-like branches among or 

below the leaves, tetramerous with single pistils, 

minute (2-4 mm long), greenish or whitish. 

Polygamo-dioecious, some individuals with perfect 

flowers, others with functionally staminate ones. 

Perianth valvate, punctate, glandular-ciliolate. 

Sepals about '/s united, petals less so and revolute 

at anthesis. Anthers subsessile on the corolla tube, 

introrse. Pistil 1-celled, with a 2-lobed or an entire 

but 3 or 4-angled sessile stigma, which is much reduced (0.1-0.3 mm) in the male flowers. Fruit a 

small superior drupe, 1-seeded, varying from very 

fleshy to very dry. 

RANGE.-of the 190 species, 68 occur in tropical America, 16 in Africa and the islands of the 

Indian Ocean, 21 in Asia, and the remainder (85) 

on the islands of the Pacific Ocean, There are 18 
14 

species in Polynesia, of which 12 occur in the 

Society Islands (Table Z), and 1 each in the Marquesas, Rapa, Raivavae, Rarotonga, Samoa, and 

Fiji [There are 21 in Hawaii if the Hawaiian 

species formerly placed in Suttonia and now generally put in Myrsine are regarded as congeneric 

with those discussed here. Hosaka (1940) places 

the Hawaiian species, which certainly do not differ 

generically from the rest of the Polynesian species, 

in Myrsine. There seems to be very little difference 

between Rapanea and Myrsine except a slender 

habit and toothed leaves in the latter. Stigma shape 

has been used, but this is a most variable character 

in Rapanea. If the generic identity of the Hawaiian 

species with Rapanea is accepted, the figure 190 

will rise to 211, that of 85 to 106, and that of 18 

to 391. 

LOCAL NAMEs.-The only apparently authentic 

Tahitian name for this genus was nuareitea (“on 

the branches”), given for R. taitensis. For R. 

fusca var. fasciculata, the name tororire was given 

in Raiatea by an unreliable native, a name which 

in the Society Islands is usually applied to Leucaena 

forsteri; however, Wilder (1931:86) cites taraz’re 

for R. cheesemanii in Rarotonga. Two other unreliable names received were ofeo (which is Pittosporum) and hitoa (Ixora), the leaves and habit of 

both plants being similar to Rapanea. Setchell 

(1924:61) lists saitamu for R. samoensis, and 

F. B. H. Brown (1935:220) records tiki for his R. 

myricifolia in the Marquesas. 

DIscuss1oN.-It is very peculiar for an IndoMalayan genus (and the affinities of the Pacific 

species are here rather than with the American 

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

center) which has 10-15 species each in the East 

Indies, Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, and 

New Caledonia to be relatively absent from the 

other Polynesian groups (e.g., Fiji, Samoa) and to 

produce a large number of species in the Society 

Islands. We know of no other group of plants which 

exhibits this type of distribution. After a study of 

the majority of the known specimens of Rapanea 

from the other Polynesian groups, we do not feel 

that this is merely a matter of taxonomic splitting 

and lumping. For example, the 12 collections of 

R. myricifozia (Gray) Mez, which Grant saw from 

Fiji, show no greater variation than the eight collections cited here as R. fusca. All of the other 

Polynesian species are known from a much smaller 

number of specimens. 

An historical peculiarity of the genus in Polynesia is that none of the early collectors in Tahiti 

or elsewhere secured any samples of this group. 

The first-known collections are those of the U. S. 

Exploring Expedition in 1839-1840. Here again, 

we know of no other large genus (i.e., with a relatively large number of species in the Society 

Islands) that was overlooked completely by Banks, 

Solander, Forster, Cook, Nelson, Menzies, Bennett, 

Lay, Collie, Bertero, and Moerenhout, all of whom 

collected in Tahiti before that date. Even in Mez’s 

(1902) monograph of the family each of the Society 

Islands species (he records 7) is described from a 

single collection. 

There are described here three new species, two 

others are reduced to varieties, and another is 

excluded from the archipelago. 

Key to the Species of Rapanea in the Society Islands * 

1. Blades large, averaging over 10 cm long, various in texture: twigs glabrous. 

2. Blades rounded to subcordate at the base. 

3. Blades obtuse to rounded at apex, 10-18 X 5.5-8.5 cm, coriaceous; umbels 6-10- 

flowered; pedicels 2-7 mm long: drupe 6 mm long ...................................... 1. R. taitensis 

3. Blades acutish, 25-50 X 7-12 cm, pergameneous; umbels 1-5-flowered: pedicels 10 mm 

long: drupe 13 mm long. ................................................................................... 2. R. longifolia 

2. Blades cuneate to attenuate at the base. 

4. Blades rounded at the tip, heavily coriaceous, 18-23 X 6.5-8.7 cm, obovate ....................... 

3. R. hurtii, new species 

4. Blades acute to obtuse, chartaceous to pergameneous, 9-20 X 3-7.2 cm, elliptical, 

obovate, or oblanceolate. (These 3 species are too imperfectly known by us for more 

distinct separation). 

...................................................................................................... .......... 

*Due to fragmentary knowledge of flowers and fruits of some of the species, this key of 

necessity is based primarily on the leaves. 
NUMBER 17 15 

5. Blades elliptical to obovate, 9-18 X 4-7.2 cm, i.e., relatively broad, chartaceous to 

5. Blades elliptical to oblanceolate, 12-20 X 3-6 cm, i.e., relatively narrow, pergameneous, obtuse (to acute?) at apex; calyx lobes 1-1.2 mm long. 

6. Blades elliptical to oblanceolate, not rhombic, 12-17 X 3-5 cm obtuse (or 

acute?) at apex; umbels 3-8-flowered: pedicels 3-4 mm long; drupe 4-5 mm long 

................................................................................................................. 5. R. vescoi 

bovate to oblanceolate, somewhat rhombic in outline, 16-20 X 5-6 cm, 

pergameneous, obtuse to acute at apex; calyx lobes 0.7-1 mm long ............ 4. R. ovalis 

obtuse; umbels 7-flowered; pedicels 5-9 mm long; drupe 6.5-7 mm long. 

.............................................................................................................................. 6. R. 

1. Blades small, averaging under 10 cm long, coriaceous or subcoriaceous; twigs glabrous or 

pubescent. 

7. Pedicels 5-7 mm long; blades 8-10 X 3.3-5 cm: drupe 7 mm long: umbels 2-4-flowered .... 

.................................................................................................................................. 7. R. nadeaudii 

icels 0.5-4 mm long: blades 1.7-9 (-12?) cm long: drupe (unknown in R. ronuiensis 

and R. st.-johnii) 2-7 mm long; umbels 3-8-flowered. 

8. Blades subrounded to scarcely cuneate at base, broadly obovate, 4.5-11 X 3-5 cm; 

pedicels puberulent, 1.5-3 mm long: umbels 5-8-flowered ..... 8. R. st.-johnii, new species 

8. Blades definitely cuneate at base, elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate, 1.7-12 X 0.6-4.5 

cm; pedicels (excepting R. collina) glabrous, 0.5-4 mm long; umbels 3-8-flowered. 

9. Drupe 7 mm long; blades 1.7-2.8 X 0.6-1.1 cm, often subdentate at apex: petioles 

1-2 mm long ........................... 12. R. viridis 

9. Drupe 2-4 mm long (unknown in R. ronuiensis) blades 1.7-9 X 0.5-4 cm (5-9 cm 

long in R. ronuiensis); entire. 

10. Anthers 0.8 mm long: pedicels 0.5-1.5 mm long: young growth puberulent: 

petioles 0-5 mm long; umbels 5-7-flowered; blades 5-9 X 2.3-3.8 cm ................. 

................................................................................. 9. R. ronuiensis, new species 

10. Anthers 1-1.5 mm long: pedicels 1-4 mm long; young growth puberulent or 

glabrous: petioles 2.5-15 mm long. 

11. Blades often falcate and rhombic in outline, relatively broad (1.5-4.5 cm 

wide); calyx lobes 0.7-0.9 mm long: anthers 1.4-1.5 mm long: pedicels 1-4 

mm long; corolla 1.7-2 mm long. 

12. Twigs ferrugineous puberulent; drupe 2-3 mm long; corolla 2 mm 

long .................................................................................................... 10. R. collina 

12. Twigs glabrous, or very slight1 ulent with scattered hairs; drupe 

34 mm long: corolla 1.7 mm 1 .............................................................. 

.......................................... 10a. ina var. falcata, new combination 

11. Blades symmetrical, not rhombic: narrow or small (0.5-1.8 cm wide): calyx 

lobes 0.5 mm long; anthers 1-1.4 mm long: pedicels 1-2.5 mm long: corolla 

2-4 mm long; twigs glabrous or nearly so. 

13. Blades 3-6 X 1.3-1.8 cm: petioles 5-10 mm long: drupes 3.5-4 mm 

long ...................................................................................................... 11. R. fusca 

13. Blades smaller, 1.7-3.2 X 0.5-1.4 cm: petioles 2.5-5 mm long; drupes 

..................................................................... 

3 mm long ...... Ila. R. fusca var. fasciculata, new combination 

1. Rapanea taitensis (Gray) Mez 

Myrsine taitensis Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. ,5:3303 1862c.-Seemann, F1. Vit. 149. 1866 [M. tahitensis1.-Drake del Castillo, 

111. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:227. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 118. 1892 

[excl. var. longifolia and syn. M. coriacea and M. ovalis]. 

Rapanea tahitensis (Gray) Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9:373. 1902. 

DESCRIPTION.-Tree, 3-5 m high, becoming 20 

cm in diameter, glabrous. Twigs brown or gray. 

Petioles 2-5 mm long. Blades elliptical, 12-18 X 

6-8.5 cm, subcordate or rounded at the base, obtuse or rounded at the tip, stiffly coriaceous, prominently reticulate, when young punctate with 

orange-red dots and lines that become obscure as 

the blades mature. Umbels on short (1 mm) 

branches on twigs 7 mm in diameter, below the 

leaves, 6-10 flowered. Pedicels 5-7 mm long. Perfect flowers unknown. Male flowers (not previously 

described) 3.6 mm long. Perianth prominently 

red-punctulate. Calyx greenish when fresh; tube 

0.4 mm long; lobes deltoid, 0.9 mm long, acutish, 
16 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

ciliolate. Corolla whitish, tube 0.7 mm long; lobes 

ovate, 3 mm long, minutely puberulent within. 

Anthers 1.8 mm long. Ovary ovoid-conical, 1.3 mm 

long; stigma conical, 0.3 mm long, weakly 2-lobed. 

Drupe obovoid, 6 X 6.5 mm (4 mm, fide Mez), 

greenish and red-punctate when young, becoming 

maroon and black-maculate when ripe, on twigs 

1.5 cm in diameter. 

The above description is largely from Grant 

3779 and checks fully, except for fruit size, with 

Gray’s and Mez’s descriptions. Quayle’s specimen 

collected in 1922 differs from the other specimens 

in having smaller leaves (10 X 5.5 cm) and shorter 

pedicels (2-4.5 mm). 

Drake del Castillo (1892) combined three other 

species with this one, but from the specimens he 

cited it is clear that he had not seen any material 

of true R. taitensis. 

TYpE.-Collected by the U. S. Exploring Expedition in 1839 in Tahiti. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: U. S. Exploring 

Expedition, mountains, 1839, fruit (Gray, fide 

Mez); Quayle 40, Aorai trail, 23 September 1921, 

fruit (BISH, 1 sheet, another sheet of this number 

being R. ovalis); Quayle, Aorai trail, 1-3 August 

1922, flower (BISH, 2 sheets); Grant 3779, 

Mahina, Mt. Aorai, alt. 1830 m (6010 ft), in 

Metrosideros-Ilex forest, 6 June 1930, male flowers 

(BISH, MIN); St. John and Fosberg 17000, Orofena, 

s. ridge, alt. 1600 m, rain forest, 22 September 

1934, fruit (BISH). The specimens cited by Drake 

del Castillo belong to R. longifolia, R. ovalis, 

and R. nadeaudii. 

2. Rapanea longifolia (Nadeaud) Mez 

Myrsine longijolia Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti 61. 1873; 

Journ. de Bot. 11:109. 1897; Journ. de Bot. 13:3. 1899. 

Myrsine tahitensis var. Zongijolia Drake del Castillo, 111. F1. 

Ins. Pac. 7:227. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 118. 1892. 

Rapanea Zongifolia (Nadeaud) Mez, in Das. Pflanz. 9:366. 1902. 

DESCRIPTION (based on Grant 4266, the phrases 

in quotation marks from Nadeaud’s and Mez’s 

descriptions).-Unbranched “or few-branched” 

small tree or shrub, “2-8 m. high, 5-8 cm. in diamter,” with 1 terminal tuft of leaves “or several 

superimposed,” glabrous, “dioecious.” Wood finegrained, light brown, specific gravity 0.77. Twigs 

1 cm in diameter. Leaves oblanceolate “lanceolate 

or elliptical,” 35-45 X 8-11 cm “25-50 X 7-12 

cm.,” narrowed to a rounded base, acutish, pergameneous, prominently veined, minutely punctulate, 

subsessile on a 3 mm petiole, “petiole elongated.” 

Umbels borne below the leaves, “sometimes between the whorls, peduncles 2-5-branched, 1-5- 

flowered, pedicels 1 cm. long.” “Female flowers 

34 mm. long, greenish-white; sepals very short; 

4 rudimentary stamens; stigma large, elongated, 

5-angled. Male flowers larger, white; stamens 4, 

short, with large anthers; ovary rudimentary.” 

Drupe globose, 13 mm in diameter “pyriform, 

13 X 9 mm,” fleshy, “green when young,” red at 

maturity, very sparingly punctulate, “channelled 

when dry.” Pyrene 7-8 X 8 mm, 1-(“1-2”) seeded. 

TYPE.-Collected by Nadeaud in 1859 in Tahiti. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Lkpine in 1847 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo); Ribourt 51 and 68 

(or 66?), circa 1850 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

Nadeaud 401, Paea, Orofere Valley, foot of Mt. 

Mapuhi, alt. 1000 m, 10 May 1859, and Tearapau 

above Mamano, August 1896, fruit (G, fide Mez); 

Grant 4266, Papenoo, Mt. Orofena, alt. 710 m 

(2325 ft), in Cyathea forest, 23 September 1930, 

fruit, wood specimen (BISH). 

Nadeaud cites tw3 other localities, but we do 

not know whether specimens were preserved: Pare, 

Mt. Ereereaoe, alt. 1100 m, May 1896, fruit; Mahaena, Puaa, alt. 850 m, 14 February 1898, flower. 

3. Rapanea hartii Grant, new species 

Arbor parva, glabra; folia petiolis 5-8 mm longis, 

laminis obovatis 18-23 cm longis 6.5-8.7 cm latis 

basi attenuatis anguste cuneatis apice rotundatis 

rigiduscule coriaceis haud manifeste punctatis; 

umbellae 6-7-florae; flores ignoti; pedicelli fructiferi 5 mm longi; calyx tub0 0.5 mm longo, lobis 1 

mm longis late deltoideis acutis; drupa subglobosa 

vel obovata 4-5 mm longa 4 mm lata. 

Small tree, glabrous, with leaves scattered along 

the twigs, not fascicled, petioles 5-8 mm long. 

Blades obovate, 18-23 X 6.5-8.7 cm, rounded at 

the tip, attenuate to a narrowly cuneate base; very 

coriaceous for this genus; prominently reticulateveined, with a well-developed midrib 2.5-3 mm in 

diameter at the base, and 25-35 lateral veins which 

are irregularly arranged, usually alternately long 

and short, the long ones turning upward and 

fusing toward the margin; punctate with lines and 

dots, inconspicuously so in direct light (the dots 
NUMBER 17 

black), and conspicuously pellucid (orange-red ) by 

transmitted light. Umbels occurring principally below the leaves, sessile on minute branches (0.5 

mm long) from stems 6-8 mm thick, 6-7 flowered. 

Flowers unknown. Fruiting pedicels 5 mm long, 

0.6 mm thick. Calyx tube 0.5 mm long, lobes 4, 

broadly deltoid, 1 mm long, acutish, puncticulate, 

glandular-ciliolate. Drupe subglobose to obovate, 

4-5 X 4 mm, greenish, punctate with red and 

black lines. 

The closest relative is R. taitensis, from which 

it differs in the leaves being obovate, cuneateattenuate at the base (elliptical and subcordate in 

R. taitensis), and more prominently puncticulate, 

the slightly shorter pedicels, shorter calyx lobes, 

and smaller fruits. The difference in leaf shape is 

very striking. The plant shows no evident similarity 

to the thinner-leaved, larger-fruited R. obovata of 

Raiatea. 

ETYMoLoGY.-The species is named after Mr. 

John W. Hart, of Raiatea, a longtime settler in 

southern Polynesia, who was leader of the party 

on the occasion of the discovery of the species. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Grant 4080, 

Papenoo Valley, Ana Pua, alt. 365 m (1200 ft), 

in Cerbera-Pandanus forest, 6 September 1930, 

fruit (BISH, type; MIN). 

17 

4. Rapanea ovalis (Nadeaud) Mez 

Myrsine ovalis Nadeaud, Enum. P1. Tahiti. 61. 1873. 

Myrsine tahitensis sensu Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 

7:227. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 118. 1892 [pro parte quoad 

syn. M. ovalis; non M. taitensis Gray, 18621. 

Rafianea ovah (Nadeaud) Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9:373. 1902.- 

Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:37. 1934. 

DESCRIPTION (after Nadeaud and Mez ) .- 

Medium-sized tree, with strong twigs. Petiole I cm 

long. Leaves ovate-lanceolate or elliptical, falcate 

at base (Nadeaud), symmetrical (Mez), 12-15 X 

5-6 cm, base shortly acute, apex obtuse, chartaceous, shining, prominently reticulate-veined, 

punctate with dots sunken into the parenchyma. 

Flowering branches short, verruciform, with 2-4 

flowers. Pedicel 7 mm (Nadeaud), 5 mm (Mez) 

long. Sepals fused for over '/s of their length, lobes 

broadly ovate, acutish, heavily ciliate, maculate. 

Drupe ovate (Nadeaud) ellipsoid (Mez), 6-7 X 

4-4.5 mm, acutish, with obscure longitudinal ridges, 

and marbled with brown lines. 

Because of the variation shown in the material, 

a combined description of the eight specimens in 

the Bishop Museum is here given separately: Tree 

to 8 m high and 10 cm in diameter, glabrous. 

Twigs reddish to brown. Petioles 4-12 mm long. 

Blades prevailingly obovate, in other cases elliptical, 9-18.5 X 4-7.2 cm, cuneate at the base, obtuse 

to acute (rounded in 1 specimen) at apex, frequently attenuate at either or both ends, chartaceous to 

pergameneous, bright green with a distinct reddish 

cast, frequently drying brown, usually paler below, 

midrib 1-1.5 mm thick at the base, usually about 

18-25 somewhat pronounced lateral veins, inconspicuously puncticulate. Umbels sessile on short 

(1 mm) branches, usually below the leaves, on 

rather thick twigs 4-4.5 mm in diameter, 5-10 

flowered. Flowers not seen. Pedicels variable, 1-7 

mm long. Calyx tube 0.5-0.7 mm long, lobes ovate 

or deltoid, 0.7-1 mm long, obtuse, greenish, 

glandular-ciliolate, sparingly puncticulate. Mature 

drupe globose or elliptical to slightly obovate, 5-5.4 

X 4.5-5.2 mm, greenish, punctate with orange-red 

longitudinal lines. Style 1.1 mm long. 

Most of these specimens differ from the original 

descriptions in having obovate leaves with an attenuate base, not prominently reticulate veins, more 

flowers in a cluster, shorter pedicels, and smaller 

fruits, and some in having acute leaves. All are 

broader leaved than is R. vescoi. If it is a single 

species and no combination of characters indicate 

otherwise, it is very variable. 

TYPE.-Collected by Nadeaud in Tahiti in 

RANGE.-society Islands and Tuamotus. society Islands: Tahiti: Nadeaud 400, Pare, Mt. 

Marau, alt. 1200 m, in 1856-1859, fruit (P, fide 

Drake del Castillo; G, fide Mez); Quayle 40 pro 

parte, Mt. Aorai, alt. 1848 m, 23 September 1921, 

fruit (BISH); MacDaniels 1665, Tautira, Vaita 

Valley, alt. 300 m, 12 June 1927, fruit (BISH); 

Grant 4617, Paea, Ruapo, alt. 550 m (1810 ft), 

in Alezcrites-Tecoma forest, 4 December 1930, sterile 

(BISH, MIN). Huahine-nui: St. John and Anderson 17174, Mt. Turi, nw. ridge, alt. 400 m, woods, 

1 October 1934, fruit (BISH). Raiatea: Moore 397, 

Vairahi-Averarahi ridge, alt. 300 m, 3 December 

1926, sterile (BISH, MIN); Moore 500, Faaroa, 

alt. 150 m, ridge, 7 January 1927, sterile (BISH, 

MIN); St. John 17263, Mt. Temehani, alt. 450 

m, woods along stream, 5 October 1934, fruit 

1856-1 859. 
18 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

bels regularly 7-flowered (not 3-5 as described ), 

though fewer fruits ripening. Flowers unknown, 

Pedicels 6-8 (5-9) mm long. Calyx tube 0.5 mm 

long, lobes deltoid-ovate, 1.2 mm long, acutish, 

glandular-ciliolate. Drupe ellipsoidal or slightly 

ovate or obovate, fleshy, 6.5-7 X 5.5 mm when 

dry, greenish, with prominent longitudinal dark 

red puncticulations. 

From the published descriptions Moore is correct 

in relating this to R. vescoi, from which it differs 

in the oblanceolate leaves and the longer pedicels, 

though the pedicel length ("short") of R. vescoi 

is unknown. We have assigned a specimen to R. 

uescoi which has shorter pedicels, but the leaves 

are oblanceolate to elliptical as in this species. Any 

further comparison of R. uescoi and R. obovata 

is impossible due to the fragmentary description 

of the former (fruit unknown) and the apparent 

loss of the type. See the key above for a list of 

differences which indicate that R. obovata may be 

merely a large edition of R. vescoi. 

TYPE.-collected by Moore in Raiatea in 1927. 

RANCE.-sOCiety Islands: Raiatea: Moore 521, 

Avera Valley, alt. 300 m, on clay ridge, 11 January 1927, fruit (BISH, type: MIN). 

(BISH). Tuamotus: Makatea: Wilder 1201, alt. 60 

m (200 ft), 27 October 1932, fruit (BISH). One of 

the most common trees on the island according to 

Wilder. 

5. Rapanea vescoi (Drake del Castillo) Mez 

Myrsine vescoi Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:227. 1892; 

Rapanea vescoi (Drake del Castillo) Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9: 

F1. Polyn. Franc. 119. 1892. 

372. 1902. 

DESCRIPTION (after Drake del Castillo ) .-Large 

glabrous shrub. Leaves oblong, 12-25 X 3-4 cm, 

attenuate at base, acute at apex. Umbels 5-8- 

flowered. Pedicels short, thick. Calyx lobes ovate, 

acute, glandular-ciliolate. Corolla slightly longer 

than calyx, lobes obovate. Anther tips attenuate. 

The species is very close to R. ovalis, perhaps 

too close. It is supposed to have narrower acute 

leaves. We are placing here a specimen that seems 

to fit, though the leaves are broader and the umbels 

fewer-flowered. It is a tree 2.5 m high and 4 cm 

in diameter, with petioles 5-10 mm long, blades 

oblanceolate to elliptical, 13-17 X 5 cm, acutish or 

obtuse, attenuate to rounded at the base, pergameneous, minutely pellucid punctate by transmitted light, umbels 3-4 flowered, pedicels 3-4 mm 

long, calyx tube 0.5 mm long, lobes 1 mm long, 

glandular-ciliolate, drupe green, red-punctate (black 

in drying), globose to obovate, 4-4.5 X 4 mm. 

TYPE.-collected by Vesco in Tahiti in 1847. 

RANGE.-sOciety IshdS: Tahiti: Vesco in 1847 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo, but not found there 

by Mez); Grant 4054, Papenoo, Ana Hue, alt. 310 

m (1010 ft), in Psidium-Neonauclea forest, 5 

September 1930, fruit (BISH, MIN). 

6. Rapanea obovata Moore 

Rapanea obovata Moore, Bish, Mus. Bull. 102:37. 1933. 

DEscRIPTIoN.-''Shrub, 2.5 m. high," glabrous. 

Leaves clustered at the tips of the branches. 

Petioles 4-6 (3-9) mm long. Blades obovate to 

oblanceolate, somewhat rhombic in outline, 16.5- 

20.5 X 5.1-6.2 cm, obtuse, slightly abruptly attenuate at the tip, tapering to a subcuneate base, 

pergameneous, rather dark green, conspicuously and 

densely black-punctate with dots and lines which 

are yellow and pellucid by transmitted light. Um7. Rapanea nadeaudii Mez 

Myrsine coriacea Nadeaud, Enum. P1. Tahiti 61. 1873 [non 

R. Brown, 1810; nec aliorum]. 

Mysine tahitensis sensu Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 

7:227. 1892, F1. Polyn. Franc. 118. 1892 [pro parte, quoad 

syn. M. coriacea; non M. taitensis Gray, 18621. 

Rapanea nadeaudii Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9:372. 1902 [non R. 

coriacea (Swartz) Mez, 19021. 

DESCRIPTION (after Mez and Nadeaud).-Tree, 

5-6 m high, glabrous. Twigs thick, with leaves 

congested at the tip. Petioles thick, 2-3 mm long. 

Blades ovate, oblong, or oblong-elliptical to obovate, 8 X 3.3 cm (10-15 [-24 on young shoots] 

X 4-10, fide Nadeaud), acute or attenuate at the 

base, somewhat obtuse at the tip, coriaceous, reddish, midrib prominent below, lateral veins sometimes conspicuous above, prominently puncticulate. 

Umbels sessile on twigs or on minute branchlets 

2-4 flowered. Pedicels slender, 5-7 mm long. Male 

flowers unknown. Female flowers 2.5-3 mm long. 

Sepals fused for half their length or more, lobes 

acute, papillose-ciliolate, puncticulate. Petals fused 

for '/4 their length, lobes elliptic, acutish, punctu- 
NUMBER 17 

late. Anthers subsessile, shorter than the corolla, 

sagittiform, acute. Ovary 1/5 inferior. Stigma large, 

conical, 4-lobed. Drupe globose, 7 mm in diameter. 

We have seen nothing that quite matches this. 

Drake del Castillo combined it with R. taitqnsis, 

without, however, having seen any material of 

that species. 

TYPE.-Collected by Nadeaud in Tahiti in 1857. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Nadeaud 399, 

“Farerauape” (where?), alt. 800 m, 27 August 

1857, flower and fruit (P, fide Drake del Castillo; 

G, fide Mez). Nadeaud cites an additional locality: Faaa, Pinai. 

19 

8. Rapanea st.-johnii Grant, new species 

Arbor usque ad 3-4 m alta, ramulis glabris; 

folia petiolis 1-4 mm longis, laminis late obovatis 

4.5-7 (-11) cm longis 3-4 (-5) cm latis basi subrotundatis vel parum cuneatis haud attenuatis 

apice subrotundatis vel obtusis coriaceis dense 

punctatis juvenilibus ciliolatis; umbellae 5-8-florae, 

pedicellis 1.5-3 mm longis glandulosi-puberulis; 

flores masculini ignoti, hermaphroditi viridi-albi; 

calyx glandulosi-puberulus tubo 0.5 mm longo 

lobis deltoidis 0.7 mm longis obtusis vel rotundatis; 

corolla tubo 0.3 mm longo lobis 1.7 mm longis 

ciliolatis intus ad apices puberulis; antherae 1 mm 

longae ad apices puberulae; ovarium ovatum 1 

mm longum, stigma pyramidale 3-4-angulatum 1 

mm longum; fructus ignoti. 

Tree, 3-4 m high, with divaricate branches. 

Flowering twigs 5-5 mm thick, glabrous. Pedicels 

and calyx glandular puberulent; young leaves 

ciliolate. Petioles 1-4 mm long. Blades broadly 

obovate, 4.5-7 (-11) X 3-4 (-5) cm long, base 

subrounded or barely cuneate, not attenuate, apex 

rounded (or obtuse); coriaceous, lucid; densely 

glandular-punctate with lines and dots; midrib 1.5 

mm thick at base, lateral veins not especially 

prominent. Umbels 5-&flowered. Pedicels 1.5-3 

mm long. Male flowers unknown. Perfect flowers 

with perianth greenish white, orange and black 

punctate. Calyx tube 0.5 mm long, lobes 0.7 mm 

long, obtuse to rounded, glandular-ciliolate. Corolla tube 0.3 mm long, lobes 1.7 mm long, 

ciliolate and puberulent within at tips. Anthers 

1 mm long, tips puherulent. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm 

long; stigma conical, 1 mm high, 3-4-angled. Fruit 

unknown. 

Differs from R. nadeazidii, the description of 

which it most closely matches, in having shorter, 

broader, obovate leaves, rounded to scarcely 

cuneate at the base, more flowers in a cluster, 

and shorter glandular-pubescent pedicels. The 

flowers and fruit cannot be compared as the 

flowers of R. nadeazidii and the fruit of R. st.- 

johnii are unknown. 

The leaves of St. John 17012 approach those of 

R. taitensis in size and shape (those of the other 

collections being much smaller), and it is tc that 

species that the present one is possibly most closely 

related. The flowers of R. taitensis, however, are 

almost twice as large. 

TYPE.-collected by St. John and Fosbel-g in 

Tahiti in 1934. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti, Mt. Orofena: 

St. lohn and Fosbel-g 16989, s. ridge, alt. 1600 

m, mossy ridge, 22 September 1934, flower (BISH, 

type); St. John and Fosbel-g 17012, same place 

and date, rain forest, flower (RISH); St. John and 

Fosberg 17019, same place and date, mossy brush 

on ridge, flower (BISH). 

9. Rapanea ronuiensis Grant, new species 

Arbor parva, ramulis novellis ferrugineopuberulis mox glabrescentibus; folia sessilia vel 

petiolata, petiolis latis ad 5 (-7) mm longis, laminis 

obovatis saepe falcatis 5-9 cm longis 2.3-3.8 cm 

latis basi cuneatis vel parum attenuatis apice 

obtusis veI rotundatis pergameneis virentibus haud 

nitentibus punctatis juvenilibus ciliolatis mox 

glabrescentibus; umbellae 5-7-florae, pedicellis 

glabris 0.5-1.5 mm longis; flores masculini ignoti, 

hermaphrotliti 1.8 mm Iongi; perianthium luteiviritle; calyx tub0 0.5 mm longo lobis deltoideiovatis 0.5-0.7 mm longis obtusis vel rotundatis 

glandulosi-ciliolatis vel nudis; corolla calycem bis 

superans tubo 0.5 mm longo lobis ovatis 1 mm 

longis obtusis ciliolatis intus ad apices tomentellis; 

antherae 0.8 mm longae connectivo obscuro; 

ovarium ovatum 1 mm longum, stigma pyramidale 

3-4 angulatum; fructus ignoti. 

Small tree. Flowering branches 2.5-3 mm in 

diameter, brown. Young twigs ferrugineous puberulent and young leaves ciliate, both soon 

glabrous. Leaves clustered at the tips of the 

branches. Petioles broad, to 5 (-7) mm long, or 

leaves sessile. Blades obovate, often falcate, 
20 

5-9 X 2.3-3.8 cm, cuneate or somewhat attenuate at the base, obtuse to rounded at the tip; pergameneous, dull, dark green with a gray cast, 

punctate-lined and dotted (orange-pellucid in 

transmitted light); midrib 1 mm in diameter at 

base, lateral veins about 25, not prominent. 

Umbels borne mainly below the leaves, on minute (0.5 mm long) branches, 5-7-flowered. Pedicels glabrous, 0.5-1.5 mm long. Male flowers 

unknown. Perfect flowers 1.8 mm long. Perianth 

yellowish green, red and black punctate with lines 

and dots. Calyx tube 0.5 mm long; lobes deltoidovate, 0.5-0.7 mm long, obtuse to rounded, 

glandular-ciliolate to nude. Corolla twice as long 

as the calyx, tube 0.5 mm long, lobes ovate, 1 

mm long, obtuse, ciliolate, tomentulose within. 

Anthers 0.8 mm long, acutish, subsessile, rose in 

color, with dark connective. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm 

long; stigma sessile, pyramidal, 3-4-anglec1, usually 

unlobed but very variable as to shape, 0.8 mm 

long. Fruit unknown. 

Affinities are with R. collina from which it 

differs most conspicuously in the sessile or broadly 

short-petioled obovate leaves, and the subsessile 

flowers with smaller anthers. The leaves are of a 

darker duller gray-green, a color I have seen in 

no other Rapanea, and the flowering twigs are 

thicker. From R. nadeatidii it differs in the manyflowered inflorescence and the subsessile flowers. 

TYPE.-Collected by Grant in Tahiti in 1930. 

RANCE.-society Islands: Tahiti-iti: Grant 3905, 

Teahupoo, Mt. Ronui, alt. 860 m (2815 ft), in 

Weinmannia-Ascarina-etc. forest, 2 July 1930, 

flower (BISH, type; MIN). Apparently only one 

other collection of Rapanea is known from the 

lesser peninsula of Tahiti (R. ovalis). 

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

10. Rapanea collina (Nadeaud) Mez 

Myrsine collina Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti 61. 1873.-Drake 

del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:227. 1892; and F1. Polyn. 

Franc. 119. 1892 [excl. syn. M. falcata]. 

Rapanea collina (Nadeaud) Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9:372. 1902. 

DESCRIPTION (after Nadeaud and Mez, with 

interpolations in parentheses to cover the specimens cited below).-Small tree (2-) 3-5 m high. 

Twigs thickish (slender, 2-3 mm in diameter). 

Young branches, petioles and pedicels ferrugineoustomentulose. Petioles 4-7 (3-15) mm long. Leaves 

ovate, somewhat falcate at base (elliptic to 

obovate, somewhat rhombic in outline, and symmetrical or somewhat falcate), 4-7 X 2-3 (3-8 X 

1.5-4) cm, base acute (cuneate), tip obtuse or 

rounded (occasionally emarginate), coriaceous (or 

pergameneous), opaque, glabrous, punctate only 

when young (Grunt 4396 is conspicuously punctate with purple (when fresh) lines which converge 

toward the base of the leaf, and some leaves are 

pellucid in transmitted light with minute orange 

dots. Grant 5302 and Moore 669 are dotted but 

not lined, the dots obscure in age in the former. 

Venation not especially prominent). Umbels borne 

on short (0.5 mm) branches (mainly below the 

leaves), 1-5- (3-7-) flowered, appearing in July. 

Pedicels 1-1.5 (1-2) mm long. (Perianth greenish). 

(Calyx tube 0.4 mm long), lobes wide-ovate (0.7- 

0.9 mm long), subrounded (to acutish, lined or 

dotted with orange punctae ), glandular-ciliolate 

(or nude). (Corolla tube 0.7 mm long, lobes 1.3 

mm long, red-maculate, heavily ciliolate and 

tomentulose within at the very tip). Stamens subsessile (anthers 1.4 mm long. Ovary conical, 0.8 

mm long. Stigma minute, 0.1-0.2 mm long, 2- 

lobed). Drupe globose (slightly obovoid), 2-3 mm 

in diameter (3 X 2.7 mm), gray (green, turning 

purple), marbled-punctate (with longitudinal lines). 

Grant 4396 agrees with the original description 

except that the leaves are rather conspicuously 

punctate and the pubescence is minute. Grant 

3763.2 is similar, but more conspicuously tomentulose, even to the young leaves, and it has 

smaller blades (3-4 X 1.5-1.8 cm). Grant 5302 

has larger blades (7-8.5 X 2.7-4 cm), with pinktinged midribs, leaf margins, and young twigs. 

Moore 669 has some twigs pubescent, others 

glabrous; it has rounded leaf tips, while all the 

other specimens seen are merely obtuse. 

TvpE.-collected by Nadeaud in Tahiti in 1856- 

1859. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Nadeaud 397, 

Pare, Haamuta, alt. 800 m, September 1856-1859, 

fruit (G, fide &fez; P. fide Drake del Castillo); 

Grant 4?96, Mahina, Ahonu-Tuauru, alt. 915 m 

(3010 ft), in W~inmannicl-Metr0,~~dero.r forest, 5 

November 1930, fruit, wood specimen (BISH, 

RIIN); Grant 3763.2, Mahina, Mt. Aorai, alt. 1900 

m (6255 ft), in Metroside7.os-Styphelia forest, 6 

June 1930, fruit (RISH, XIIN). Huahine: Grant 

5302, Fare, Matoereere, alt. 400 m (1290 ft), in 

iMclcn?-nnSa-Metrosideros forest, 7 February 1931, 
NUMBER 17 

male flowers (BISH, MIN). Raiatea: Moore 669, 

Vahuti, alt. 100 m, ridge, 18 March 1927, sterile 

(BISH, MIN). 

21 

10a. Rapanea collina var. falcata 

(Nadeaud) Grant, new combination 

Myrsine falcata Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti 61. 1873. 

Myrsine collina Nadeaud sensu Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. 

Pac. 7:227. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 119. 1892 [pro parte 

quoad syn. M. falcata]. 

Rapanea falcata (Nadeaud) Mez, in Das Pflanz. 9:372. 1902. 

DEscRIPTIoN.-Differs from the species in having 

the twigs glabrous (or very slightly puberulent 

with scattered hairs), the drupes slightly larger 

(3-4 as against 2-3 mm), and the corolla slightly 

smaller (1.7 as against 2 mm). 

According to Nacleaud’s and Mez’s descriptions 

this “species” differs from R. collina in being 

glabrous (even to the nude-margined calyx lobes), 

with slightly longer (8.5 cm) acutish, chartaceous, 

subprominently punctate leaves, longer pedicels 

(3-4 mm), and slightly larger (4 X 3.5 mm) 

obovoid fruits. 

The Borabora specimen checks fully with the 

original description. It was a tree, 3 m high; twigs 

glabrous or very minutely and sparingly puberulent; leaves 6-8.5 X 2.3-3.2 cm, punctate-lined 

(markings dark, converging to the base of the leaf) 

and dotted (yellow, conspicuous in transmitted 

light); fruits dropped, borne 3-5 in umbels. 

The Raiatean specimen (Moore 742) is closer 

to the type-description than the Tahitian ones 

seen, and without the intermediates mentioned 

below would probably be given specific rank, but 

it varies considerably in conspicuousness of 

punctation, and the calyx lobes range from very 

minutely glandular-ciliolate to essentially naked, 

both of which characters tend to tie the species 

and the variety together. The only character in 

which it might not seem to fit this species is the 

large size of the leaves (9-12 X 3.2-4.5 cm). The 

plant is glabrous, leaves elliptic to slightly obovate, 

symmetrical or slightly falcate, cuneate to rounded 

at base; male flowers (not previously described) 

7 or 8 in a cluster, on 3 mm pedicels; calyx tube 

0.3 mm long, lobes ovate, 0.7 mm long, obtuse; 

corolla 1.75 mm long (not quite mature), ciliate, 

punctate-lined; anthers 1.5 mm long; ovary conical, 0.6 mm high, stigma 0.2 mm long. 

Grant 4396 is referred to collina on the basis 

of its other characteristics, but its leaves slightly 

exceed the maximum given for R. collina. They 

are acute and prominently punctate, symmetrical 

or somewhat falcate, and the fruit is obovoid, all 

of which are characters of R. falcata. Obviously 

the two are very closely related. Grant 4259, here 

referred to this variety, is almost identical with 

4396, but is subglabrous, being very sparingly and 

minutely puberulent on the young twigs and pedicels. Other tendencies shown by it in the direction 

of R. fakata: branches spreading, twigs slightly 

more slender (2 mm in diameter), blades slightly 

longer (5-8 X 2.2-3 cm), pedicels becoming longer 

(1-3 mm), and drupe slightly longer (3-3.5 X 2.5 

mm). It was a small tree, 3 m high and 7.5 cm in 

diameter at the base, with greenish twigs becoming 

reddish brown in age. On the basis of these two 

specimens alone, we would not have separated 

the two, but according to Nadeiud and Mez the 

differences can become more prominent. Drake 

tlel Castillo combined the two species. 

TYPE.-Collected by Nadeazrd in Tahiti in 1856- 

1859. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Nadeaud 398, 

Mahaena, Mt. Aramaoro, summit, 1856-1859, fruit 

(G, fide Mez; P, fide Drake tlel Castillo); Grant 

4259, Papenoo, Mt. Orofena, alt. 1230 m (4045 ft), 

side of ridge, with Psychotria, Cynthen, etc., 22 

September 1930, fruit (BISH, MIN). Raiatea: 

Moore 742, Mt. Temehani, 700 m, 15 April 1927, 

male flowers (RISH, MIN). Borabora: Grant 4592, 

Tevaitapu, Mt. Tarapaia, alt. 490 m (1600 ft), 

in Metrosidel-os-Rapanea forest, 3 January 1931, 

fruits fallen (RISH, MIN). 

11. Rapanea fusca Moore 

Myrsine myricaefolia Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:330. 1862c [pro 

parte quoad spec. ex Eimeo (Moorea)].-Drake del Castillo, 111. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:277. 1892 [pro parte simile]: F1. 

Polyn. Franc. 118. 1892 [non Rapanen ntyricifolin Mez, 1902; 

ncc F.B.H. Brown, 19351. 

Rapanea fiisca Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 10237. 1933. 

DFSCRIPTION.-Tree, 2-6 m high, up to 5 cm 

in diameter, much branched. Young growth 

sparsely ferrugineous-pubescent or glabrous. Petioles (3-) 5-10 mm long. Klades elliptic, obovate, 

or oblanceolate, (2-) 3-6- X (0.7-) 1.3-1.8 cm, 

cuneate at base, obtuse to rounded at apex, entire, 
22 

occasionally retuse, subcoriaceous, grayish green, 

inconspicuously punctulate, midrib pinkish when 

fresh, brown in drying, with 8-12 prominent 

lateral veins. Umbels sessile on the leafy twigs, 

4- or 5-flowered. Pedicels 1-2.5 mm long. Perianth 4- (rarely 5-) merous, greenish, punctate, 

glandular-ciliolate. Calyx tube 0.5 mm long, lobes 

deltoid-ovate, 0.5 mm long, obtuse to acutish. 

Corolla tube 0.3 mm long, lobes 1.8-2.4 mm long, 

tomentulose at tip within. Filaments 0.6 mm, 

adnate to the corolla tube; anthers 1-1.4 mm long. 

Ovary in perfect flowers subglobose, 4-angled, 1 

mm long, with stigma 4-angled, 1.8 mm long, 

2-lobed. Male flowers with ovary 0.6 mm long, 

conical; stigma 0.2 mm long, capitate, 4-angled, 

weakly 2-lobed. Drupe globose to obovoid, 3.5-4 

X 3-4 mm, red punctate. 

This species is very close to R. myricifolia (Gray) 

Mez, which is endemic in Fiji. Endemic species 

of the same affinity are found in Samoa (R. 

samoensis Lauterbach), the Marquesas (R. myricifolia f. mayquesensis F.B.H. Brown), and Rapa 

(R. myricifolia f. rapensis F.B.H. Brown). A comparison with the original descriptions and with 12 

collections from Fiji reveals the following minor 

differences: petioles of R. fusca 5-10 mm long 

(5 mm in the Fiji plant), pedicels 1-2 mm (0.5-1 

mm in Fiji plants), umbels about 4-flowered (4- 

lo), and leaves subcoriaceous (chartaceous ) . 

Grant had seen fruiting examples of R. samoensis, 

but had not had flowering specimens for comparison. 

TYPE.-Collected in Raiatea by Moore in 1927. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands: Moorea (Eimeo ) : U.S. 

Character 

Blades (cm) ............ 

Lateral veins .......... 

Pedicels (mm) ...... 

Corolla (mm) ........ 

Filaments (mm) .... 

Anthers (mm) 

Ovary (mm) .......... 

Stigma (mm) ........ 

Fruit (mm) ........... 

Stamens (mm) ........ 

........ 

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

R. fasciculata R . f u$ca 

Moore Grant Moore Grant 

2.2 X 1.2 1.7-3.2 X 0.7-1.2 2-4.5 X 0.7-1.6 

6-9 6-12 10-12 8-12 

1-1.5 1-2 1-2 

2% X 1% 2x1 1% x 1 2.1 x 1 

2 1.7 1% 1.6 

1% 0.6 0.5 0.6 

1 '/4 X '/4 1.1 X 0.7 % 

y3 1.5 1.8 X 0.6 

1 

1 0.8 0.5 1 

9 4 3.5-3.8 X 3-3.5 

Exploring Expedition in 1839 (fide Gray). 

Huahine-nui: Grant 5307, Fare, Mt. Matoereere, 

alt. 435 m (1425 ft), in Crossostylis-AlstoniaGlochidion forest, 7 February 1931, male flowers 

(BISH, MIN); St. John and Anderson 17162, Mt. 

Turi, nw. ridge, alt. 650 m, woods, fruit (BISH). 

Raiatea: Moore 66914, Vahuti, alt. 100 m, ridge, 

18 March 1927, perfect flowers and fruits (BISH, 

type; MIN). 

lla. Rapanea fusca var. fasciculata 

(Moore) Grant, new combination 

Rapanea fasciculata Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:36. 1933. 

DESCRIPTION.-Differs from the typical plant 

in having smaller leaves (1.7-3.2 X 0.5-1.4 cm), 

shorter petioles (2.5-5 mm), and slightly smaller 

fruits (3 mm in diameter), which reductions are 

characteristically correlated with the humid highmoor habitat of the plant. For remarks on similar 

varietal differences see the notes above under 

Vaccinium cereum var. raiateense and Styphelia 

tameiameiae var. brevistyla. In combining the 

species we have adopted the name R. fusca rather 

than R. fasciculata as it applies to the more widely 

distributed plant of the more typical forest 

environment. 

Comparison of the original descriptions of R. 

fasciculata and R. fusca yields 10 differences, all 

quantitative (Table 3). The added values in 

parentheses are taken from a series of three sheets 

of the original collection of each, the type, and 

two isotypes. The extreme length given for the 
NUMBER 17 

filaments of R. fasciculata is difficult to understand (typographical error?), as such a length 

would push the tip of the anther out of the flower. 

No Rapanea is known to have filaments that long 

in proportion, and those Grant measured on the 

type-specimen were only half the length given. 

Of the above differences, then, only three of any 

significance remain: the size of the leaves (30y0 

smaller in R. fasciculata) and fruits (12y0 smaller), 

and the size of the ovaries and stigmas. This 

difference in the pistils, however, is due to the 

fact, not noted by Moore, that the type of R. 

fascictilnta is a male plant, and that of R. fusca 

had perfect flowers, All other species of Rapanea 

examined exhibit within themselves this same 

difference in sexuality. The male flowers of R. 

fuscn, not seen by Moore, have ovaries 0.6 mm 

long, with a stigma 0.2 mm long, which measurements are identical with those of Grant 5191, 

clearly R. fasciculata. Furthermore, a detailed 

examination of three other collections of R. fascicztlnta from the type-locality, checked by flowering 

material put up in fixative at the time of collection, 

even further narrows the limits between the two 

“species.” It was in an attempt to identify Grant 

5221, which seemed intermediate between the 

two, that Grant came to make the above detailed 

comparison. It was noted that 27 identical pairs 

of Latin descriptive words and phrases are used 

in the original descriptions of the two entities. 

TYPE.-Collected by Moore in Raiatea in 1927. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Raiatea, Mt. Temehani: Moore 469, alt. 450 m, wet clay soil, 1 January 1927, male flowers (BISH, type; MIN); 

Moore 76, ne. slope, alt. 350 m, 16 September 

1926, fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 5191, Vaitoitoi, 

alt. 390 m (1285 ft), 29 January 1931, male 

flowers (RISH, MIN); Grant 5221, Teapoo, alt. 

580 m (1900 ft), 29 January 1931, male flowers 

(BISH, MIN); St. John 17256, alt. 550 m, high 

moor, 5 October 1934, fruit (BISH). 

23 

12. Rapanea viridis Moore 

Rapanen uiridis Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:38. 1933. 

DEsCRIPTION.-~ma~~ tree, 2 m high. Twigs 

glabrous. Blades obovate, 1.7-2.8 X 0.6-1.1 cm, 

sessile or usually on petioles 1-2 mm long, cuneate 

at base, rounded to obtuse at tip, usually emarginate, entire or irregularly dentate at apex, 

coriaceous, dark green, punctate with dots and 

lines which are conspicuous in transmitted light, 

lateral veins 5-6, ascending at an angle of 45 

degrees. Flowers unknown. Pedicels 2 mm long. 

Calyx lobes deltoid ovate, 1 mm long, glandularciliolate. Drupe globose, 7 mm in diameter (4-5 

mm when dry), fleshy, blue. As largely pointed 

out by Moore, this species, while close to the preceding, differs in the subsessile, darker green, 

more conspicuously punctate leaves, often subdentate at the apex, with ascending lateral veins, 

the longer calyx lobes, and the larger fleshy fruits. 

RANCE.-sOCiety Islands: Raiatea: Moore 739, 

Mt. Temehani, alt. 750 m, 15 April 1927, fruit 

(BISH, type; MIN); Moore 716, “highest mountain,” alt. 950 m, 4 April 1927, sterile (BISH, 

MIN). 

PRIMUL ACE AE 

Not represented in the Society Islands. The 

genus Lysimachia has nine species in the 

Hawaiian Islands, all endemic but one, L. mauritiana Lamarck, of wide range to the west. A close 

relative of this has been described as endemic in 

Rapa, L. rapensis F.B.H Brown. The only other 

indigenous Polynesian species in the family is 

Snmolzis repens (Forster) Persoon, known in Polynesia only from Easter Island, but also found in 

New Zealand, Australia, and South America. A 

European weed, Anagallis arvensis L., has spread 

in Hawaii. The total for the family in Polynesia 

is thus 12 species, of which 9 are endemic, 2 more 

indigenous, and 1 established. 

PLUMBAGINACEAE 

4 single genus represented in Polynesia. 

1. Plumbago L. 

Plumbago L. Gen. P1. 75. 1754. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-P. europaea L. 

RANGE.-About 12 species, in Africa, Asia, and 

America, with one in the Pacific. Besides the following, P. cnerulen Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth 

has been reported in cultivation in Hawaii. 
24 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

Key to the Species of Plumbago in the Society Islands 

1. Flowers red; cultivated ...................................... .... ................................................................. 1. P. indica 

1. Flowers blue or white 

2. Flowers pale blue; cultivated ..................... 

2. Flowers white; native .................................. 

1. Plumbago indica L. 

Plumbago indica L., Stickman Herb. Amb. 24. 1754a; Amoen. 

Acad. 4:133. 1759. 

Plumbago coccinea Salisbury, Prod. 122. 1796.-Hillebrand, 

F1. Haw. Is. 286. 1888.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 70. 1891. 

Plumbago rosea L., Sp. P1. 2nd ed. 1:215. 1762.-Butteaud, 

F1. Tahit. 70. 1891. 

DEscRIPTIoN.-shrubby, more or less climbing, 

with scarlet or purplish red flowers. 

RANGE.-SOCiety Islands, Marquesas. 

Society Islands (cultivated) : Tahiti: Introduced 

in 1882 by Bishop d'Axieri, according to Butteaud. 

Marquesas (not previously reported): Nukuhiva: 

Mumford and Adamson 406,20 May 1929 (BISH); 

Mumford and Adamson 644, 11 December 1929 

(BISH). 

Native from India to China and the East Indies. 

Also cultivated in Hawaii. 

2. Plumbago auriculuta Lamarck 

Plumbago auriculata Lamarck, Encyc. Method. 2:270. 1786.- 

Degener, F1. Haw. 1932. 

Plumbago capensis Thunberg, Prod. F1. Cap. 33. 1794.- 

Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 236. 1860.-Hillebrand, 

F1. Haw. Is. 286. 1888.-Butteaud, F1. Tahit. 70. 1891. 

Plumbago grandiflora Tenore, Cat. Orto Nap. 91. 1845,- 

Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti, 236. 1860.-Butteaud, 

F1. Tahiti. 70. 1891. 

DESCRIPTION.-A shrub or leaning climber with 

pale blue flowers. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands (cultivated). According 

to Pancher, it was introduced into the Society 

Islands by the French naval commander Pasquier. 

Native of South Africa. Also cultivated in Hawaii. 

3. Plumbugo zeylanica L. 

Plum'bago zeylanica L., Sp. PI. 151. 1753.-G. Forster, Prod. 

14, 1786b.-Hooker and Amott, Bot. Beech, Voy. 93. 

1832.-Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus. 1: 167. 1836.-Guillemin, 

Ann. Sci. Nat. 7:192. 1837.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. 

Tahiti 236. 18M).Seemann, F1. Vit. 194. 1866.-Nadeaud, 

PI. Us. Tahiti. 31. 1864; Enum. PI. Tahiti. 48. 1873.- 

Mann, Proc. Am. Acad. 7:189. 1867.-Lanessan, PI. Ut. Col. 

Franc. 866. 1866.-Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 286. 1888.- 

........ ......................................................... 2. P. aurkulata 

............................................................ 3. P. rcylmica 

Drake del Castillo, 111. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:225. 1892; F1. Polyn. 

Franc. 117. 1892.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 70. 1891.-C.N. 

Forbes, Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 5 (3):106. 1913.--Setchell, 

Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:200. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 86:86. 1931.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130: 

222. 1935.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128: 168. 1935. 

Plumbago maximowiczii Gandoger, Bull. SOC. Bot. France 

66:221. 1919 [new synonym]. 

DESCRIPTION.-Subshrub, or somewhat scandent, 

with alternate ovate leaves and terminal racemes 

or panicles of white flowers. Calyx glandular-viscid. 

In other localities the corolla may be pale blue. 

Plumbago maximowiczii Gandoger, which has 

yet to be synonymized, is merely the erect form 

which is most common in Polynesia. It was described from Oahu. 

TwE.-From Ceylon. 

RANCE.-society Islands: Forster in 1774. Tahiti: Hombron in 1837-1840 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); Vesco, lower forests, 1847 (P, fide Drake 

del Castillo); LCpine 80, dry hills, 200-300 m, 

1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Ribourt 33, ca. 

1850 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Sauatier 888, 

1885 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 332, 

Faaa, Tipaerui, and Pare, Papeava, dry ravines 

and seashore, 1856-1859 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); Tilden 346, Paea, Papehue, June 1910, 

flower and fruit (BISH; MIN, 2 sheets); Setchell 

and Parks 70, Punaauia, Punaruu, 23 May 1922, 

flower and fruit (BISH, UC); Setchell and Parks 

291, Paea, Papehue, 7 June 1922, flower (uc); 

Setchell and Parks 351, Punaauia, Punaruu, 14 

June 1922, flower and fruit (UC). 

Borabora: Grant 4051, Tevaitapu, Mt. Matahiuaa, alt. 245 m (810 ft), dry rocky cliffs, 9 

.January 1931, flower and fruit (BISH, MIN). 

Presumably indigenous, but possibly introduced 

by the natives. Found only on the drier hills and 

valleys close to the seashore, where it has a weedy 

appearance. 

Common in Hawaii, Fiji, and the Marquesas, 

with one record from Samoa, and cultivated in 

Rarotonga. Ranges west to Australia, India, and 

Africa. 
NUMBER 17 

ETHN0BoTANy.-Tahitian: avaturatura. Called 

kahauta in the Marquesas, according to F.B.H. 

Brown, and ilieo in Hawaii (Hillebrand). According to Christophersen it is lau tafifi in Samoa, but 

that is merely a general Polynesian term for 

"vine." 

The root is used in native medicines. Nadeaud 

states that it is used externally to raise blisters 

(F.B.H. Brown reports the same in the Marquesas ) and for indolent swellings. Mann records 

that the plant juices were used for tatooing in 

Hawaii. 

SAPOTACEAE 

Genera in this family that have indigenous 

species in Polynesia are: Payena (1 in Fiji), 

25 

Burckella (1 in Fiji, and 1 in Tonga, which has 

also been referred to Madhuca), Chetonespermum 

(1 in Fiji), Nesoluma (1 in Henderson Island and 

1 in Hawaii, which has also been reported from 

Rapa), and Manilkara (1 in Tonga). All the above 

are endemic, except possibly the Tongan Manilkara, which has also been reported from the New 

Hebrides. There is considerable difference of 

opinion regarding the systematic position of some 

of the above genera, and a complete, consistent 

list of the Polynesian species cannot be given here 

without indicating some new combinations. 

In the Society Islands there are five genera 

(1 species each) with two endemic and three cultivated species. The total number of endemics in 

Polynesia is 21. 

Key to the Genera of Sapotaceae in the Society Islands 

1. Fertile stamens 10-12, in 2 whorls; berry 6-celled; sepal 5-6, petals 6; native ...... I. Palaquium 

1. Fertile stamens 5-6, in 1 whorl, opposite the petals. 

2. Staminodes 5-6, petaloid, alternate with the petals. 

3. Flowers 6-merous; sepals 6, in 2 cycles; petals, staminodes and stamens 6; ovary 10-12- 

celled; seeds usually more than 5, with endosperm; cultivated ................... 2. Mmilkara 

3. Flowers 5-merous (sepals, petals, staminodes, and stamens): ovary 5-celled. 

4. Seeds with horny endosperm; fruit obovoid, 3 cm long: native .......... 3. Plmchonella 

4. Seeds without endosperm; fruit globose, larger; cultivated ....................... 4. Lucuma 

2. Staminodes none; ovary 7-lO-celled; seeds with endosperm; sepals, petals, and stamens 5; 

leaves reddish brown, pubescent below: cultivated ..................................... 5. Chrysophyllum 

1. Palaquium Blanco 

Palaquium Blanco, F1. Filip. 403. 1837. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-P. lanceolatum Blanco. 

RANcE.-India east to Tahiti, with 100 species, 

of which 87 are Malayan, 9 in Ceylon and India, 

1 in Australia, and 4 Polynesian. Besides the following, there are endemic species in Fiji (2) and 

Samoa (1). Other undetermined or doubtful 

species have been reported from Samoa. 

1. Paluquium nadeaudii Drake del Castillo 

Mimusops dissecta sensu Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti. 62. 

1873.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 56. 1891 [non R. Brown, 18101. 

Mimusops decussata Nadeaud, in Durand and Jackson, Ind. 

Kew. Supp. 1:310. 1906 [sphalm.]. 

Palaguium nadeaudii Drake del Castillo, 111. F1. Ins. Pac. 7: 

229. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 120. 1892.-Nadeaud, Journ. 

de Bot. 11:llO. 1897. 

DESCRIPTION (after Nadeaud, 1897).-Tree, 10-15 

in high. Wood reddish, very hard; bark rough. 

Branches erect, tuberculate with the pedicel 

scars. Twigs and petioles reddish hairy. Petioles 

2.5-4 cm long, Blades elliptical, 8-12 X 3-5 cm, 

attenuate at base and apex, coriaceous, shining, 

with 12-14 lateral nerves, finely reticulate. Fascicles 

2-4-flowered. Pedicels 6-1 0 cm long, conical, 

enlarged at tip, reddish white tomentose. Flowers 

12 mm wide at anthesis, greenish white. Sepals 

5, ovate, acute, persistent, in 2 series, the exterior 

pubescent, the inner small and almost glabrous. 

Petals 5-6, ovate, large, broad, enlarged at tip, 

rounded, thickened along the middle line, whiteveined, glabrous. Staminodes 5-6, fimbriate, 

3-toothed, the central tooth larger. Stamens 10-12, 

in 2 cycles, exserted, glabrous. Filament large, 

flat, with a membranous appendage. Anthers petaloid in some flowers. Pollen grains smooth, 

elongated, with an obscure median line. Ovary 
26 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

smooth, with 10-12 crenulations at the base, each 

with a tuft of red hairs; 6-celled, 6-seeded. Style 

conical, pointed, slightly inclined, punctate at the 

summit, rose-colored, shorter than the stamens. 

Fruit irregularly pear-shaped, 2.5 cm long, apiculate, smooth, with longitudinal white lines. Seed 

ovoid, irregular, 1.5 X 1 cm, maroon. 

From the description this is unquestionably a 

true Palaquium, but it was omitted by Lam (1925, 

1927) in his monographs of the group, and it is, 

as far as can be determined, the only species of 

the genus so omitted. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands: Tahiti: Nadeaud 402, 

Faaa, Tipaerui, alt. 800 m, cliffs, 1856-1859, in 

bud, “flowers in June, August” (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo), Nadeaud also collected plants on 24 

April and 12 June 1896, with flowers and fruits. 

We have not seen this. Nadeaud found two trees 

only, one of which was sterile. 

2. Manilkara Adanson 

Manilkara Adanson, Fam. 2166. 1763, 

TypE-SPEcIEs.-Manilkara kauki (L.) Dubard. 

RANGE.-AbOut 75 species in all tropical 

countries. There are about 30 in America, 35 in 

the African region, and some 15 in Australia and 

the Pacific. 

1. Manilkara zapota (L.) van Royen 

Achras zapota L., Sp. PI. Append. 1190. 1753 [spelling changed 

by Linnaeus in 17621. 

Achras sapota L., Sp. P1. 2nd ed. 1:470. 1762 [sensu later 

authors and L. pro parte excluding type].-Cuzent, Etud. 

VPg. Tahiti 129. 1857; Iles SOC. Tahiti 214. 1860. Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 275. 1888.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86: 

86. 1931: Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:37. 1934.-F.B.H. Brown, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:223. 1935. 

Sapota achras Miller, Gard. Dict. 8th ed. [unnumbered] 

1768.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 234, 1860.- 

Lanessan, P1. Ut. Col. Franc. 865. 1886.-Butteaud, F1. 

Tahiti. 56. 1891. 

Manilkara zapota (L.) van Royen, Blumea 7:410. 1953. 

DESCRIPTION (after van Royen).-Lactiferous 

tree. Leaves alternate, 5-12 X 1.8-5.5 cm, petioles slender, 1.5-3 cm; with 18-21 secondary 

nerves. Petals 0.3-0.6 cm, with 2 appendages. 

Stamens 6; anthers 0.15-3 mm. Ovary (6-)lo-12- 

celled. Seeds compressed to terete with an almost 

basal scar; scar varying from large to small, wide 

to narrow, oblong to linear at base of the ventral 

side of seed; 

RANGE.--society Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Pare, Mamao, not collected. Raiatea: Moore 

722, Faaroa, alt. 20 m, 11 April 1927, sterile 

(BISH, 2 sheets; MIN). 

Native to tropical America. Introduced into 

Tahiti in 1846 by Admiral Hamelin, according 

to Cuzent. Also cultivated in Hawaii, Rarotonga, 

Makatea, the Marquesas, and generally throughout the tropics. 

ETHNOBoTANY.-English: sapodilla, or sapodilla 

plum; French: sapotitle; both from the West 

Indian aboriginal name, sapota. Tahitian: tapoti, 

an obvious borrowing. 

Used in America, but not in Tahiti, as a source 

of chicle, from which chewing-gum is made. 

3. Planchonella Pierre 

Planchonella Pierre, Not, Bot. Sapot. 35. 1891. 

This genus is a segregate from Sideroxylon, and 

was distributed among five sections of that genus 

by Engler. While it has not been fully adopted 

(rejected by Engler, Burkill, Drake, Rock, Merrill, 

Guillaumin, and F. B. H. Brown), many recent 

workers on Pacific floras have used it (Dubard, 

Lam, Skottsberg, Gillespie, St. John, and Christophersen). We were not in a position to study the 

genus as a whole, but feel inclined to accept 

Dubard’s and Lam’s careful treatments. 

TYPE-SPEcIEs.-PlanchOnella obovata R. Brown. 

RANGE.-AS a separate genus, it ranges from 

tropical Asia and Australia east to Tahiti, with 

about 82 species. Included with Sideroxylon 

(along with other segregates) it is found in the 

tropics and subtropics of both worlds with about 

125 species. In either case, besides the following, 

there are endemic species in Hawaii (5), Samoa 

(I), and Fiji (2), and one which has been recorded 

from Fiji, Tonga, Rarotonga, and Makatea (P. 

grayana St. John, q.v. sub. P. tahitensis). Two of 

these have not been named in Sideroxylon and 

three have not been named in Planchonella, though 

all appear to be congeneric. 
NUMBER 17 

1. Plunchonella tahitensis (Nadeaud) 

Pierre ex Dubard 

Sideroxylon tahitense Nadeaud, Journ. de Bot. 11:lll. 1897: 

Journ. de Bot. 133. 1899. 

Planchonella tahitensis (Nadeaud) Pierre ex Dubard, Ann. 

Mus. Colon. Marseille 20:50. 1912 [name not in Kew Index]. 

27 

DESCRIPTION (after Nadeaud).-Tree, 25-40 m 

high. Wood yellowish. Branches erect, whitish. 

Twigs and leaves whitish tomentose and buds 

reddish tomentose. Petioles 0.5-2.5 cm long. 

Blades ovate or obovate, 10-11 X 3-4 cm, irregularly decurrent, rounded or obtuse; coriaceous, 

often undulate, deep green with whitish border; 

lateral veins 10-12, prominent above. Flowers 4-7 

in axillary fascicles. Pedicels 1-1.5 cm, arcuate, 

white-tomentose. Sepals 5, ovate, rounded, silky 

without, ciliate, persistent. Petals 5, exceeding 

the calyx, greenish white. Staminodes 5, small, 

narrow. Stamens 5, opposite the petals; anthers 

yellow. Ovary enlarged at base, 5-ribbed, tomentose, 5-celled, each l-ovuled. Style short, stigma 

capitate, punctiform. Fruit pyriform, obovoid, 3- 

furrowed, 30 X 17-20 mm, apiculate. Seeds 

usually 3 (1-4), oboval, flattened, 21 X 10 X 6 

mm, pointed and hooked at the base, thick and 

rounded on the back, with a raised ventral furrow, 

gray, red-spotted. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands, 500-1000 m. Flower 

8 May 1896, and 25 April 1898. Nadeaud cites 

the following localities: Tahiti: Arue, Pirae; Papenoo, Haaripo; Faaa, Tipaerui; Punaauia, Punaruu. 

Moorea: Mt. Raairi. 

We have not seen this. From Nadeaud's description, it differs from P. grayana St. John (St. 

John, in Wilder, 1934) only in being a larger tree 

with petioles averaging shorter, longer white-hairy 

pedicels, and seeds averaging larger. Grant saw 

eight collections of P. grayann (cited by St. John, 

in Wilder, 1934) from Makatea, Rarotonga, and 

Fiji (it has also been reported from Tonga). We 

suspect these two are conspecific but, of course, 

cannot consider combining them without having 

studied material of P. tahitensis. If such a union 

should eventually occur, however, Nadeaud's 

epithet would take precedence, so the nomenclature given here would not be affected. To the list 

of synonyms cited by St. John (in Wilder, 1934) 

may be added Bassia sp. (Cheeseman, 1903:286) 

and Sideroxylon uitiense Bonpland Pe Humboldt 

ex Drake (Drake del Castillo, 1892a:229). This 

combination thus appeared nine years before it 

was published by Burkill (1901); it is one of many 

of Drake del Castillo's names which have been 

overlooked by later workers on account of being 

buried in the addenda to the first supplement of 

the Kew Index, 

4. Lucurna Molina 

Lucurna Molina, Sagg. Chil. 196. 1781 (1782) [now usually 

combined with Pouteria Aublet]. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-LUCUma bifera Molina. 

RANGE.-About 35 species, mostly tropical 

American, several in Australia, New Caledonia, 

the East Indies, and the Malay Peninsula. 

1. Lucuma obovata 

Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth 

Lucurna obova'ta Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. 

et Sp. 3:241. 1819.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 

234. 1860.-Lanessan, P1. Ut. Col. Franc. 865. 1866.- 

Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 56. 1891 [now usually called Pouteria 

lricurna (Ruiz & Pavon) 0. Kuntze]. 

DESCRIPTION (based on South American material).-Tree to 10 m tall, young growth brownish sericeous; leaves obovate, generally 10-25 X 

4-9 cm, thick-chartaceous, apex obtuse to rounded, 

base contracted to a petiole 2-4 cm long, nerves 

12-15 on a side, opposite to alternate, lightly pubescent to glabrous beneath; flowers 10-15 mm 

long, on stout, straight to somewhat recurved pedicels, 1-2 in an axil, 5-15 mm long, sepals 5, imbricate, somewhat unequal, rounded to oval, 

brownish sericeous tomentose, to 1 cm long, corolla cylindric, strongly exserted at anthesis, to 

12-15 mm long, lobed '/4-'/s the way, lobes 

rounded, imbricate, very finely sericeous or subglabrous, stamens 5, included, inserted on the 

corolla tube opposite lobes, filament short, swollen, anthers ovate, obtuse, basifixed, staminodia 

5, subulate, opposite the sinuses, pistil with ovary 

5-loculed, ovoid, hirsute in basal part, glabrous 

above, tapering to a stout, cylindrical style, stigma 

minute, terminal; fruit fleshy, depressed, globose 

with a slight umbo, with 1 or 2 seeds developed, 

these globose with an oblong ovate scar on the 

inner side, with 2 thick cotyledons. 
28 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

extend east to the Society Islands. Diospyros is 

represented by two species in Fiji and one in 

Samoa with additional species cultivated in 

Polynesia. Maba has endemic species in Fiji (2), 

Samoa (I), and Hawaii (1); with one occurring in 

Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and New Caledonia; one in 

Tonga and Fiji; one in Hawai, Fiji, and Uvea; 

one from Tonga west to Africa. This makes a total 

in Polynesia of nine endemic species, with two 

more of wider range. [Most modern authors include Maba in Diospyros.-Fosberg.] 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Introduced in 1850 by Bishop d’Axieri, according 

to Pancher. Not seen by us. [Native from Colombia to Peru; cultivated in tropical countries]. 

LOCAL NAMES.-English: lucuma. French: jaune 

d’oeuf. 

5. Chrysophyllum L. 

Chrysophyllum L., Gen. PI. 5th ed. 88. 1754. 

TYPE-SPECIEs.-Chysophyl~um cainito L. 

RANGE.-About 70 species in the tropics, mostly American, a few in Africa, one Asian, one 

Australian, and four in New Caledonia. 

1. Chysophyllum cainito L. 

Chrysophytlum cainito L., Sp. PI. 192. 1753.-Pancher in 

Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti. 234. 1860.-Lanessan, P1. Ut. Col. 

Franc. 865. 1886.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 56. 1891.-Wilder, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:86. 1931.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 128:171. 1935. 

DEscRIPTroN.-Striking tree with twigs and 

leaves (below) shining reddish brown pubescent. 

Blades elliptical, 7-10 X 4-4.5 cm, coriaceous, 

lucid above. Flowers small, in sessile, axillary fascicles. Fruit globose, 5-10 cm, in diameter, 7-10- 

celled, purple. 

RANGE.-sOCietY Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Brown 1196, alt. 60 m (200 ft), 17 October 1922, 

sterile (BISH); Grant 4310, Papeete, alt. 6 m, 

22 October 1930, flower (BISH, MIN). Raiatea: 

Moore 697, Huaru, alt. 1 m, 31 March 1927 

(BISH, 2 sheets; MIN). 

Native to the West Indies. Introduced into 

Tahiti in 1852 by Admiral Bruat, according to 

Pancher. Previously reported from Rarotonga (! ) 

and Samoa. Also cultivated in Hawaii and in Fiji 

(Gillespie 4637, Taviuni, BISH). 

LOCAL NAMEs.-Enghh: star-apple, from the 

shape of the “core.” French: cainitier. Grant heard 

no Tahitian name for this. Christophersen states 

that it is called pipi o eva in Savaii. 

STYRACACEAE 

1. Styrm L. 

Styrax L., Gen. P1. 5th ed. 203. 1754. 

TYPE--SPECIEs.-Styrax Oficinalis L. 

RANGE.-About 60 species, in tropical Americas 

and Asia, with one in the Mediterranean region. 

1. Styrax benzoin Dryander 

Styrax benzoin Dryander, Phil. Trans. 77:308, t.12. 1787.- 

Perkins, in Das Pflanz., 30:60. 1907. 

DESCRIPTION (based on Wilder 1238).-Tree, 

10 m high. Young growth, inflorescence, perianth 

and fruit greenish gray, stellate-tomentose. Leaves 

alternate, to 12 X 4 cm, entire or somewhat irregularly toothed, glabrous above, white stellatetomentose below. Panicles axillary, loose, to 6 cm 

long, about 12-flowered. Calyx cup-shaped, 3 mm 

long, barely 4-toothed. Petals 4, valvate, linearoblong, 5 mm long, obtuse. Fruit globose, 13 mm 

in diameter, 1-celled, thick-walled. Seeds basal, 

globose, 6 mm long. 

The specimen checks with Perkins’ description 

except that the perianth, in part at least, is 4- 

merous instead of 5-merous, and the petals are 

very short. 

RANGE.-society Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Wilder 1238, Papeete, 5 January 1929, flower and 

fruit (BISH). Native to Java, Sumatra, and Malacca. 

EBENACEAE SYMPLOCACEAE 

One of the few families which has produced 

several endemic species (in 2 genera) in Fiji, 

Tonga, Samoa, and Hawaii, but which does not 

A single species in Polynesia, Symplocos leptophylla (Brand) Turrill, endemic in Fiji. 
NUMBER 17 29 

OLEACEAE Linociera pauciflora C. B. Clarke, occurring in 

Tonga and Fiji, and ranging west to Burma. There 

Besides the following two genera, two other are in Polynesia four endemic species, four other 

indigenous species, and at least eight introduced 

ornamentals. 

species occur in Polynesia, Osmanthus sandwicensis 

(Gray) Knoblauch, which is endemic in Hawaii, and 

Key to the Genera of Oleaceae in the Society Islands 

Small tree; leaves silvery-scaly beneath with stellate hairs; corolla lobes valvate; fruit a drupe. 

Shrubs or vines: leaves glabrous or pubesce 

.............................................................................. .................................... 1. Olea 

Ila lobes imbricated; fruit 

a berry, deeply divided and appearing as 2, each 2-seeded, often only 1 of the halves of the 

berry maturing ................................................................................. .............. 2. Jasminum 

1. Olea L. scaly beneath with stellate hairs. Perianth 4-merous, 

Olea L., Gen. PI. 5th ed. 8. 1754. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-olea europaea L. 

RANCE.-AbOut 40 species, centering in South 

Africa and the Austro:Malasian region. Olea vitiensis Seemann is endemic in Fiji, and 0. panicuZata R. Brown has been reported in cultivation 

in Hawaii. 

1. Olea europaea L. 

OIea europaea L., Sp. PI. 8. 1753.-Pancher in Cuzent, Jles 

SOC. Tahiti 234. 1860.-Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 301. 1888.- 

Butteaud, F1. Tahit. 57. 1891.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. 

Wien 85:328. 1910. 

fragrant, the lobes valvate. Fruit a drupe, ellipsoidal, 

1.24 cm long. 

RANGE.-soCiety Islands (cultivated) : Tahiti: 

Grant 4357, Jardin de Mamao, 29 October 1930, 

sterile (BISH, MIN). Introduced into Tahiti in 

1848 by Robin, according to Pancher. 

Also in cultivation in Hawaii, Rarotonga, and 

Samoa. The Tahitian and Rarotongan trees have 

apparently not fruited. Native to the Mediterranean region. 

LOCAL NAMES.-English: olive. Tahitian: orive, a 

simple borrowing. 

2, Jasminum L. 

Olea sativa Hoffmannsegg and Link, F1. Port. 1:388. 1809?.- Jasminum L., Gen. P1. 5th ed. 6. 1754. 

Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:84. 1931. TYPE-SPEcIEs.-Jasminum o@cinale L. 

DESCRIPTION.-small tree. Leaves elliptic to DEsCRIPTION.-?3hrubs or vines with opposite 

oblanceolate, averaging about 5 X 1.2 cm, silvery- (or subopposite ) leaves. Inflorescence cymoseKey to the Species of Jasminum in the Society Islands 

1. Leaves simple, entire; cultivated. 

2. Blades predominately chartaceous, rather prominently reticulate on both surfaces; calyx 

teeth 4-8 mm long, pubescent to glabrous; corolla lobes obtuse to rounded, about equaling 

2. Blades thicker, predominately pergameneous, not prominently reticulate above; calyx 

teeth 12-18 mm long, densely pubescent with spreading hairs: corolla lobes acute, often 

longer than the tube ........................................................................................... 2. J. multiflorum 

1. Leaves compound or deeply pinnatifid. 

3. Leaves 5-7-foliolate (or deeply pinnatifid); cultivated ............. 3. J. officinale f. grandiflorum 

3. Leaves 3-foliolate. 

4. Young twigs and cymes heavily tomentose; leaflets acute; calyx teeth 0.7 mm long: 

corolla lobes 8-10 mm long; cultivated .......................................................... 4. J. oxmicum 

4. Young twigs and cymes pubescent but not tomentose; leaflets predominately obtuse, 

though on shade-leaves often acute: calyx teeth minute (0.3 mm) or obsolete; corolla 

lobes 3-5 (-8) mm long; native .................................................................... .5. J. didymum 

................................................................................................................. 1. J. sambac 
30 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

paniculate. Corolla salverform with imbricated 

lobes. Fruit a berry, deeply lobed and appearing 

as 2, each of the 2 cells ripening but each with 1 

seed, and frequently but one of the cells 

maturing. 

RANGE.-oVer 200 species, mostly in southwestern Asia and the East Indies, many in Africa 

and Australia, one in Peru, and one in the Mediterranean region. In Polynesia, beside the following, are found endemic species in Samoa (1) 

and Fiji (2), another occurring from Samoa 

through Tonga and Fiji to Australia, and others 

in cultivation in Hawaii. One indigenous and four 

cultivated species in the Society Islands. 

1. Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton 

Nyctanthes sambac L., Sp. PI. 1:6. 1753. 

Jasminum sambac (L.) Solander ex Aiton, Hort. Kew. 1:8. 

1789.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.- 

Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 301. 1888.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 

57. 1891.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85:328 1910.- 

Setchell, Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20:59. 1924.- 

Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:84. 1931,F.B.H. Brown, Bish. 

Mus. Bull. 130:225. 1935.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 

128:175. 1935. 

DESCRIPTION.--SpraWling or climbing shrub, 

pubescent. Petioles 2-5 mm long. Terminal blades 

ovate, 5.5-8 X 3.7-6 cm, cuneate to cordate at 

base, obtuse or acute at tip, apiculate, chartaceous, 

usually pubescent on the veins and with tufts of 

hairs in the axils of the lateral veins below, rather 

prominently reticulate on both surfaces. Cymes 

terminal, 3-many-flowered. Pedicels 5-10 mm long. 

Flowers double, 2.5-3.3 cm long, white, fragrant. 

Calyx tube about 2 mm long, lobes subulate, 4-8 

mm long, usually pilose, especially within. Corolla 

tube 1.3-1.6 cm long; lobes many, elliptical, 1.2- 

1.6 cm long, rounded or obtuse. 

RANGE.-society Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Giant 4510, Hitiaa, alt. 2 m, 16 November 1930, 

flower (BISH, MIN). Raiatea: Moore 290, Faaroa, 

11 November 1926, flower (BISH, MIN). 

Native to tropical Asia. Both the single and the 

double-flowered forms were introduced in 1850 

by Admiral Bonard, according to Pancher. Also 

cultivated in Hawaii, the Marquesas, Rarotonga, 

and Samoa. Established in Samoa. 

LOCAL NAMEs.-Enghh: Arabian jasmine. French: 

Jasmin d’Arabie. Tahitian, Marquesan, and Rarotongan: pitate. In Samoa it is called pua sosola 

(“gardenia vine”) and pua Samoa (“native gardenia”), according to Setchell. Pikake is the Hawaiian name, 

2. Jmntinum multiflorum (Burman f.) Andrews 

Nyctan’thes nzultipora Burman f., F1. Ind. 5, t.3, f.1. 1768. 

Nyctanthes pubescens Retzius, Obs. 5:9. 1789. 

Jasminum pubescens Willdenow, Sp. P1. 1:37. 1797.-Pancher 

in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 

57. 1891. 

Jasminum multifloruin (Burman f.) Andrews, Bot. Rep. 8: 

t. 496. 1807.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128: 175. 1935. 

DESCRIPTION.-Similar to J. sambac. See the 

key above for differences. 

RAluGE.-Introduced into Tahiti in 1845 by Dr. 

Johnstone (both the single and the double-flowered 

forms, according to Pancher). Not seen by us, 

and we suspect confusion with J. sambac. Also 

cultivated and as an escape in Samoa according 

to Christophersen [and commonly cultivated in 

Hawaii]. Native to China. 

3. Jasminurn oficinale L. 

Jasniinum oficinale L., Sp. PI. 1:7. 1753 [f. oficinale not 

known from the Society Islands]. 

3a. Jasminum oficinale L. forma grandiflorum 

(L.) Kobuski 

Jasminum oficinale sensu Butteaud, F1. Tahit. 57. 1891. [non 

L., 17531. 

Jasminum grandiflorum L., Sp. P1. 2nd ed. 1:9 1762.-Wilder, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:87. 1931.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 130:225. 1935. 

Jasminum oficinale f. grandiflorum (L.) Kobuski, Journ. 

Am. Arb. 13:161. 1932. 

DESCRIPTION.-Erect, trailing, or leaning shrub; 

pubescent at the nodes, in the axils of the lateral 

veins below, and on the inner side of the calyx 

lobes. Leaves divided nearly or quite to the midrib into 5-7 pinnae; lobes prevailingly ovate, 

rounded to cuneate at base, rounded to acute at 

apex, aciculate to retuse. Cymes terminal, about 

7-flowered. Flowers 4-5.5 cm long, white or redtinged, fragrant. Calyx tube 2 mm long, lobes subulate, 4-8 mm long. Corolla tube 2-3 cm long; 

lobes 5, elliptical, 2.5 X 1.5 cm or somewhat 

smaller. 
NUMBER 17 

RANCE.-sOciety Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Grant 4511, Hitiaa, alt. 2 m, 16 November 1930, 

flower (BISH, MIN). Raiatea: Moore 267, coast, 

29 October 1926, escape?, flower (BISH, MIN). 

Native to China and India. First reported from 

Tahiti by Butteaud in 1891. Also cultivated in 

Rarotonga (Wilder 908, 1929), the Marquesas 

(Mumford and Adamson 215, Hiva Oa, 1929; 

Brown 710, Nukuhiva, 1921), and Pitcairn (Whitney Expedition, no date), the specimens in the 

Bishop Museum. Also cultivated in Hawaii. 

LOCAL NAMEs.-English: jessamine (the species), 

and Spanish jasmine (the variety). French: jasmin 

ordinaire. Tahitian, Rarotongan, and Marquesan: 

pitate. In Raiatea (according to Moore) and in 

Borabora it is called pitate farani (“French jasmine” ). 

31 

4. Jasminum azoricum L. 

Jasminum azoricum L., Sp. P1. 1:7. 1753.-Hillebrand, F1. 

Haw. Is. 301. 1888.-Lauterbach, Bot. Jahrb. 41:232. 1908 

[non Hooker and Arnott, 66. 1832 (= J. didymum)]. 

DESCRIPTION (based on Moore 204).-‘‘Climbing vine to 3 m.” Young twigs tomentose. Petioles 

1.5 cm long, pubescent. Leaves trifoliolate. Blades 

ovate, 4.5 X 2.5 cm and smaller, base truncate 

or rounded, tip acute, sometimes attenuate, with 

prominent tufts of hairs in the axils of the lateral 

veins below. Cyme terminal, tomentose. Flowers 

2.8 cm long, 1.8-2 cm broad, white. Calyx teeth 

0.7 mm long. Corolla tube 1.5-1.7 cm long, lobes 

9-10 mm long, acute. Halves of the berry globose, 

1 cm in diameter. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands (cultivated) : Raiatea: 

Moore 204, Uturoa, alt. 1 m, 13 October 1926, 

flower and fruit (BISH, 2 sheets; MIN). 

Native to the Azores. Widely cultivated in the 

tropics. A collection (Vaupel 255, Savaii, 1906, 

BISH) with slightly smaller flowers (Corolla tube 

13 mm, lobes 6 mm) that may be J. didymum has 

been reported from Samoa (Lauterbach, 1908). 

Also cultivated in Hawaii. [This plant is now 

usually placed in J. fluminense Vel1ozo.-F.R.F.] 

7:192. 1837.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 

1860.-Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:332. 1862c.-Seemann, F1. 

Vit. 154. 1866.-Nadeaud, Enum. P1. Tahiti 55. 1873.- 

Butteaud, F1. Tahiti, 57. 1891.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. 

Ins. Pac. 7231. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 121. 1892.-Hemsley, 

Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30:184. 1894.-Burkill, Jour. Linn. 

SOC. Bot. 35:45. 1901.-Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. Soc. 6:286. 

1903.-Setchell, Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20:60. 

1924; Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:200. 1926.-Henry, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 48:61. 1928.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:87. 1931; 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:39. 1934.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 128:174. 1935.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130: 

225. 1935. 

Jasminum divaricatum R. Brown, Prod. 521. 1810; Labillardikre, Sert. Austro-Cal. 1: t.27. 1824. 

Jasminum azoricum sensu Hooker and Arnott, Bot. Beech. 

Voy. 66. 1832 [non L., 17531. 

Jasminum paruiflorum Decaisne, Nouv. Ann. Mus. Par. 3:405. 

1834.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85:327. 1910. 

Jasminum didymum var. stenophyllum Daeniker, Viert. Nat. 

Ges. Zur. 78:366. 1933. 

DEscRIPr1oN.-Twining vine to 6 m long. 

Twigs puberulent or glabrescent. Petioles 1-4 cm 

long. Leaves trifoliolate. Terminal leaflet of sunleaves ovate, 4-9 X 2.5-5.5 cm, rounded at base, 

obtuse, occasionally retuse, or acute and aciculate, 

subcoriaceous, lucid, light yellowish green, prominently reticulate below; lateral leaflets smaller, 

often asymmetrical; shade leaves chartaceous, 

usually acute, not prominently veined. Cymes axillary, puberulent or glabrescent, many-flowered. 

Flowers 1-1.2 cm long, white, fragrant. Calyx tube 

1-3 mm long, entire or short (0.3 mm) 4-6-toothed. 

Corolla tube 8-10 (4-15) mm long, lobes 3-5 (2- 

8) mm long, obtuse or rounded. Half-berries globose, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, greenish becoming 

purple-black. 

Labillardikre (1824, under J. divaricatum) 

described a narrow-leafleted form from New Caledonia, which was redescribed by Daeniker (1933) 

as var. stenophyllum. According to Seemann (1866) 

the two forms occur on the same plant. This form 

has not been recorded east of Fiji. 

TYPE.-Described by Forster from the Society 

Islands, but the only Forster specimen in the 

British Museum cited by Seemann is from New 

Caledonia. 

RANGE.-society Islands: U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1839, fide Gray. Tahiti: Anon. (BM, fide 

Seemann); Lay and Collie in 1826 (BM, fide Jasminum didymum Parkinson, Journ. Voy. 37. 1773 [nomen 

nudum].-G. Forster, Prod, 3. 1786b.-Endlicher, Ann. Seemann); Bertero and Moerenhout in 1831-1832 

Wien Mus. 1:177. 1836.-Guillemin, Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. 2. (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Ribourt, ca. 1850 

5. Jasminum didymum G. Forster 
32 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo); Bidwill, ca. 1850 (BM, 

fide Seemann; P. fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 

362 in 1856-1859 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

Jelinek in 1857-1859 (WU, fide Rechinger); 

Tilden 345, Paea, Papehue, June 1910, fruit 

(BISH, MIN, 2 sheets); Quayle 106, Mt. Aorai, 

alt. 800 m, 5 October 1921, flower (BISH); 

Setchell 80, Punaauia, Punaruu, 23 May 1922, 

fruit (UC); Setchell 297, Paea, Papehue, 7 June 

1922, sterile (UC); Grant 4204, Papenoo, Orofena, 

alt. 640 m (2095 ft), Tecoma forest, 21 September 

1930, sterile (BISH, MIN); Grant 4379, Mahina, 

Ahonu-Tuauru, alt. 585 m (1925 ft), FagraeaMetrosideros forest, 4 November 1930, flower 

(BISH); Grant 4615, Paea, Ruapo, alt, 500 m 

(1660 ft), Aleurites forest, 4 December 1930, sterile 

(BISH, MIN). 

Moorea: Grant 5396, Afareaitu, Putoa, alt. 

380 m (1240 ft), Hibiscus-Pandunus-Cyathea 

forest, 18 February 1931, sterile (BISH, MIN). 

Huahine: Grant 5334, Fare, Motu Aratupaupau, alt. 2 m, beach, 18 February 1931, flower 

(BISH, MIN). 

Raiatea: Moore 144, alt. 300 m, 26 September 

1926, flower, fruit (BISH, 2 sheets; MIN); Moore 

285, Faaroa, alt. 60 m, 8 November 1926, fruit 

(BISH, 2 sheets; MIN). 

Tahaa: Grant 5183, Ruutia, Mt. Ohiri, alt. 

11 10 ft (340 m), Xy Zosma-Morinda-Crossostylis 

forest, Jan. 25, 1931, sterile (BISH). 

In Polynesia, known also from Makatea (!), 

Raivavae (!), Cook Islands (!), Samoa (!), Tonga, 

and Fiji (!). Ranges west to Australia and Java. 

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

LOCAL NAMEs.-The most common Tahitian 

name is tiatia-maua (variously misspelled in the 

literature as teatea-maowa (Parkinson) and tia tia 

mana (Solander in Seemann; Drake del Castillo), 

which is also regularly applied to Davallia 

epiphylla. F.B.H. Brown gives the shorter form 

tia tia as being used in Tahiti, but we can find no 

authority for this. A second common name is tafifi, 

which is a general Polynesian word for “vine” 

and is applied to other climbers. Nadeaud (1873: 

83) lists a variation of this, afifi. 

F.B.H. Brown reports the Marquesan name 

pitate, which in the Society Islands is apparently 

restricted to the cultivated jasmines. Wilder cites 

two Makatean names which also seem to be taken 

from the cultivated jasmines by extension, namely, 

pitate ofai (“rock jasmine,” i.e., climbing over 

rocks), and pitate ovile (“fruiting jasmine,” as 

distinct from the cultivated species, which here, 

except the infrequent J. azoricum, rarely, if ever, 

set fruit). Cheeseman gives the Rarotongan name 

aketa, and Setchell the Samoan names fuefue and 

fuemalo. 

LOGANIACEAE 

Two genera in the Society Islands, Geniostomn 

and Fagraea. Four other genera are represented 

in Polynesia: Labordia is endemic in the Hawaiian 

Islands with 19 described species; Strychnos 

vitiensis Hill and two species of Couthovia are 

endemic in Fiji; and Buddleia asiatica Loureiro 

is a common adventive in Hawaii. 

Key to the Genera of Loganiaceae in the Society Islands 

Fruit a small capsule; corolla small, to 4 mm long; stipules connate, sheathing the stem ................ 

Fruit a large berry; corolla large, 6-10 cm long; stipules not sheathing ......................... 2. Fagraea 

.......................................................................................................................................... 1. Geniostoma 

1. Geniostoma J. R. 81 G. Forster campanulate, lobes imbricate or contorted. Stamens 5, adnate to the corolla tube, filaments short. 

Ovary superior, 2-celled; style length variable; Geniostoma J. R. & G. Forster, Char. Gen. 23, t.12. 1776. 

TuPE-SPEcIEs.-Geniostoma rupestre J. R. & stigma usually capitate. Ovules many, amphiG. Forster tropous, becoming anatropous. Capsule septicidally 

DESCRIPTIoN.-Trees or shrubs, Society Islands’ dehiscent, the valves reflexing; seeds enclosed by 

species glabrous. Leaves opposite, coriaceous. the pulpy placentae. Embryo cylindrical, nearly 

Stipules connate, sheathing the stem. Cymes axil- as long as the fleshy endosperm. 

lary, short. Calyx lobes 5, acute. Corolla rotate- RANcE.-About 50 species, ranging from Mad- 
NUMBER 17 33 

agascar through the East Indies, Australia, and 

New Zealand east to the Marquesas and Tahiti, 

with 16 species in New Caledonia and 10 in Polynesia. Three species in the Society Islands (2 endemic), with others endemic in Rapa (I), Samoa 

(4), and Fiji (2). 

Key to the Species of Geniostoma in the Society Islands 

1. Style short, but definite; stipules entire. 

2. Tree; leaves 5-8 cm or more long; style 0.5 mm long; corolla 3 mm long. ..... 1. G. rupestre 

2. Small shrub to 50 cm high; leaves 2 cm long; style 1-1.3 mm long; corolla 4 mm long. ..... 

2. G. clauatum 

1. Style none, stigma sessile; stipules bifid ......................................................................... 3. G. astyEum 

.......................................................................................................................................... 

1. Geniostoma rupestre J. R. & G. Forster appendage. Ovary ovate, thick, almost glabrous; 

Genimtoma rupestris [sic] J. R. & G. Forster, Char. Gen. 24, 

t.12. 1776.-G. Forster, Prod. 17. 1786b.-Sprengel, Syst. 

Veg. 1:588. 1825.-de Candolle and de Candolle, Prod. 9:26. 

1845.-Bentham, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 1:69, 97. 1857.- 

Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 4:321. 1860b.-Pancher in Cuzent, 

Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Seemann, F1. Vit. 163. 1866.- 

Nadeaud, P1. Us. Tahiti, 36. 1864; Enum. P1. Tahiti. 55. 

1873; Journ. de Bot. 11:112. 1897.-Lanessan, P1. Ut. Col. 

Franc. 863. 1886.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 60. 1891.-Drake 

del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:236. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 

126. 1892.-Hemsley, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30: 185. 1894.- 

Burkill, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 35:47. 1901 .-Cheeseman, 

Trans. Linn. SOC. 6288. 1903.-Gibbs, Journ. Linn. SOC. 

Bot. 39: 157. 1909.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. U'ien 85:328. 

1910.-Gilg and Benedict, Bot. Jahrb. 56:542. 1921.-Guillaumin, Bull. SOC. Bot. France 75:292. 1928.-F.B.H. Brown, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:227. 1935 [non Reinecke, 1898; nec 

Valeton, 1902 (= G. gracilis Rechinger)]. 

Geniostoma crassifolium var. ghberrimum Bentham, Journ. 

Linn. SOC. Bot. 1:96. 1857.-Hemsley, Journ. Linn. SOC. 

Bot. 30:185. 1894. 

Geniostoma aff. rupestris Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 

128:176. 1935. 

DESCRIPTION.-The following description of 

Forster's type in the Berlin Herbarium is compiled 

from Forster, Sprengel, de Candolle, and Gilg 

and Benedict. Glabrous. Branches subangled. 

Stipules broadly ovate, truncate above. Petioles 

of mature leaves 6 mm long. Blades lanceolate or 

ovate-lanceolate, asymmetrical, 4.5-6 X 2 cm, 

cuneate at base, blunt acuminate. Cymes axillary, 

subverticillate, 7-8 mm long, rather many-flowered. 

Pedicels bibracteolate at the middle. Calyx turbinate; lobes ovate, short, acute, ciliolate, persistent. 

Corolla tube 1.5 mm long, longer than the calyx, 

pilose at the throat; lobes ovate, 1.5 mm long, 

acute (Forster), blunt (Gilg and Benedict), spreading, heavily papillate within. Filaments short, 

hairy, anthers oblong, glabrous, with a conspicuous 

style filiform, 0.5 mm long, hairy; stigma capitate, 

obtuse, sulcate, hairy. Capsule oblong; seeds subangled. 

Measurements made on Forster's plate indicate 

that the flowers are about 7 mm long and the capsule 8 X 3.5 mm. Gray however, has pointed out 

some of the discrepancies in the plate and the 

flowers are undoubtedly smaller, Gilg and Benedict giving the measurements above. Guillaumin, 

who is probably most familiar with the flora of 

the New Hebrides, from whence Forster's type 

comes, described the pedicels and flowers as each 

under 4 mm long. Grant saw a single collection of 

the species from this island group (Kajewski 728, 

Aneityum, det. Guillaumin). He had also seen 31 

collections of Geniostoma from Fiji, all of which 

had been referred to G. rupestre by Gillespie (1932) 

the late expert on the Fiji flora, though Gilg and 

Benedict (1921:542) describe the Fiji plant as a 

new species, G. vitiense. The flowers are about 3 

mm long, and in this large amount of material the 

capsules range from 5.5 to 13 mm long. It is unnecessary to state that the whole group needs further study. 

Geniostoma gracile Rechinger (1909:325, Gilg 

and Benedict, 1921:544, Christophersen, 1935: 175) 

of Samoa, appears to differ in rounded leaf base, 

longer corolla (4 mm), fewer (3-5) flowered 

cymes, longer (10-14 mm) pedicels and broader 

(5-6 mm) capsules. As to one of these differences, 

Reinecke (1898:666) states in regard to his collections (1 of which is referred to G. gracz'k by 

Gilg and Benedict) that the leaves are exceptionally narrowed at the base. Christophersen says the 

leaves vary from rounded to cuneate at base, and 

that the species is characterized by few-flowered 

cymes and slender pedicels. The type (Rechinger 
34 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

There are many collections from New Caledonia, and the species has often been treated to 

include G. arboreum (Reinwardt ex Blume) 0. 

Kuntze of Java. See the remarks above on some 

of the material from Fiji, Samoa, the Marquesas, 

and Rapa. The species has also been recorded 

from Tonga (5 collections), Uvea, and, with a 

question mark, from Rarotonga (Cheeseman). 

ETHNOBOTANY.-Tahitian: faipuu (fuipun, Lanessan (1886:863), typographic error) and atoro 

according to Nadeaud. Rapan: angae, fide F.B.H. 

Brown. Samoan: tai tai ipu, listed by Christophersen. Names in other dialects are recorded for 

the closely related species listed above. 

According to Nadeaud, the leaves furnish a 

coumarin-like principle which the natives used in 

cosmetics. Brown states a medicinal extract is 

made from the bark in Rapa. 

1475, of which Grant saw a photograph) has the 

cymes mostly 5-flowered. 

We have seen no material of the Tahitian plant, 

and no recent collector seems to have found it. 

Pancher apparently was the first to report this 

species from Tahiti, with the single remark 

“indighe.” As far as the native flora is concerned 

Pancher’s paper was merely a compilation of previous lists, his only real additions being of cultivated plants. Possibly this citation is an error: he 

similarly records other Forsterian species (i.e., 

Melicytus rumiflorus) that are otherwise unknown 

from Tahiti. The first definite citation is that of 

Seemann (1866) “Tahiti (Cook),” and it was subsequently recorded by Nadeaud (1873:55) and 

Drake del Castillo (1892:126), the latter citing 

three specimens from Tahiti, including Nadeaud’s, 

all collected before 1860. Drake del Castillo, 

having seen three of these four specimens, states 

that the leaves are 10 X 5 cm, the cymes 3-4 cm 

long, few-flowered, the style short, and the capsule 1 cm long. He also says “fleurs 1-2 mm,” 

which, if true, certainly cannot apply to this 

species. Nadeaud describes it as an “arbrisseau,” 

while all other reports from Tahiti and elsewhere 

call it a small or medium-sized tree. 

The only Marquesan specimen known (Brown 

1096, cited by Brown as no. 1996) has elliptical 

leaves, 6-7.5 X 2.8-4 cm, which are bluntly acute 

or barely acuminate. The flowers are immature. 

The Rapan specimen (Stokes 384, also cited 

by F.B.H. Brown) has elliptical leaves, 6-8.5 X 

3-4 cm, acute or slightly acuminate, with cymes 

2 cm long and broad, flowers 3.5 mm long, 

“greenish-white, odor sickening” (Stokes’ field 

label), the calyx lobes ovate, 1 X 1 mm, the 

corolla villous within, the ovary globose, 1 X 1 

mm, style 0.5 mm long, and the stigma capitate, 

globose, 0.5 mm long, papillose. It appears to 

agree with Forster’s type. Another very distinct 

species, G. rapense Brown, of which Grant saw 

the type, occurs on this island. 

TypE.-collected by Forster in Tanna, New 

Hebrides in 1774. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands: Tahiti: Cook (BM, 

fide Seemann); Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); Le‘pine 208, Tautira, 1847 (P, fide 

Drake del Castillo); Nudeaud 3153, mountain sides, 

1856-1859, flowers in Oct., Dec. (fide Nadeaud) (P, 

fide Drake del Castillo). 

2. Geniostoma clavatum Moore 

Geniostoma clavatum Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102338. 1933. 

DEsCRIPTIoN.-shrub to 50 cm high, glabrous. 

Leaves sessile, or on petioles 1-2 mm long. Stipular sheath an entire collar 0.4 mm high. Blades 

ovate or elliptical, rarely orbicular, 1.5-2.8 X 

(0.8-) 1.1-2 cm, cuneate to rounded at base, acute 

to rounded at tip, stiff and coriaceous, olive in 

color, well-developed ones with 7 lateral veins. 

Cymes axillary, I-5-flowered. Pedicels 1-4 mm 

long, bibracteolate at the middle. Flowers 5.2 mm 

long. Calyx 2 mm wide (not 4 as described); tube 

0.8 mm long; lobes deltoid, 1.2 mm long, acute, 

minutely glandular-ciliolate. Corolla campanulate; 

tube 2 mm long; lobes ovate, 2 mm long, pilose 

at base. Filaments 0.6 mm long, pilose within; 

anthers 0.6 mm long. Ovary depressed-globose 

(not ovoid), 0.6 mm high, 1 mm broad, glabrous; 

style 1-1.3 mm long, glabrous; stigma oblong, 1 

mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm broad, papillate, slightly 

notched by a terminal suture. Capsule ovate, 6-8 

mm long, 3 mm wide, black. Seeds ovate, 1 mm 

long, light brown, finely reticulate, embedded in 

the ferrugineous placentae. 

The description of the flowers is largely from 

Grunt 5219, put up in fixative at the time of collection. The pistil is slightly larger and the ovary 

somewhat differently shaped than described by 

Moore, otherwise the material checks fully with 

the type. 
NUMBER 17 35 

Possibly this is a local derivative of G. rupestre 

sensu lato, but on morphological grounds it is 

clearly a distinct species. It exhibits the reduction 

in size (stature, leaves, and fruits) characteristic 

of the other Temehani endemics, but has larger 

flowers and longer styles. 

TYPE.-Collected by Moore in Raiatea. 

RANCE.-society Islands: Raiatea, Mt. Temehani: Moore 473, Te Apoo, alt, 470 m, wet clay 

soil, 1 January 1927, flower and fruit (BISH, type; 

MJN); Grant 5219, Te Apoo, alt. 600 m (1970 

ft), 29 January 1931, flower (BISH, MIN); St. 

John I7258 pro parte, alt. 600 m, high moor, 5 

October 1934, fruit (BISH). 

3, Geniostoma astylum Gray 

Geniostoma astylum Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 4:321. 1860b.- 

Seemann, F1. Vit. 164. 1866.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. 

Pac. 7:236. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 126. 1892. 

DESCRIPTION (after Gray) .-Leaves ovate. Stipules truncate, bifid. Sepals ovate, Aestivation 

quincuncial. Corolla glabrous within. Stigma subglobose, sessile, entire. Immature fruit narrowly 

oblong. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands: Tahiti: u. s. Exploring Expedition in 1839 (fide Gray). Not seen. 

2. Fagraea Thunberg 

Fagraea Thunberg, Vet. Acad. Handl. Stockh. 125. 1782. 

TYPE-SPEcIEs.-Fagraea ceylanica Thunberg. 

RANGE.-AbOut 40 species, ranging from Ceylon to China, the Philippines, Australia, and Polynesia. Two species in the Society Islands, with 

others described as endemic in Samoa (1) and Fiji 

(2). See the remarks below. 

Key to the Species of Fagraea in the Society Islands 

Leaves subsucculent, venation not prominent in dried material, abruptly acuminate; corolla 

6.5-8 cm long, lobes 1.4-2 cm long .......................... ........................................,.........,..... I. F. berterimta 

Leaves pergameneous, lateral veins prominent, apices rounded and channelled: corolla 10 cm long, 

lobes 2.5-3 cm long 

1. Fagraea berteriana Gray ex Bentham 

Besleria laurifolia Parkinson, Journ. Voy. Endeav. 41. 1773 

[nomen nudum1.-Solander in Seemann, F1. Vit. 164. 1866 

[pro syn. (name not in Kew Index)]. 

Carissa grandis Bertero ex Guillemin, Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 2, 

7:248. 1837 [nomen nudum].-A. de Candolle, Prod. 8:336. 

1844 [nomen nudum1.-Cuzent, Et. Veg. Tahiti 128. 1857; 

Iles Soc. Tahiti. 28, 214. 1860.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles 

Soc. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Jardin, Ess. Marq. 25, 42. 1862.- 

Lanessan, PI. Ut. Col. Franc. 863. 1886.-Butteaud, F1. 

Tahiti, 60. 1891. 

Fagraea berteriana Gray ex Bentham, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 

1:98. 1857.-Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 4:323. 1860b.-Seemann, 

FI. Vit. 164. 1866 [pro partel.-Nadeaud, Enum. P1. Tahiti. 

55. 1873.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:238. 1892; 

F1. Polyn. Franc. 139. 1892.-Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. SOC. 

6:288. 1903.-Gilg and Benedict, Bot. Jahrb. 56:550. 1921.- 

Setchell, Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:200. 1926.-F.B.H. Brown, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:228. 1935. 

An Fagraea berteriana Gray ex Bentham sensu Seemann, F1. 

Vit. 164. 1866 [pro partel.-Hemsley, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 

30: 185. 1894.-Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 25:665. 1898.-Burkill, 

Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 35:47. 1901.-Rechinger, Denks. 

Akad. Wien 85:328. 191O.-Turrill, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 

43:34. 1915.-Setchell, Carn. Ins. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20: 

59. 1924.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128: 176. 1935. 

2. F. Zongituba, new species 

Fagraea pua Nadeaud, PI. Us. Tahit. 36. 1864 [nomen subFagraea tahitensis Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 60. 1891 [new synonudum, new synonym (name not in Kew Index)]. 

nym (name not in Kew Index)]. 

DESCRIPTION.-Tree to 15 m high and 1 m in 

diameter, glabrous. Stipules 5-7 mm long, connate 

in the axils of the petioles but separate (occasionally barely touching) between the opposite leaves. 

Petioles 1-3 cm long. Blades obovate, (6-) 10-15 

X (3-) 6-8 cm, cuneate or attenuate at the base, 

rounded at the tip with an abrupt acumen 3-5 mm 

long, crass-coriaceous, subsucculent, yellowish green, 

with about 8 major lateral veins. Cymules 3-7- 

flowered, racemosely arranged in a subcorymbose 

terminal inflorescence. Peduncles 3 cm long; pedicels 1 cm or less. Calyx turbinate, the tube 6 mm 

long; lobes 5, ovate, 5 mm long, rounded, scariousmargined. Corolla salverform-funnel-shaped, expanded above the middle, 6.5-8 cm long, somewhat 

bilabiate, cream-colored without and white within, 

turning yellow, very fragrant; lobes elliptical or 

obovate, 1.4-2 cm long, rounded, contorted to the 

right (clockwise). Stamens 5, inserted above the 
36 

middle of the tube. Ovary ovoid, 7 mm long, 2-celled, 

placentae inrolled; style 5-6 cm long. Berry ellipsoidal, rarely globose, 3.5 X 2 cm, orange to red, 

many-seeded. Seeds 1.5 mm long. 

TYPE.-Collected by Bertero in Tahiti in 

RANcx-Society Islands: Banks nnd Solander 

in I769 (BM, fide Seemann); Hinds and Barclay in 

1836-1842 (fide Gray); US. Exploring Expedition 

in 1839 (fide Gray). 

Tahiti: Bertero in 1831-1832 (fide Guillemin, 

Gray); Bidwill ca. 1850 (BM, fide Seemann); 

LCpine 84 in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

Snvatier 900 in 1855 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

A’adeaud ?64 alt. 800 m, 1856-1859, flrs. in Sept. 

and Oct. (fide Nadeaud) (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

Quayle 105, Mt. Aorai, 5 October 1921, flower and 

fruit (BISH); Qztayle (BISH); Setchell and Parks 

486, Maara, alt. 250 m, 28 June 1922, fruit (BISH, 

UC); Grant 3592, Pare, below Diadem, alt. 920 m 

(3020 ft), dominant, common, 13 May 1930, sterile 

(BISH); Grant 3884, Teahupoo, Mt. Ronui, alt. 315 

in (1040 ft), Fagl-aea-Weinmannia forest, 1 July 

1930, fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 4500, Hitiaa, 

Puunui, alt. 370 m (1220 ft), Metrosideros forest, 

15 November 1930, flower and fruit (BISH, MIN). 

Raiatea: Moore 332, south of Uturoa, alt. 5 m, 

rocky clay soil, 17 November 1926, flower (BISH, 

2 sheets; MIN); Moore 673, south end, alt. 200 m, 

ridge, 18 March 1927, fruit (BISH, 2 sheets; 

hIIN); St. John 71314, Paaoio, alt. 250 m, wooded 

ridge, 8 October 1934, fruit (BISH). 

Tahaa: St. John 17381, Hamene Bay, alt. 30 

m, open ridge, 11 October 1934, flower and 

fruit (BISH). 

A fairly common and very conspicuous tree 

(with large white flowers and red fruits) throughout the Society Islands, extending from the lower 

forest (which in the wetter districts reaches the 

sea) up to about 1200 m. 

In the Bishop Museum there are six collections 

from the Marquesas (Nukuhiva and Hivaoa) 

where it was first collected by Barclay in 1836- 

1842, and has since been reported by Jardin and 

Brown. There are also three collections from Rapa 

and one from Rurutu. Cheeseman reported it from 

Rarotonga, and Grant saw a sterile specimen from 

there (Wilder 927, BISH). 

Fagraea is common in Samoa and Fiji, but Gilg 

and Benedict (1921:551, 553) have distinguished 

1831-1832. 

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

these forms as F. samoensis and F. vitiensis, respectively. The Tongan form, reported by Hemsley and Burkill, presumably would be one of 

these two “species” or possibly distinct. Grant 

saw five collections from Fiji, three from Tonga, 

and 10 from Samoa, but a comparison with the 

Tahitian material lies outside the field of this 

paper. Gillespie and Christophersen have determined the Fijian and Samoan material as F. 

berteriana, apparently ignoring Gilg and Benedict’s 

treatment. In addition, there has been described 

from Fiji a very different species, F. gracilipes 

Gray, which has no distinct stipules. Fagraea 

berteriana has been incorrectly recorded from 

New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. Barclay’s 

collection from the Louisiade Islands has been 

referred to this species, but probably incorrectly, 

since many other species have since been described from that general region, and F. berteriana 

is not recognized in any recent Melanesian Flora. 

ETHNoB0TANY.-Tahitian: pua. Parkinson calls it 

pooamattapeepee, which, put into better phonetic 

Tahitian, becomes pua-matapipi (“flower-eye-bean,” 

whatever that may refer to). Cheeseman records 

it as fua in Rarotonga, presumably a typographical 

error, as there is no letter “f” in that dialect, and 

Wilder later listed it as pun. Christian (1910:211) 

and F.B.H. Brown call it pua in the Marquesas, 

while Jardin, referring principally to the fruits, 

reports kaupe. It is also called pua in Raivavae and 

Rapa, according to Brown. Pua in Samoan generally refers to Gardenia, while Fagraea is called 

pua zila, “ula” meaning necklace. In Fijian it is 

bua, or pua dina. Nadeaud reports another Tahitian name, hauozi, which Grant did not hear used. 

The flowers are highly prized for necklaces, 

and at one time were used to perfume coconut oil 

for hair-dressing. According to Nadeaud the 

berries were used for bronchitis, though toxic in 

heavy doses. Jardin says they were also employed 

in an embalming process to keep the hair on the 

head. An extract of the bark was used to heal 

fractures (Butteaud), and the wood was used for 

drums and canoe thwarts (Parkinson) and for ax 

handles (Cheeseman). 

2. Fagraea longituba Grant, new species 

Arbor ad 4 m alta, glabra; folia opposita 

pulis intrapetiolatis connatis, petiolis 3-3.5 

longis, laminis obovatis 14-18 cm longis 8-9 

sticm 

cm 
NUMBER 17 

latis basi cuneatis apice rotundatis canaliculatis 

pergameneis lutei-viridibus conspicue venosis; inflorescentia terminalis paniculata subcorymbosa 

circa 7 cymulis 3-5-floriferis, pedunculis 3-4 cm 

longis, pedicellis 1-2 cm longis supra medium 

bibracteatis; calyx turbinatus tub0 8-10 mm longo, 

lobis ovatis 6 mm longis apice rotundatis scariosis, 

corolla infundibuli-hypocrateriforma supra medium 

ampliata parum bilabiata 10 cm longa flavescens 

odorata, lobis 5-6 ellipticis vel obovatis 2.5-3 cm 

longis apice rotundatis; stamina 5-6, supra medium 

tubi inserta, filamentis 1.8 cm longis, antheris 

linearibus 13 mm longis 1.3 mm latis; pistillurn 

ovario conico, stylo gracili 6.5 cm longo bilobato 

lobis planis ovatis 5 mm longis 4 mm latis apice 

rotundatis. Fructus ignotus. 

Tree to 4 m high, glabrous; leaves opposite, 

stipules connate to the inside of the petioles, petioles 3-3.5 cm long, blades obovate, 14-18 cm 

long, 8-9 cm wide, cuneate at the base, apex 

rounded, channelled, pergameneous, greenish yellow with conspicuous veins; inflorescence terminal, paniculate, somewhat corymbose, about 7 

cymules, 3-5-flowered, peduncles 34 cm long, 

pedicels 1-2 cm long, bibractate above the middle; 

calyx turbinate, tube 8-10 mm long, lobes ovate, 

6 mm long, rounded at apex, scarious; corolla 

salverform-funnel-shaped, expanded above the 

middle, somewhat bilabiate, 10 cm long, pale 

yellow, fragrant, lobes 5-6, elliptic or obovate, 

2.5-3 cm long, with rounded tips; stamens 5-6, 

inserted above the middle of the tube, filaments 

1.8 cm long, anthers linear, 13 mm long, 1.3 mm 

wide; pistil with ovary conical, style slender, 6.5 

cm long, bilobate, each lobe flat, ovate, 5 mm long, 

4 mm wide, rounded at the tip. Fruit unknown. 

The species differs from F. berteriana in the longer 

petioles, thinner leaves with more prominent venation and rounded, channelled, nonacuminate 

tips, blunter calyx lobes and longer corolla with 

a much larger limb. Fagraea berteriana has conspicuously subsucculent, abruptly acuminate leaves 

and corollas 7-8 cm long, with lobes 1.4-2 cm 

long. Both species belong in Bentham’s section 

Corymbosae subsection Longiflorue (Bentham, 

37 

1857:97). The distinction between this section 

and section Racemosae is merely one of degree 

of separation of the separate cymes which make 

up the paniculate inflorescence. 

This cultivated plant may turn out to be an 

exotic, but nothing seems to fit it, and the native 

in whose yard the plant was growing stated that 

it was the native pua which he had transplanted 

from the mountain forest. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands: Tahiti: Grant 3940, 

Pare, Papeete, alt. 3 m, cultivated, 7 July 1930, 

flower (BISH, type; MIN). Wilder 1236, Papeete, 

cultivated, alt. 8 m, 6 January 1929, flower (BISH) 

may also belong here, but no notes on the specimen are available. 

GENTIANACEAE 

Not represented in the Society Islands. There 

are two Polynesian genera with a total of four 

species. Centaurium sebaeoides (Grisebach) Druce 

is endemic in Hawaii, and C. austyale (R. Brown) 

Druce occurs in Easter Island, Fiji, and the Australian region. Centaurium umbellatum Gilibert is 

introduced in Hawaii. Limnanthemum indicum 

(L.) Grisebach occurs from Fiji west to tropical 

Africa. 

APOCYNACEAE 

Other Polynesian genera in this family are Melodinus (2 species in Fiji, of which 1 extends to 

Tonga), Tabernaemontana (3 in Fiji, of which 1 

is introduced), Pteralyxia (3 in Hawaii), Rauwolfia sandwicensis A. de Candolle (Hawaii), Carruthersia (2 in Fiji), and Lyonsia laeuis Gray 

(Fiji). All are endemic except for the single introduction. Four additional genera are represented 

in cultivation in Hawaii by one species each: 

Carissa grandiflora (E. Meyer) A. de Candolle, 

Trachelospermum divaricatum (Thunberg) K. 

Schumann, Beaumontia grandiflora (Roxburgh) 

Wallich, and Strophanthus caudatus (Burman 

f.) Kurz. The above list totals 11 endemic species 

and five in cultivation. Only one of the genera 

(PteraZyxia) is endemic in Polynesia. 
Key to the Genera of Apocynaceae in the Society Islands 

1. Stamens free, not tailed (except in Err~utnmin), and filled with pollcn to the base; SCCCIS 

glabrous (cxccpt Alslo71in); corolla lobcs sinistrorse (except Alstouin, Thevetin). 

2. Ovary compound, 1-ccllcd; capsulc globose, 2-valvcd, echinate; corolla bright yellow, 5-13 

.1. Alhmanda 

2. Ovaries 2, separate; stylc single. 

3. 

3. Carpels 2. 

cm long; leaves whorled; cttltivated shrub ................................... 

Carpels 3-4; corolla 1-2 cm long, lobes sinistrorse; leaves alternate; native tree.. ..... 

........................................................................................ 2. LeQinia 

4. Sceds many in each ccll. 

5. Calyx glandless. 

G. Trees or shrubs; seeds in several rows. 

7. Corolla 7-10 cm long, yellowish white, tube short, lobes sinistrorse, with 

stanicns attached near the base; seeds glabrous; leaves alternate; cultivated 

7. Corolla 1-15 cm long, white, tube long, lobes dextrorse, with stamens 

attached near the middle; seeds ciliate-fringed; leaves opposite; native tree 

6. Cultivated lierh: scetl~ in 2 rows; corolla white or rose, lobes sinistrorse; 

5. Calyx glandular at base within; leave? opposite ......................... F. Ervatamia 

4. Seeds 1 or 2 in each cell or ripe drupe-like fruit. 

8. Placenta very thin: secds dorsally attached, pendant; corolla under 2 cm long, grcenish 

or cream-colored: drupe dry; leaves opposite or whorled; native shrubs .......... 7. Alyxia 

8. Placcnta thick, extending far into the fruit; seeds peltate; corolla 2-7 cm long. 

9. Leaves whorled; corolla salverform, white or greenish white, 2.5 cni long, lobes 

sinistrorse; drupe spongy-fibrous; native shrub or small tree. ....................... 8. Ochrosia 

9. Leaves alternate; corolla funnel-shaped. 

10. Corolla white, 5 cm long, lobes sinistrorse; calyx glandless; drupe spongy-fibrous; 

leaves 3-6 cm wide; native tree ....................................................... .9. Cerbera 

10. Corolla yellow, 6-7 cni long, lobcs dextrorse; calyx glandular: drupe fleshy; leaves 

under 1 cm wide; small cultivated tree ........................................ 10. Thevetia 

1. Stamens firmly nnited to the stigma; anthers tailed, outer sporangia not full of pollen to the 

base; corolla with scales at the base of the throat, the lobes dextrorse; follicles dry; seeds 

with simple tufts of hairs: leaves opposite or whorled; flowers double, white or pink: 

cultivated shrub .................................................................................... 11. Nerium 

tree ................................................................... 3. Plurneria 

or shrub. ................................................................... ..4. Alstonia 

leaves opposite ................................................. 5. Cathmanthus 

Artificial Key to the Genera of Apocynaceae in the Society Islands 

1. Leaves alternate. 

2. Flowers small, 1-2 cm long; carpels 3-4 ......................................................... 2. Lepinia 

2. Flowers large, 5-10 cm long; carpels 2. 

3. Leaves under 1 cm wide; corolla yellow .............................................. 10. Theuetia 

3. Leaves 3-13 cm wide; corolla lobes white. 

4. Leaves 3-6 cm wide; corolla white .............................................................. 9. Cerbera 

4. Leaves 10-13 cm wide; corolla white with yellow center ....................... 3. Phmeria 

1. Leaves opposite or whorled. 

5. Cultivated herb ............................................................................................ ..5. Cathmanthus 

5. Trees, shrubs [or vines]. 

6. Flowers large, 3-13 cm long; mainly cultivated. 

7. Flowers white or rose, often double, 3-6 cm long. 

8. 

8. 

7. Flowers yellow, single, 7-13 cm long ........................................................ 1. Allamunda 

Leaves whorled (except at base of shoot); flower white or rose ..... ..11. 

Leaves opposite; flower white .................................................. 6. Ervatamia 

9. Follicles long and slender, 10-30 X 0.3-0.4 cm ..................................... 4. AlstOflia 

10. Leaves large, 10-30 cm long ................................................................... 8. Ochrosia 

10. Leaves smaller, 3-9 cm long ......................................................... 7. Alyxia 

Nerium 

6. Flowers small, 1-2.5 cm long; native. 

9. Drupes subellipsoidal. 
NUMBER 17 39 

1. Allamanda L. north to Central America. Four species cultivated 

in Polynesia. Allamanda violacea Gardner is 

grown in Hawaii and Samoa. Allamanda neriiT~p~.Sp~~~~~.-Allamunda cathartica L. folia Hooker has been reported from Rarotonga 

RANcE.-About 12 species, mostly in Brazil, by Wilder (1931), but no specimens were collected. 

Allamanda L., Mant. 2:146. 1771. 

Key to the Species of Alhzmanda in the Society Islands 

Twigs and leaves subglabrous; leaves 9-11 X 3-4 cm; flowers 13 X 13 cm; sepals 15 mm long; 

corolla funnel-salverform, tube with a narrow basal portion about 4 cm long, broadly expanded 

above, lobes spreadinghorizontal, 5 cm long 1. A. cathartica var. hendersonii 

Twigs and leaves puberulent; leaves about 7 X 2 cm; flowers 7 X 4.5-5cm; sepals 8 mm long; 

corolla funnel-campanulate, tube 1-1.5 cm long, lobes ascending, 1.5 cm long 2. A. schottii 

1. Allamanda cathartica L. 

Allamanda cathartica L., Mant. 2:214. 1771.-Hillebrand, F1. 

Haw. Is. 284. 1888.-Rechinger. Denks. Akad. Wien 85:330. 

1910; Denks. Akad. Wien 89:637. 1913.Setchel1, Carn. 

Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20:57. 1924; Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 

12:200. 1926.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128: 177. 

1935.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:229. 1935. 

Allanianda hendersonii Bull, Cat. Autumn. 1. 1865,-Wilder, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:88. 1931. 

Allamanda neriifolia sensu Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 58. 1891 [non 

Hooker, 18511. 

Allamanda cathartica var. hendersonii (Bull) Rafill in Bailey, 

Stand. Cyc. Hort. 1:247. 1914. 

DESCRIPTION (based on var. hendersonii).- 

Low shrub or vine to 10 m. Twigs glabrous. Petioles 2-4 mm long. Blades prevailingly oblanceolate, 9-11 X 3-4 cm, cuneate at base, prominently 

acuminate, coriaceous, shining green, with a few 

hairs on the veins below. Racemes subterminal, 

5-8-flowered. Peduncles (and pedicels at times) 

puberulent. Sepals ovate, about 15 mm long. Corolla to 13 cm long and wide, briglit yellow, with 

a narrowed basal portion about 4 cm long, tube 

broadly expanded in upper part, lobes spreading, 

5 cm long. Capsule echinate. 

RANGE.-society Islands (cultivated, possibly 

escaping): Tahiti: Grunt 4112, Mataiea, Lake 

Vaihiria, alt. 450 m (1475 ft), climbing on rocks, 

probably planted, 7 September 1930, flower 

(BISH, MIN). Raiatea: Moore 273, Faaroa, alt. 

20 m, 2 November 1926, flower (BISH, 2 sheets; 

RIIIN). 

teaud reported A. neriifolia from Tahiti, but did 

not mention any other species, and the present 

one is very common there. Setchell (1926:ZOO) 

reported A. cnthartica, but the two specimens 

listed above are apparently the only collections. 

Common in cultivation in the Marquesas, Rarotonga, Samoa, and Hawaii, the collections from 

the first three localities and most of the Hawaiian 

plants being var. hendersonii. An escape in Samoa, 

and possibly here in the Society Islands. A sterile 

plant from Hivaoa (Mzimford and Adamson 407, 

in 1929, BISH) may be the typical form. 

LOCAL NAMEs.-Moore records piti, which is the 

name of the similar but smaller-flowered Tecoma 

stans, from which the name was presumably taken. 

2, Allamandu schottii Pohl 

Allamanda scliottii Pohl, P1. Bras. 1:73, t. 58. 1827. 

Allamanda cathartica var. schobtii (Pohl) Rafill in Bailey, 

Stand. Cyc. Hort. 1:247. 1914. 

DESCRIPTION.-~ee the key above for the differences from A. cathartica. 

RANcE.-society Islands (cultivated): Raiatea: 

Moore 320, alt. 1 m, 17 November 1926, flower 

and fruit (BISH, MIN). Native to Brazil. 

2. Lepinia Decaisne 

Lepinia Decaisne, Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. 3, 12:194, t.9. 1849. 

Both of the above are var. hendersonii, which TYPE-SPECIES.-L. taitensis Decaisne. 

is the most common form in cultivation the world RANcE.-The only other species are L. soloover. It may be a good species, having larger rnonensis Hemsley from the Solomon Islands 

flowers and thicker leaves than the typical form, [and L. ponapensis Kanehira from Ponape, Caroin which the flowers are but 5-7.5 cm broad. But- line Islands]. 
40 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

1. Lepiniu taitensia Decaisne 

Lepinia taitensis Decaisne, Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. 3, 12:194, t.9. 

1849; F1. Serr. Jard. 7:225, f.1. 1852.-Nadeaud, Enum. P1. 

Tahiti 56. 1873.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:233. 

1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 123. 1892 [“L. tahitensis’l. 

Non Lepinia taitensis sensu Hemsley, Kew Bull. 1895:159; 

Ann. Bot. 5:502. 1891; Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30:165. 1894.- 

Lauterbach and K. Schumann, F1. Deutsch. Siidsee. 501. 

1901.-Markgraf, Bot. Jahrb. 63:281. 1930 [= L. solomonensis]. 

DESCRIPTION.-Tree to 8-10 m. Leaves alternate. Petioles 2-4 cm long. Blades oblanceolate, 

15-20 X 5-7 cm, attenuate at the base, abruptly 

acuminate, glabrous, coriaceous, shining, with 

prominent veins. Cymes terminal. Calyx lobes 5, 

ovate, 2-3 mm long, ciliate, glandless. Corolla 

salverform, 1-2 cm long, tube long, widened at 

insertion of the filaments, scaleless, lobes 5, sinistrorse. Stamens included in upper part of tube, 

anthers subsessile, narrow, apiculate. Disk absent. 

Carpels 3-4, free at base; style single, filiform; 

stigma oblong, acute. Fruit dry, fibrous, 15 cm 

long, the segments remaining attached at the tip 

and becoming long-stipitate at the base at maturity, which carries up the ovaries into the form of 

a cross (“un veritable perchoir pour petits oiseaux,” 

Butteaud, 1891:59). Seeds solitary, pendulous, 

deeply wrinkled. Endosperm cartilaginous-horny. 

TYPE.-Collected by Lkpine in 1847. 

RANGE.-sOciety Islands (endemic) Tahiti: Lkpine in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Vesco 

in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 

369, Papenoo and Hitiaa, Papeiha, July 1856- 

1859, flower and fruit (P, fide Drake del Castillo). 

Moorea: Nadeaud, Maatea, Tevaiahia, 1856-1859 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo). 

We have not seen this very interesting plant. 

Hemsley’s original identification of the Solomon 

Island specimen, collected by Comins, with the 

Tahitian plant was made without seeing specimens of the latter. Markgraf was apparently unaware that Hemsley had finally published the 

plant as a distinct species, nor had he seen the 

specimen. 

3. Plumeria L. 

Plumeria L., Gen. PI. 5th ed. 99. 1754. [Plzimiera and Plumieria Auct.]. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-PlUmeriU rubra L. 

RANcE.-About 40 species, mostly in tropical 

America, with a few in Africa, though some are 

adventive all over the tropics. Plumeria rubra L. 

is cultivated in Hawaii. 

1. Plumeria rubra L. 

Plumeria rubra L. Sp. P1. 209. 1753. 

Plumeria acuminata Aiton, Hort. Kew, 2nd ed. 2:70. 1811.- 

Setchell, Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20:58. 1924; Univ. 

Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:ZOO. 1926.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 128:186. 1935.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130: 

234. 1935. 

Plumeria acutifolia Poiret, Ency. Method. Supp. 2:667. 1811 

[Aiton’s name appeared earlier in the same year].-Hillebrand. F1. Haw. Is. 294. 1888.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. 

Wien 85:330. 1910; Denks. Akad. Wien 89:637. 1913.- 

Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 44:56. 1927.-Wilder, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:40. 1934. 

Plumeria alba sensu Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 

1860.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 58. 1891.-Cheeseman, Trans. 

Linn. SOC. 6:287. 1903.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:89. 

1931 [non L., 17531. 

DEsCRIPTION.-Sma1~ rounded tree, 3-6 m 

high. Leaves alternate, in clusters at the tips of 

the thick succulent twigs. Petioles 2-4 cm long. 

Blades oblongoblanceolate, commonly 30-40 X 

10-13 cm, subcuneate at the base, acuminate, 

puberulent along the veins below, coriaceous. 

Cymes terminal, puberulent to tomentose, 2- or 

3-branched, about 6-flowered. Pedicels 1-1.5 cm 

long. Calyx 1.5 mm long, subentire or 5-lobed. 

Corolla salverform, white or cream-colored with 

yellow center; tube cylindrical, narrow, 1.5 cm 

long; lobes elliptical to obovate, 3.5-4.5 X 2.3-3 

cm, apex rounded to acute, subglabrous. Follicles 

2, 15-20 cm long, only rarely maturing. 

Plumeria alba L., frequently but erroneously 

reported from Polynesia, has narrow (0.5-1.5 cm 

wide) oblong-linear leaves that are tomentose below. Plumeria jamesonii Hooker, with which this 

species has been confused in herbaria, is a much 

smaller plant with a red-throated corolla. The first 

two specimens cited below are of the P. uczitifolia 

type, i.e., with broader corolla lobes, while the 

third, with narrower lobes, is P. acuminata. The 

two forms intergrade, however, and are usually 

combined with P. rzibra (Woodson, 1938). 

RANCE.-society Islands (cultivated and seemingly spontaneous): Tahiti: very common, not 
NUMBER 17 41 

collected. Raiatea: Moore 199, Uturoa, alt. 1 m, 

13 October 1926 (BISH, 2 sheets; MIN); Moore 

489, south of Uturoa, 3 January 1927, flower 

(MIN); Moore 490, south of Uturoa, 3 January 

1927, flower (BISH, MIN). Borabora: Grant 5058, 

Nune, Raititi, alt. 20 m, on rocks in Hibiscus 

forest, apparently established, Jan. 12, 193 1, wood 

specimen only (BISH, MIN). 

Introduced into Tahiti in 1852 by Abadie, according to Pancher. Native of Mexico. Also cultivated in the Marquesas (I), Tuamotus (!), 

Hawaii (! ), Samoa, and Washington Island. 

ETHN0BoTANY.-English: frangipani, plumeria, 

graveyard-flower. French: franchipanier. Tahitian 

and Marquesan: tipanie, presumably from the 

French. Reported as tipani by Wilder in Rarotonga and Makatea. Samoan: pua fit; or fit; (“flower 

of Fiji”), according to Setchell (1924:58). Used 

frequently for leis. 

4. Alstonia R. Brown 

Alstonia R. Brown, Mem. Wern. SOC. 1:75. 1809 [1810]. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-A lstonia scholaris (L.) R. Brown. 

RANCE.-AbOut 45 species, extending from 

southeastern Asia through the East Indies and 

Australia to Polynesia. Four species have recently 

been described from Africa. 

Two species in the Society Islands (1 extending 

to Rarotonga), with others endemic in the Marquesas (l), Samoa (2), Fiji (2), and one which 

occurs in both Samoa and Fiji (A. reineckiana 

Lauterbach). Another is found in Samoa, Fiji, and 

New Caledonia (A. plumosa Labillardikre). 

Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Brown has been reported 

in cultivation in Hawaii. This totals 10 species in 

Polynesia, of which eight are endemic, one 

extends slightly outside (New Caledonia), and one 

is cultivated. 

Key to the Species of Alstonia in the Society Islands 

1. Tree to 10 m; corolla lobes 2 mm wide. 

2. Leaves with petioles 2-5 cm long, blades averaging 14 X 6 cm; calyx lobes ovate .................. 

...................................................................... ..................................... 1. A. costata 

2. s with petioles 1.5-3 cm, blades 9-12 x lobes rounded ........................... 

............................................................. la. A. costata var. fragrms, new combination 

1. Shrub to 1 m; petioles 1-2 cm long, blades 5-9 X 2-3.5 cm; corolla lobes 2.5-2.7 mm wide ... 

2. A. elliptica 

1. Alstonia costata (G. Forster) R. Brown 

Echites costata G. Forster, Prod. 20. 1786b [excl. syn. 

Rheede1.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles Soc. Tahiti 235. 1860.- 

Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 59. 1891. 

Echites corymbosa sensu G. Forster, Herb. Aus. 1797 [non 

Jacquin, 13. 17601. 

Alstonia costata (G. Forster) R. Brown, Mem. Wern. SOC. 

1:75. 1809 [18lO].-Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus. 1:175. 

1836.-Guillemin, Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 2, 7:246. 1837 [cum 

desc. Forster1.-A. de Candolle, Prod. 8:409. 1844.-Pancher 

in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Gray, Proc. Am. 

Acad. 5:334. 1862c.-Seemann, F1. Vit. 161. 1866.-Nadeaud, 

PI. Us. Tahiti. 38. 1864; Enum. PI. Tahiti 56. 1873.-Lanessan, PI. Ut. Col. Franc. 865. 1886.-Drake del Castillo, 111. 

F1. Ins. Pac. 1:31, t. 10, 1886; Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7234. 1892; 

F1. Polyn. Franc. 125. 1892.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 59. 

1891.-Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. SOC. 6287. 1903.-Setchell, 

Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12201. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 86:88. 1931 [non Wallich Cat. no. 1649. 1828 (= A. 

macrophytla G. Don)]. 

DEscRIPTIoN.-Tree, 3-10 m high, glabrous. 

Wood white, specific gravity 0.75. Leaves opposite. 

Petioles 2-5 cm long, narrowly margined, enlarged 

at the base. Blades elliptical, varying to lanceolate, 

ovate, or obovate, well-developed ones averaging 

13.8 X 6 (8-16.5 X 3-8) cm, cuneate or attenuate at the base, acuminate at the apex, coriaceous, 

shining, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs at 

the base of the midrib below, entire or somewhat 

sinuate, with 13-19 prominent lateral veins united 

near the margin. Inflorescence subterminal, 

cymose-paniculate, subcorymbose, spreading, small 

or becoming 12 cm high and 16 cm broad. Bracts 

minute. Pedicels 3-6 mm long. Bractlets ovate, 

obtuse to subacute, 0.75 mm long. Calyx cut 

almost to the base; lobes 5, ovate, 1.8-2.2 mm 

long, sharply acute to obtuse, imbricate. Corolla 

salverform, rather constantly 11 mm long, rarely 

13 mm, glabrous except for the hairy throat, white, 

fragrant; tube 4.5 mm long (not “scarcely longer 

than the calyx”), slightly expanded at the middle 

due to the swelling of the anthers; lobes 5, linear- 
42 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

lanceolate, 6.5-7 (-8) mm long, 2 mm wide, dextrorsely contorted. Anthers lanceolate, 1.3 mm 

long, acute, subsessile on the corolla tube. Nectary 

a minute annulus surrounding the ovary. Ovaries 

2, collectively ovoid-conical, either free or coherent, 0.9 mm long, glabrous; style 0.8 mm long; 

stigma ovoid-conical, 0.5-0.6 mm long; ovules 

many, compressed, amphitropous. Follicles geminate, linear, averaging 21 (11-35) cm long, 3-4 

mm wide, usually arcuate or spirally curved, 

occasionally straight. Seeds elliptical, thin, compressed, peltately attached, averaging 5.2 (3.5-7) 

mm long including appendages (the body about 

3.6 mm), ciliate-fringed, the lower end with an 

entire blunt acumen, the upper usually notched 

or bifid into 2 unequal appendages, the appendages averaging 1 (0.3-2) mm long (the perfectly 

symmetrical seed shown in Drake del Castillo’s 

plate with single equal appendages on each end 

is very rare); albumen thin; radicle superior; cotyledons oblong, flat, longer than the radicle. 

Grant 4265 was collected to show the largesized leaves (38 X 21 cm) that can be produced 

on young nonflowering plants in shaded habitats. 

Grant 4123 has leaves 16.5 X 8-9 cm, inflorescence 16 X 20 cm, pedicels 5-7 mm, and corollas 15 cm long, with lobes 9 mm long, all of these 

dimensions being much greater than those of any 

other specimen seen. It shows no qualitative differences, but could easily be distinguished as a 

variety. These extreme dimensions are not included in the general description above. 

Grant 3921 has narrowly lanceolate leaves 10- 

13 X 2.8-3.5 cm, suggesting a distinct species, 

but it is connected to A. costata by MacDaniels 

1666, these two being the only collections from 

Tahiti-iti. The flowers of both are typical of the 

species. In some respects Grant 3921 is transitional 

to var. fragrans (q.v.), which grows in a similar 

environment. 

St. ,John 17042 has short (11 cm), divaricate, 

horizontal, almost straight fruits identical with 

those of A. elliptica (q.v.), and more abruptly 

acuminate leaves than in typical A. costata, but 

the blades are large (15 X 7.5 cm). 

TwE.-Collected by Forster in Tahiti in 

RANCE.-society Islands and Rarotonga. Society Islands: Banks and Solander in Tahiti and 

Raiatea in 1769 (BM, fide Seemann); Wiles and 

1773-74. 

Smith (BM, fide Seemann); Barclay in 1836-42 

(BM, fide Seemann); U. S. Exploring Expedition 

in 1839 (fide Gray); Bidwill ca. 1850 (BM, fide 

Seemann) , 

Tahiti: Forster in 1773-1774 (BM, fide Seemann); Bertero and Moerenhout in 1831-1832 (P, 

fide Drake del Castillo); Hombron in 1837-1840 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo); Vex0 in 1847 (P, 

fide Drake del Castillo); LCpine 198 and 199 

in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Ribourt 46, 

ca. 1850 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 

371, alt. 800 m and above, 1856-1859 (PI fide 

Drake del Castillo); QuayZe 57, Mt. Aorai, alt. 

1100 m, 27 September 1921, flower and fruit 

(BISH); Quayle, Mt. Aorai, 1-3 August 1922, 

flower (BISH); Whitney Exp. 598, Fautaua, 7 

July 1922, flower and fruit (BISH); Setchell and 

Parks 485, Papeari, Maara, 250 m, 25 June 1922, 

flower and fruit (BISH, UC); Sk.tchel1 and Parks 

525, Fautaua, 8 July 1922, fruit (UC); Mac 

Daniels 1542, 15 May 1927, flower and fruit 

(BISH); MacDaniels 1666, Tautira, Vaita, alt. 350 

m, 12 June 1927, flower and fruit (BISH, 2 

sheets); Grant 3555, Pare, Mt. Diadem, alt. 1085 

m (3550 ft), ridge forest, occasional, 13 May 1930, 

flower and fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 3921, Teahupoo, Mt. Ronui, Parasponia-Cyathea forest, alt. 

900 m (2955 ft), 2 July 1930, flower and fruit 

(BISH, MIN); Grant 4123, Mataiea, Lake Vaihiria, alt. 440 m (1450 ft), Alstonia-Neonauclea 

forest, 7 September 1930, flower and fruit, wood 

specimen (BISH, MIN); Grant 4265, Papenoo, 

Pufau, alt. 150 m (480 ft), Hibiscus-Neonauclea 

forest, 23 September 1930, sterile (BISH); St. 

John and Fosberg 17042, Orofena, s. ridge, alt. 

1250 m, 20 September 1934, flower and fruit 

(BISH); St. John and D. Anderson 17427, Mt. 

Aorai, 1100 m, 16 September 1934, flower 

(BISH). 

Moorea: Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); LCpine in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo). 

Raiatea: Moore 395, Vairahi-Avera ridge, alt. 

300 m, 3 December 1926, flower and fruit (BISH, 

MIN). 

Borabora: Grant 4955, Tevaitapu, Tahuhuura, 

alt. 505 m (1660 ft), ridge scrub, 3 January 1931, 

fruit (BISH, MIN). 

Rarotonga: Cheeseman in 1899 (BM?); Wilder 

544, alt. 550 m (1800 ft), 15 June 1927, flower 
NUMBER 17 43 

and fruit (BISH); WiEder 729, Avarua, alt. 75 m 

(250 ft), 15 March 1926, flower and fruit (BISH, 

2 sheets). 

Throughout the Society Islands, Alstonia is a 

rather common small tree in the middle forest 

zone, extending up the ridges from a minimum 

altitude of 750 m (250 m in the wetter districts) 

to a maximum of 1540 m. In the larger interior 

valleys it can be found at much lower elevations 

(150 m). The fragrance of the flowers and the 

long, twisted follicles make it rather conspicuous 

and it seems more abundant than it really is. It 

is one of the dominant trees in the elfin ridge forest, where it averages about 3 m in height. Its most 

frequent dominant associates are, in order of 

abundance, Weinmannia parwiflora, Metrosideros 

collina, Freycinetia, Vaccinium cereum, Ilex taitensis, and Styphelia pomarae. 

The two Rarotongan specimens seen seem to 

agree in all particulars with the Tahitian plant. 

Wilder 729, at low altitude has leaves 13-16 X 

7.5-8.7 cm, corollas 11 mm long with lobes 6 mm, 

fruits 29 cm, seeds 6 mm overall, with appendages 

to 1 mm. His other collection, at high (for Rarotonga) altitude (550 m) has identical flowers but 

exhibits the reduced leaves (10 X 5.5 cm) and 

shorter (15 cm) straight follicles of the Tahitian 

plants of higher elevations (cf. A. elliptica below). 

Christophersen (1935: 180) has suggested that 

one of his collections (3540) may be A. costata. 

Grant saw this Samoan specimen, and the suggestion is possibly correct, but the flowers are immature, no fruits are present, and it is accordingly 

indeterminable. There are 4 other species in this 

genus known from Samoa, and Christophersen 

3540 might well be one of them. (We are not 

acquainted with A. godeflroyi Reinecke). 

Gillespie has determined four of his collections 

from Fiji in the Bishop Museum as A. costata 

(Gillespie 3165, 4836, 4569, and 4549). The first 

three appear to be A. reineckiana Lauterbach, 

and the last A. plumosa Labillardihre; see the 

remarks on these two species under A. elliptica 

below. 

ETHNoB0TANY.-Tahitian: atache, variously misspelled as attmhe (Banks ex Endlicher) and atae 

(Pancher), the latter being the name of Erythrina 

orientalis. G. Forster (in Guillemin, 1837:246) 

also reports ahimara (ahi is Santalum, and mara 

is Neonaziclea: there is also a variety of Santalum 

called ahimarea). Nadeaud (1873544) adds napau 

(miscopied by Butteaud as napao). Grant 3921 

was termed papaihone by Nadeaud’s grandson, 

Tu T. Nadeaud. Pancher reports manono, but this 

is due to confusion by him with certain Euphorbiaceae such as Glochidion. Similarly, Drake del 

Castillo (1892: 125) lists utureva (which is hutureva, 

i.e., Cerbera manghas) and afairetou, which last is 

presumably a misspelling of a place name in 

Moorea (Afareaitu ) from whence were secured 

some of Vesco’s and Lepine’s specimens cited by 

Drake del Castillo (1892: 126). He apparently mistook the locality label for a native name. 

The only native use of this species we have 

heard of is for stomach complications associated 

with elephantiasis (Nadeaud, 1864). 

la. Alstonia costata var. fragrans (Moore) 

Grant, new combination 

Alstonia jragrans Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:39. 1933. 

DEsCRIPTION.-Differs from the typical form in 

the somewhat shorter and narrower blades (9-12 

X 2.5-5 cm), shorter petioles (1.5-3 cm), and the 

more rounded calyx lobes. 

Moore lists a number of other differences between his species and A. costata but they are not 

constant enough to be serviceable. The relative 

acumination of the blades, the length of the style 

(0.8 mm), the width of the corolla lobes (2 mm), 

and the shape of the ovary (ovoid, 0.8-1 mm long) 

are just as in A. costata. The sepals, however, are 

not only “obtuse” but may actually be rounded at 

the apex, while they are acute to obtuse in the 

species proper. They are the same length in each 

(1.8-2.1 mm). 

The plant is a tree, 3 m high. The leaves may 

be elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate, and are 

abruptly acuminate. There are 18 lateral veins 

both on the type-specimen and in my own collection, but part of the type-material shows 12-13 

veins. Mature corollas are 11-12 mm long. The 

follicles are 21-25 X 0.3-0.4 cm, with seeds elliptical, about 4 X 1.5 cm, appendaged just as in A. 

costata, 

This variety is of interest principally as representing a transition between A. costata and A. elliptica (with reference to the shape of the leaf), 

being known only from near the habitat of the 
44 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

latter. We do not suspect hybridization, inasmuch 

as we interpret A. elliptica (q.v.) as an ecological 

species rather than a genetically determined one. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Raiatea: Moore 84, 

east of Mt. Temehani, alt. 350 m, 16 September 

1929, flower and fruit (BISH, type; MIN); Grant 

5198, Mt. Temehani, alt 435 m (1430 ft), ridge 

scrub, 29 January 1931, flower and fruit (BISH, 

MIN). 

2. Aktonia elliptica Moore 

Alstonia elliptica Moore, Bish. Mus. Bull. 102:39. 1933. 

DESCRIPTION.-LOW shrub, to 1 m high. Petioles 1-2 cm long. Blades elliptical, rarely slightly 

obovate, 5-9 X 2-3.5 cm, rounded to acute at the 

tip, occasionally short acuminate. Inflorescence 

usually 4-5 cm high and 8 cm wide, though becoming 12 cm high on the type sheet. Calyx lobes 

obtuse to rounded. Corolla tube 4.7 mm long, 

lobes 7-8 mm long and 2.5-2.7 mm wide. Follicles 

10-12 cm long, 3 mm thick, straight, usually divaricate and approximately horizontal. Otherwise as 

in A. costata. 

The other differences given by Moore to distinguish this species from A. costata do not hold in 

the light of the fuller material available. The 

leaves do not always have “fewer (12-14) secondary nerves” as even in the type-material they 

may go up to 20, and in the other collections cited 

below they average 14-15, while the average in 

A. costata is 13-16. The corollas are not definitely 

larger, being 12-13 mm long, while 11-13 (-15) 

mm in A. costata. The calyx is evenly imbricated 

and the seeds are elliptical in each. A detailed 

comparison of Moore’s description of A. elliptica 

with the description given above of A. costata, 

will, however, bring out other apparent differences 

between the two, and accordingly the following 

points, determined from the type-material of A. 

elliptica (including two isotype sheets as well as 

the type), and confirmed from examination of 

three other collections, including flowers put up in 

fixative at the time of collection, are here listed: 

pedicels averaging 5 cm long; calyx lobes 1.8 mm 

long; ovary ovoid (not ellipsoidal), 0.9 mm long: 

style 0.8 mm long; stigma 0.5 mm long; seeds averaging 3.5 X 1.5 mm and appendaged at each 

end, the “emarginate” condition being due to the 

bifurcation of the upper appendage. 

This species is presumed to be a typical Mt. Temehani reduction (cf. Vaccinium, Styphelia, 

Rapanea, etc.) of A. costata, all of the important 

differences being ones of size, except for the 

blunter leaf tips, which, however, are far from constantly so, and the broader corolla lobes, and all 

of them, without exception, comparable to the 

phenomena associated with alpine dwarfing in boreal regions. The highest altitude collection of A. 

costata from Tahiti shows fruits identical with this 

form (St. John 17042, q.v.), and very similar 

types are cited above from the Marquesas and 

Rarotonga. We doubt if the species has any validity 

from a genetic standpoint, but morphologically it 

is very distinct, instantly recognizable both in the 

field and in the herbarium, and is accordingly 

maintained. 

From a purely morphological standpoint, however, its closest relationship is not to A. costata, 

but to A. plumosa Labillardihre, described from 

New Caledonia, of which we have seen no authentic material. Drake del Castillo (1886-1892: 

31-32) who had seen the type of A. plumosa, says 

that it differs from A. costata in having nonacuminate leaves, obtuse corolla lobes which are 

hairy within, and narrower seeds with longer appendages. Of these differences only the seed character would separate A. plumosa from A. elliptica. 

Grant saw 15 collections of “A. plumosa” from 

Fiji, but did not know if it is really conspecific with 

Labillardihre’s plant, especially since Turrill 

(1915) has described A. montana from Fiji which 

appears to differ little from A. plumosa. In the Fiji 

material these long appendages (1-2 mm) seem to 

differentiate the two species, though we cannot 

separate them on the leaves alone. Kew has distributed material from Fiji which Grant took to be 

A. plumosa since A. reineckiana Lauterbach has 

even longer appendages on the seeds (Tothill 396, 

427, and 475). Alstonia plumosa apparently does 

not occur in Samoa, though Christophersen’s “A. 

afl. plumosa” (1935: 177) is a closely related 

species which was also collected by Vaupel in 

1905 and distributed as “A. afl. costata.” 

RANGE.-society Islands: Raiatea, Mt. Temehani: Moore 746, alt. 600 m, red clay soil, 16 

April 1927, flower and fruit (BISH, type; MIN); 

Grant 5205, Vaiumete, alt. 500 m (1650 ft), 

ridge scrub, 29 January 1931, flower and fruit 

(BISH, MIN); Grant 5225, Te Apoo, ah. 585 m 
NUMBER 17 45 

(1920 ft), ridge scrub, 29 January 1931, flower 

and fruit, flowers fixed (BISH, MIN); St. John 

17252, alt. 600 m, high moor, 5 October 1934, 

flower (BISH). 

5. Catharanthus Don 

Catharanthus Don, Gen. Hist. 4:95. 1838. 

Lochnera Reichenbach, Consp. 134. 1828 [non Lochneria 

Scopoli, 271. 17771. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-CUthUrUnthUs roseus (L.) Don. 

RANGE.-TWO other species, one in India and 

one in Madagascar. 

1. Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don 

Vinca rosea L., Syst. 10th ed. 2:944. 1759.-Hillebrand, F1. 

Haw. Is. 294. 1888.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti, 58. 1891.-Drake 

del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:234. 1892.-Hemsley, Journ. 

Linn. SOC. Bot. 30: 185. 1894.-Burkill, Journ. Linn. SOC. 

Bot. 35:46. 1901.-Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. SOC. 6:287. 

1903.-Rock, Indig. Trees Haw. 407. 1913.-Wilder, Bish. 

Mus. Bull. 86:89. 1931.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 

130:234. 1935. 

Lochnera rosea Reichenbach, Consp. 134. 1828.-Pancher in 

Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 

25:667. 1898.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85:330. 

I9lO.-Setchell, Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:201. 1926.-Wilder, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:40. 1934.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 128:180. 1935. 

Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don, Cen. Hist. 4:95. 1838.- 

Degener, F1. Haw. 1983. 

Vinca alba Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 58. 1891 [nomen nudum; 

non Noronha, 1790 (= Erua4amia divaricata)]. 

DEscRIPTroN.-Herb, 3-8 dm high, puberulent. 

Leaves opposite. Petioles 3-5 mm long. Blades oblong to obovate, 3.5-5 X 1.5-2.5 cm, cuneate at 

base, rounded and apiculate at tip, chartaceous. 

Flowers axillary, paired. Calyx lobes subulate, 2-3 

mm long. Corolla salverform, white or rose, often 

with a white, red, or yellow center; tube 2.5 cm 

long; lobes obovate, 1.5 X 1.2 cm, rounded, sinistrorse. Follicles 2, 2.5 X 0.5 cm. Seeds oblong, 

2 X 1 mm, finely wrinkled. 

RANGE.-soCiety Islands (cultivated) : Raiatea: 

Moore 207, Uturoa, alt. 1 m, 13 October 1926, 

flower (white) and fruit (BISH, 2 sheets; MIN). 

Borabora: Grunt 5084, Nunue, Vaitape, alt. 1 m, 

18 January 1931, flower (white) (BISH, MIN). 

First reported by Pancher (in Cuzent) in 1860. 

According to Butteaud it was introduced by 

Bishop d’Axieri. Native of Madagascar. Also cultivated in the Marquesas (!). Naturalized in Makatea, Hawaii, Samoa, and Rarotonga. 

LOCAL NAMES . -Engl i sh : Peri w ink le, Mu duguscu r 

periwinkle. French: peruench’e. Samoan: pua ulu, 

according to Reinecke (cf. Fagrueu berterianu). 

6. Eruatamia Stapf 

Eruatamia Stapf in Thistleton-Dyer, F1. Trop. Afr. 4 (1):126. 

1902. 

TYPE-SpEcIEs.-Eruutu~iu diuaricutu (L.) Burkill. 

RANcE.-About 30 species, from tropical Africa 

through Asia to Australia and Polynesia. 

Key to the Species of Eruatamia in the Society Islands 

Stamens in middle of corolla tube, flowers usually double, cultivated ....................... 1. E. divmicata 

Stamens near base of corolla tube, flowers single, native ............................................... 2. E. urientaEis 

1. Eruatamia diuaricata (L.) Burkill 

Nerium divaricatum L., Sp. P1. 1:209. 1753. 

Nerium coronarium Jacquin, Icon. P1. Rar. t.52. 1781. 

Tabernaemontana coronaria Willdenow, Enum. Hort. Berol. 

275. 1809.-Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 294. 1888. 

Tabernaeinontana divaricata (L.) R. Brown ex Roemer and 

Schultes, Syst. Veg. 4:427. 18l9.-detchell, Univ. Cal. Pub. 

Bot. 12:210. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:89. 1931; 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:40. 1934.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 130:234. 1935. 

Eruatamia coronaria Stapf in Thistleton-Dyer, F1. Trop. Afr. 

4 (1): 127. 1902. 

Eruatamia diuaricclta (L.) Burkill, Rec. Bot. Surv. India 10 

320. 1925. 

DEScRiPTIoN.-shrub to 2 m, glabrous. Leaves 

opposite, with intrapetiolar stipules. Petioles 1-1.5 

cm long. Blades oblong or elliptical, 10-16 X 4-7 

cm, cuneate at base, abruptly long acuminate at 

apex, green above, pale below, chartaceous, with 

about 9 lateral veins. Cymes axillary, about 5- 

flowered. Pedicels 1-2.5 cm long. Calyx tube 1 

mm long, lobes ovate, 2-2.5 rnm long, acute, scarious margined. Corolla salverform, white, usually 
46 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

double, fragrant; tube 2-2.5 cm long; lobes broadly 

ovate, 2-3.5 cm long, often with crisped edges. 

Follicles 2 (apparently not maturing here), 2.5-7.5 

X 0.6 cm, pilose. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Setchell 554, Papeete, 13 July 1922, flower (UC); 

Grant 4126, Papeete, 12 September 1930, flower 

(BISH, MIN). Raiatea: Moore, 306, south of 

Faaroa, 15 November 1926, flower (BISH, 2 

sheets; MIN). 

Native of tropical Asia. First introduced into 

the Society Islands at Moorea, by “Makatavishia” 

(a Mr. MacTavish ?), according to native informants. Also cultivated in the Marquesas (!), Makatea 

(!), Rarotonga (!), and Hawaii. 

LOCAL NAMm-Tahitian: tiare moorea (also in 

Rarotonga and Makatea, according to Wilder) or 

potii mooren, both meaning “flower of Moorea.” 

English: crape-jasmine, rosebny. 

2. Eruatarnia orientalis (R. Brown) Turrill 

Tabernaemon fanu citrifolia sensu G. Forster, Prod. 20. 

1786b.-Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus. 1:lf5. 1836 [non L., 

Sp. PI. 1:210. 17531. 

Tabernaemontana orientalis R. Brown, Prod. 468, 1810.- 

Seemann, F1. Vit. 159. 1866.-Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti 

56. 1873.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 58. 1891.-Drake del 

Castillo, 111. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:235. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 125. 

1892.-Hemsley, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30: 185. 1894.- 

Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 25:668. 1898.-Burkill, Journ. Linn. 

SOC. Bot. 35:46. 1901.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85: 

332. 19IO.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:40. 1934.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128:180. 1935. 

Tabernaemontana uitiensis Seemann, Bonpl. 9:257. 1861. 

Eruatamia orientalis (R. Brown) Turrill, Journ. Linn. SOC. 

Bot. 43:32. 1915.-Setchell, Cam. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 

20:59. 1924. 

DESCRIPTION.-shrUb, glabrous. Leaves OppOsite. Petioles 1-2 cm long. Blades ovate to obovate, 

10-15 X 5-6 cm, attenuate at base, acuminate, 

glaucous below. Cymes trichotomous, few-flowered. 

Peduncles 8-10 cm long, slender. Pedicels short. 

Flowers about 2 cm long. Calyx lobes acute, glandular at base. Corolla salverform, lobes ovate oblong. Follicles geminate, divaricate, obovate, falcate, keeled, to 4 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, beaked. 

Rechinger has described a var. dilatatu from 

Samoa, with wider elliptical-rotund leaves, having 

9-10 secondary nerves. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Tahiti: Banks (BM, 

fide Seemann); Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); Ribozwt ca. 1850 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo) ; Nadeazid 370, Papara, Papaihonu, alt. 

500 m, cliffs, in 1856-1859 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo). 

We have not seen this from the Society Islands. 

Wilder has reported it from Makatea (Wilder 

1203, alt. 60 m (200 ft), 27 October 1932, fruit, 

(BISH). Ranges through Samoa (!), Tonga (!) 

and Fiji (!) west to Australia, Malaya, and Madagascar (Schumann). 

LOCAL NAMEs.-Tahitian: faiata (Nadeaud). 

Wilder records the same name in Makatea. 

7. Alyxia Banks ex R. Brown 

Alyxia Banks ex R. Brown, Prod. 469. 1810 [noin. cons.]. 

Gynopogon J. R. & G. Forster, Char. Gen. 35, t.18. 1776 [nom. 

rejic.]. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-A~~X~~ spicata R. Brown. Gynopogon stellaturn J. R. & G. Forster is the type of 

Forster’s genus. 

nEsCRIPTro;u.-ShrLibs, usually scandent. Wood, 

bark, foliage, and flowers fragrant. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, prevailingly elliptical, 

broad or narrow, entire, glabrous, shining, obtuse, 

with prominent midrib and inconspicuous secondary veins. Cymes axillary with 3 or 4 flowers 

borne umbellately on the peduncle. Bracts at the 

base of the pedicels, minute, ovate, subacute. 

Calyx deeply 5-lobed; lobes ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, ciliolate at tip. Corolla salverform, greenish 

or yellowish white; tube slightly expanded at the 

position of the anthers, villous within in the upper 

half, constricted at the throat; lobes 5, sinistrorsely 

contorted, usually asymmetrical, rounded, ciliolate 

at the tip. Stamens 5, included in the upper part 

of the corolla tube; filaments 0.3-0.5 mm long; 

anthers lanceolate, 1 mm long. Ovaries 2 usually 

villous at the base, few-ovuled; style single, glabrous; stigma ovate, erect-bearded at the tip. 

Drupes geminate, frequently only 1 maturing, ellipsoidal, ventrally flattened, short-beaked, usually 

I-seeded, occasionally 2 seeds maturing to form 

a moniliform fruit. Placenta intrusive; endosperm 

ruminate . RAxcF.-About 65 species, from hfadagascar 

east to China, Australia, and Polynesia. Three 

species in the Society Islands, of which two extend 
NUMBER 17 47 

west to Fiji, and one is endemic. One endemic 

species each in Hawaii, Rarotonga, Samoa, and 

Fiji, one that occurs in Samoa and Fiji (A. erythrosperma Gillespie), and one that is found in 

Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji (A. bracteolosa Rich ex 

Gray). 

ETHNoBoTANY.-Tahitian: maire. Variants of this 

are monoi maire (Wilder), and maire makatea 

or maire maatea, the plant being common on 

Makatea (Maatea in Tahitian). Grant was given 

the name pitoa both in Tahiti and Borabora. It 

has been called torotea by confusion with Canthium. Samoan: lau maile (Reinecke, Christophersen), gau and gau lilii (Setchell), ngau and 

lava (Christophersen). Hawaiian: maile (A. oliviformis Gaudichaud) , Frequently employed in garlands both for the bright green leaves and the 

fragrant flowers, whose odor is variously described 

as like sweet clover, bitter almonds, or gardenias. 

The leaves were used in making coconut oil perfume (monoi). Lanessan states that the bark 

furnishes a remedy for rheumatism. 

Key to the Species of Alyxia in the Society Islands 

1. Leaves narrow, prevailingly under 1.5.cm wide, and over 3.5 times as long as wide; flowers 

6-9 mm long; corolla lobes approximately 1.5 times as long as broad; petioles 1-2 mm long .... 

....................................................................................................................................................... 1. A. stellata 

1. Leaves prevailingly broad, over 1.5 cm wide, and less than 3.5 times as long as wide; petioles 

1.5 mm long. 

2. Flower 10-15 mm long, corolla lobes approximately twice as long as broad; blades 2.2-3 

times as long as wide ....................................................................................................... 2. A. scandens 

2. Flowers 8.5-9 mm long; corolla lobes approximately as long as broad; blades 1.8-2 times 

as long as wide .............................................. 

1. Alyxia stellata (J. R. & G. Forster) 

Roemer & Schultes 

Gydopugon stellaturn J. R. & G. Forster, Char. Gen. 36, t. 18. 

1776.-G. Forster, Prod. 19. 1786b.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. 

F1. Ins. Pac. 7233. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 122. 1892.- 

Schumann in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenf. 4(2):151. 

1895.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85:331. 1910. 

Alyxia stetlata (J. R. & G. Forster) Roemer and Schultes, 

Syst. Veg. 4:439. 1819.-Richard, Sert. Astrolab. 2:8. 1834.- 

Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus. 1: 175. I836.-Guillemin, Ann. 

Sci. Nat., ser. 2, 7:247. 1837.-A. de Candolle, Prod. 8:346. 

1844.-Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Gray, 

Proc. Am. Acad. 5:333. 1862c.Seemann, F1. Vit. 157. 

1866.-Nadeaud, PI. Us. Tahiti. 37. 1864; Enum. PI. Tahiti 

56. 1873.-Lanessan, PI. Ut. Col. Franc. 865. 1886.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 59. 1891.-Hemsley, Journ. Linn. SOC. 

Bot. 30:184. 1894.-Burkill, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 35:45. 

1901.-Gibbs, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 39:156. 1909.--Setchell, 

Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. 20:58. 1924.-Christophersen, 

Bish. Mus. Bull. 128:184. 1935 [non F.B.H. Brown, 1935 = 

A. scandens]. 

Gynopogon oliviformis sensu Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 25:667. 

1898.-Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85:331. 1910 [non 

Schumann, 1895; nec. A. oliviformis Gaudichaud, 18291. 

Gynopogon oliviformis subsp. apolimae Rechinger, Denks. 

Akad. Wien 85:331, t. 6, f. 1. 1910 [erroneously cited both 

by Rechinger, except sub. t. 6, and the Kew Index as G. 

apolimae, syn. nov.]. 

DESCRIPTION (based on the specimens cited).- 

3. A. latilirnba, new species 

Shrub, 1-2 m high, glabrous. Twigs terete or somewhat angled, 1.5-2 rnm in diameter, usually rich 

brown in color, varying to gray. Lenticels frequently prominent. Leaves opposite (most commonly) or in threes, both types frequently on the 

same shoot, though on any ultimate branch the 

arrangement is constant. Petioles 1-2 mm long. 

Blades narrowly elliptical to oblanceolate, 3.3-8 

X 0.6-1.5 cm, commonly 5-6 (3.3-7.5) times as 

long as wide, cuneate at base, margin slightly revolute, frequently drying rather dull green. Peduncles 5-15 mm long. Pedicels 4-8 mm long. Calyx 

tube 0.4-0.5 mm long, lobes 0.7-1 mm long. Corolla 6-9 mm long; tube 4-5.5 mm long, enlarged 

slightly above the middle, cream-yellow; lobes 

2.3-3 X 1.8-2.3 mm, i.e., approximately 1.5 

times as long as broad. Drupes 1-seeded, 12-16 

X 9-12 mm long, dull gray-green, turning bluish 

black, beak to 2 mm long. Ovaries 0.5 mm long, 

villose at base; style 2 mm (or somewhat more) 

long; stigma 0.5 mm long. 

The Forsters originally described this and the 

following as the only two species in their genus 

Gynopogon. From the Forster manuscript description, published by Guillemin (1837:247) it is 

clear that the genus was based primarily on this 
48 SMITHSONIAK CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

species, and that Forster’s figure is of this species 

rather than of G. scandens, for he gives a very 

long description of the flowers of G. stellatum, 

and for G. scandens merely says “Flores albi, 

contorti, simillimi floribus G. stellati. Fructificatio 

tota eadem.” 

J. R. & G. Forster distinguished the two species 

in 1776 as “Stellatum. G. foliis verticillatis” and 

“Scandens. G. foliis oppositis,” and in all the keys 

that Grant saw, which pretend to separate the two, 

this is the only character that has been used. However, it appears to be of no value as a distinction. 

The seven collections cited below include three 

which have leaves constantly opposite, one having 

them constantly verticillate (Grant 5216), and 

three showing both arrangements. Nowhere in the 

literature until Rechinger (1910:331) mentioned 

“plerumque ternis”, followed by Christophersen 

(1935: 184), “usually ternate,” did this irregularity, 

which in itself is nothing remarkable, appear to 

be noticed, and both of these references deal with 

the Samoan plant (see below). Similarly, of the 

10 collections cited below as A. scandens, three 

have leaves opposite, three verticillate, and four 

both. 

In his Prodromus, G. Forster (1786b) amplified 

his description of G. stellatum with the word “lanceolatis,” and of G. scandens with “ovatis costatis,” 

and it is this difference in leaf shape which primarily is being used to differentiate the two 

species. The rest of G. Forster’s later-published 

description seems to offer little or nothing that will 

serve to differentiate the two, except possibly 

“subtus pallide viridia” (G. scandens), which is 

more characteristic of that species as Grant interpreted it than of A. stellata. We are very doubtful 

of the value of the size of the flowers, which has 

been used in the key above (in which connection 

see also the remarks under A. scandens), but G. 

Forster’s plate, presumably of A. stellata, represents the flowers as of about the minimum length 

given here for that species, while the available flowering material (which on the basis of leaf-shape is 

referred to A. scandens) has much larger corollas. 

It is a temptation to combine the two and treat 

the genus in the Society Islands as one very variable 

species, as is generally done in Hawaii (A. otiviformis Gaudichaud). Even though the Hawaiian 

material is just as variable, the two extremes are 

remarkably distinct, and, in addition, there appears 

to be another entity (A. latilimba, new species) 

in Borabora and Tahaa. 

TYPE.-Collected by Forster in 1773-1774 in 

the Society Islands or in Tonga, there being a specimen of Forster’s in the British Museum from the 

latter locality, according to Seemann. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Forster in 1773-1774 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo, WU, fide Rechinger). 

Tahiti: Bertero and Moerenhout in 1831-1832 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo); U. S. Exploring Expedition in 1839 (fide Gray); Le‘pine 191, Taravao, 

Vairoa, 800-1000 in, in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); Savatier in 1855 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 367, Mahaena, Tuumatairiri and 

Mt. Aorai, ah. 1000 m and over, July 1857, 

flower (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Quayle 56, 

“South Pacific” (from the field numeral it is presumed this was from Mt. Aorai), sterile (BISH); 

Grant 3701.1, Mahina, Mt. Aorai, alt. 1225 in 

(4028 ft ), Vaccinium-Weinmannia scrub, 4 June 

1930, fruit (BISH, MIN). Moorea: U. S. Exploring 

Expedition in 1839 (fide Gray). Raiatea: Moore 

69, Uturoa, alt. 190 m, 16 September 1926, flower 

and fruit (BISH, MIN); Moore 538, south of 

Uturoa, alt. 250 m, dry ridge, 15 January 1927, 

fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 5200, Avera, Mt. Temehani, alt. 435 m (1430 ft), ridge scrub, 29 January 1931, flower and fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 

5216, Avera, Faaharato, alt. 580 m (1910 ft), 

ridge scrub, 29 January 1931, fruit (BISH, MIN); 

St. John 17299, Mt. Temehani, alt. 600 m, high 

moor, 5 October 1934, flower and fruit (BISH). 

Also occurring in Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji. Th,e 

Samoan material, of which Grant saw 22 collections, includes much that, on the basis of leaf 

shape at least, is A. scandens. Another reason for 

thinking so is that both Rechinger and Christophersen record the plant as a climber in Samoa, 

and this habit has not been recorded in the Society 

Islands for this species. Most of the Samoan 

species have the leaves constantly in threes, as 

described by the Forsters. The four collections 

from Fiji in the Bishop Museum appear to belong 

here. We have seen no material from Tonga, although it has been reported from there many 

times. 

The report from the Marquesas and the Austral 

Islands (F.B.H. Brown, 1935) is based on what 

we would name A. scandens. Hemsley records it 

from the Tuamotus, but the only specimens we 
NUMBER 17 49 

have seen from there [Makatea] also appear to 

be A. scandens. LabillardiPre’s New Caledonia 

record is generally recognized as a distinct species; 

at least it has been renamed several times. Reports 

from Java, the Malay Peninsula, India, etc., also 

are referrable to other species. 

2. Alyxia scandens (J.R. & G. Forster) 

Roemer & Schultes 

Galaxa oppositifolia Park nson, Journ. Voy. Endeav. 38. 1773 

[nomen subnudum, new synonym (genus and species not 

in Kew Index)]. 

Gynopogon scandens J. R. & G. Forster, Char. Gen. 36. 1776.- 

G, Forster, Prod. 19. 1786b.-Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 25:668. 

1898.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:232. 1892; F1. 

Polyn. Franc. 122. 1892. 

Alyxin scanc(ens (J. R. & G. Forster) Roemer and Schultes, 

Syst. Veg. 4:440. 1819.--Sprcngel, Syst. Veg. 1:835. 1825.- 

Hooker and Arnott, Bot. Beech. Voy. 66. 1832.-Endlichcr, 

Ann. M’icn Mus. 1:175. 1836.-Guillemin, Ann. Sci. Eat., 

ser. 2, 7:247. 1837.-Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:333. 18G2c.- 

Seemann, F1. Vit. 157. 1886.-Nadeaud, P1. Us. Tahiti. 37. 

1864; Enum. P1. Tahiti 56. 1873.-Lanessan, P1. Ut. Col. 

Franc. 863. 1886.-Hemsley, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30: 184. 

1894.-Gibbs, Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 39: 156. 1909.-Setchell, 

Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:201. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. 

Bull. 120:40. 1934.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130: 

232. 1935. 

Alyxia stellnta Roemer & Schultes sensu F.B.H. Brown, Bish. 

Mus. Bull. 130:232. 1935 [non Roemer & Schultes, 18191. 

DEScRIPTIoN.-shrub, 1.5-3 m, usually erect, 

occasionally climbing. Twigs terete or somewhat 

angled, 1.5-2 mm in diameter, pale brown, gray, 

or somewhat purplish in color. Lenticels usually 

not prominent. Leaves opposite or in threes, the 

two arrangements equally common and often on 

the same plant. Petioles 1-5 mm long. Leaves 

broadly elliptical or ovate-lanceolate, 5.5-9 X 

1.5-3 cm, commonly 2.5-3 (2.2-3.6) times as long 

as wide, cuneate to rounded at base, usually somewhat attenuate at the tip, margin slightly revolute, 

frequently drying a bright yellow-green, and paler 

beneath. Peduncles 4-18 mm long. Pedicels 3-12 

mm long. Flowers fragrant. Calyx tube 0.5-0.8 

mm long, lobes 1.2-1.3 mm. Corolla 10-15 mm 

long; tube 5-9 mm long, widest 2-3 mm below the 

throat, orange to peach in color; lobes 5.5 X 2.3-3 

mm, approximately twice as long as broad, entire 

or slightly sinuate, cream-colored or greenish 

white. Ovaries 0.5-1 mm long, villous at base; 

style 4.5-6 mm long, glabrous; stigma ellipsoid to 

obovate, 0.6-0.7 mm long, bearded. Drupes 1- 

(rarely 2-) seeded, 14-19 X 12-15 mm. 

As indicated by the remarks above (under A. 

stellata), these species are questionably distinct. 

The three Orofena specimens collected by St. John 

are intermediate between the two. 

Guillemin records a “MeZiola” on the leaves of 

Forster’s type, and Grant 4389 is parasitized, but 

the fungus has not been determined. 

TYPE.-Collected by Forster in Tahiti in 

RAscE.-society Islands: h’elson (BM, fide 

Seemann); Wiles and Smith (BM, fide Seemann); 

Lay and Collie in 1826 (fide Guillemin). Tahiti: 

Forster in 1773-1774 (Bhf, fide Seemann); U. S. 

Exploring Expedition in 1839 (fide Gray); Vesco 

1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Le‘pine 192 in 

1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Ribotirt 43 ca. 

1850 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Puncher in 1855 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 368, rocky 

cliffs, in 1856-1859 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); 

Setchell a77d Parks 345, pro parte, Paea, Orofere, 

Tarevareva, 13 June 1922, fruit (BISH); Setchell 

and Parks 493, Papeari, Maara, 29 June 1922, 

fruit (UC, not seen); Grant 3907, Teahupoo, 

Aft. Ronui, alt. 590 m (1935 ft), WeinmanniaPandanzis - Cyathea forest, 2 July 1930, flower 

and fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 4389, Mahina, 

Ahonu-Tuauru, alt. 1050 m (3460 ft), WeinmanniaZlex forest, 5 November 1930, immature flowers 

and fruit, wood specimen (BISH, MIN); Grant 

4483, Hitiaa, Tevaipoe, alt. 310 m (1010 ft), 

Hibitczrs-Neonauclea forest, 15 November 1930, 

flower (BISH, MIN); St. Tohn and Fosberg 16990, 

Mt. Orofena, south ridge, alt. 1600 m, mossy 

ridge, 22 September 1934, flower (BISH); St. Tohn 

and Fosberg 16995, Mt. Orofena, south ridge, alt. 

1500 m, rain forest, flower and fruit (BISH); St. 

Tohn and Fosberg 17044, Mt. Orofena, south 

ridge, alt. 1250 m, wooded ridge, 20 September 

1934, immature flowers (BISH); St. John and Fosberg 17030, Mt. Orofena, south ridge, alt. 1250 

m, 20 September 1934, Cyathea forest, flower 

(BISH). Moorea: U. S. Exploring Expedition in 

1839 (fide Gray). Raiatea: Moore 506, south of 

Faaroa, alt. 200 m, wet clay, 10 Tanuary 1927, 

fruit (MIN); St. John 17257, Mt. Temehani, alt. 

600 m, high moor, 5 October 1934, fruit (BISH). 

Reported from Samoa by Reinecke, and apparently much of the material reported by Christo1773-1774. 
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

phersen (1935) as A. stellata belongs here. Recorded from Fiji by Seemann and Gibbs. A 

collection from Uvea (Burrows 25, 9 November 

1932, sterile, BISH) matches the Samoan specimens. Also reported from the Tuamotus (Sauatier 

in 1855, fide Drake del Castillo; Wilder I143 and 

Jones 905, both from Makatea, BISH). There are 

7 collections from the Marquesas in the Bishop 

Museum, 4 of which are cited by F.B.H. Brown as 

A. stellata. Collected in Rapa, Rurutu, and Raivaivai (cited by Brown as A. stellata). 

3. AZyxia Zatilimba Grant, new species 

Frutex, 1.5-2 m altus, glaber, ramulis triangulatis vel subalatis, 2-3 mm crassis; folia verticillata terna sessilia vel petiolata, petiolis ad 4 mm 

longis, laminis late obovatis ellipticis vel vix ovatis 

3.5-5.6 cm longis 2-3 cm latis basi cuneatis vel 

subrotundatis apice obtusis interdum parum attenuatis coriaceis nitentibus lutei-viridibus subtus 

pallidi-oribus margine revolutis; cymae axillares 

4-floriferae, pedunculis 10-15 mm longis, pedicellis 

5 mm longis; calyx viridis tub0 0.4 mm longo, 

lobis ovati-lanceolatis 1.2-1.5 mm longis obtusis 

apice ciliolatis; corolla infundibulariforma lutea, 

tub0 5.5-6.5 mm longo 1-1.5 mm infra faucem 

parum dilatato parte supera intus villosa, lobis 

ovatis vel suborbiculatis parum asymmetricis 2.8-3 

mm longis 2.5-3 mm latis, apice rotundatis ciliolatis; stamina filamentis 0.3-0.5 mm longis, antheris 

ovati-lanceolatis 1 mm longis includentibus; ovaria 

bina 0.6 mm longa basi longe villosa; stylus singulus 4-4.5 mm longus glaber; stigma ovatum 0.6 

mm longum barbatum; drupae geminatae ellipticae 

vel subglobosae (vel saepe dispermae moniliformae) 13 mm longae 12 mm latae 9 mm crassae 

parum apiculatae. 

Shrub, 1.5-2 m high, glabrous. Twigs prominently 3-angled or subwinged, 2-3 mm thick, brown 

or gray, lenticels not prominent. Leaves verticillate, in 3’s, sessile or on petioles to 4 mm long, 

broad, obovate, elliptical or scarcely ovate, 3.5-5.6 

X 2-3 cm, cuneate or rounded at base, obtuse and 

occasionally somewhat attenuate at the tip, coriaceous, shining, yellowish green, somewhat paler 

below, revolute, with 14-18 inconspicuous lateral 

veins. Cymes 4-flowered, peduncles 10-15 mm long, 

pedicels 5 mm long. Calyx tube 0.4 mm long; lobes 

ovate-lanceolate, 1.2-1.5 mm long, obtuse, ciliolate 

at the tip. Corolla salverform, yellow; tube 5.5-6.5 

mm long, slightly expanded 1-1.5 mm below the 

throat; lobes ovate to suborbicular, somewhat 

asymmetrical, 2.8-3 X 2.5-3 mm, rounded at the 

tip, which is faintly ciliolate. Filaments 0.3-0.5 mm 

long; anthers ovate-lanceolate, 1 mm long, acute. 

Ovaries 2, 0.6 mm long, long-villous at the base; 

style 4-4.5 mm long; stigma ovoid, 0.6 mm long, 

bearded at the tip. Drupes (submature?) geminate, 

elliptical or subglobose (when l-seeded), flattened 

ventrally, 13 X 12 X 9 mm, frequently moniliform 

(2-seeded) and then longer, minutely or not at all 

beaked, greenish. Embryo 7 mm long; cotyledons 

curved. 

In leaf shape the species is rather close to A. 

scandens, but the leaves are much broader in proportion, more coriaceous, and somewhat more 

conspicuously revolute. The flowers are about 2/3 

as large and the corolla lobes about half as long 

as in A. scandens. The species is named with 

reference to the broad blades and broad corolla 

lobes. 

The St. John specimens cited below probably 

belong here, though we have no record of the 

shape of the corolla lobes. If these specimens do 

belong here the plant may reach 3 m tall and the 

ripe fruit is black, becoming 17 mm long. 

RANGE.-society Islands: Borabora: Grant 4964, 

Tevaitapu, Mt. Tarapaia, alt. 560 m (1840 ft), 

ridge scrub, 3 January 1931, flower and fruit 

(BISH, type; MIN). Tahaa: Grant 5162, Ruutia, 

Mt. Ohiri, alt. 465 m (1525 ft), MorindaCrossostylis forest, 25 January 1931, flower and 

fruit (BISH, MIN); St. fohn 17397 and 17402, 

Mt. Purauti, alt. 420-500 m, ridge thicket, 11 

October 1934, flower and fruit (17397), fruit 

(17402) (BISH). 

LOCAL NAME.-Borabora and Tahaa: pitoa. 

8. Ochrosia Jussieu 

Ochrosia Jussieu, Gen. PI. 144. 1789. 

TYPE-SPE~IES.-O chrosia b orb onica (Sprengel ) 

Gmelin. 

RANGE.-Numerous species from the islands of 

the Indian Ocean east to Polynesia. There are 

several Polynesian species in Fiji, Hawaii and the 

Marquesas. 
NUMBER 17 51 

1. Ochrosia oppositifolia (Lamarck) Schumann 

Cerbera oppositifolia Lamarck in Lamarck PC Poiret, Encyc. 

Method. 1:62. 1783. 

Cerbera parviflora G. Forster, Prod. 19. 1786b.-Endlicher, 

Ann. Wien Mus. 1:174. 1836 [excl. spec. Lay and Collie 

from Sandwich Islands; non Hooker and Arnott, 1832 (= 

Rauwolfia sandwicensis)]. 

Ochrosia parviflora (G. Forster) Henslow, Ann. Nat. Hist. 

1:345. 1838.-Don, Gen. Syst. 4:99. 1838 [excl. syn. Hooker 

and Arnott1.-Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:333. 1862c.-Seemann, F1. Vit. 158. 1866.-Nadeaud, Enum. PI. Tahiti 55. 

1873; Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 6 (App.):lxvi. 1874.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 59. 1891.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. 

Pac. 7:233. 1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 124. 1892.-Hemsley, 

Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30:184. 1894.-Burkill, Journ. Linn. 

Soc. Bot. 35:46. 1901.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 

128:185. 1935.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:232, t. 

83. 1935. 

Ochrosia oppositifolia (Lamarck) Schumann in Engler & 

Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenf. 4 (2):156. 1895.-Rock, Coll. Haw. 

Bull. 4:52. 1916. 

Ochrosia borbonica sensu Maiden, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales 

29:547. 1904 [non Gmelin, 17911. 

DEscRIPTIoN.-shrub or small tree to 10 m 

high, glabrous. Leaves in whorls of 3-4. Petiole 1 

cm long. Blades oblong or obovate, 10-30 X 3- 

12.5 cm, attenuate at the base rounded or acuminate, coriaceous. Cymes subdichotomous, 3-5- 

flowered. Bracts opposite, ovate, short, acute. 

Calyx cup-shaped, 3 mm long, angled; lobes 5, 

ovate, obtuse. Corolla salverform; tube enlarged 

above the middle, 12 mm long, glabrous within, 

greenish white; lobes oblong-linear, oblique, 12 

mm long, obtuse, white. Stamens inserted slightly 

above the middle of the tube, included. Ovaries 

2, flat anteriorly, convex exteriorly, 8-ovuled. 

Styles shorter than the tube. Stigma single, ovateoblong, subulate at tip. Drupes geminate, horizontally spreading, ovate-oblong, somewhat compressed, 5-7 X 2-3 cm, yellow, with dry 

spongy-fibrous mesocarp, 2-celled with a membranaceous septum, 1 cell usually enlarged. Seeds 

solitary, oblate, compressed. 

According to Rock, if his plant is this species, it 

becomes a tree with trunks 2 feet in diameter and 

50 feet high. 

RANCE.-society Islands: Banks and Solander 

in 1769 (BM, fide Seemann); Nelson (BM, fide 

Seemann). Tahiti: Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo) ; Ltpine 187, Pare, Fautaua, alt. 700-800 

m (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Ribozirt 45 ca. 

1850 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Nadeaud 366, 

Arue, or Mahina, Ahonu, alt. 800 m, 1857-1858, 

flower (P, fide Drake del Castillo). 

Drake del Castillo implies a specimen of 

Dupetit-Thouars came from Tahiti, but it is actually from the Marquesas where Dupetit-Thouars 

collected extensively. We have seen no material 

of this from the Society Islands, though there is an 

abundance of collections in the Bishop Museum 

from the Marquesas, Rurutu, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, 

Uvea, Palmyra. It occurs in Funafuti and west to 

New Guinea. 

ETHNoR0TANY.-Tahitian: tamore-moua (Nadeaud, 1873). Marquesan: hoe, hoei, eva, and 

kaepu, according to F.B.H. Brown. (Eva is applied 

to Cerbera and kaepu to Fagraea according to 

Jardin, 1862). Rurutu: ao (Stokes ex F.B.H. 

Brown). Samoa and Funafuti: fao (Christophersen, 

Maiden). Marianne Islands; fago (Markgraf, 

Nadeaud (1874) reports that the plant is good 

for stomach trouble associated with elephantiasis. 

Brown says the fruit is considered poisonous in 

Nukuhiva, but is eaten in Fatuhiva. 

1930). 

9. Cerbera L. 

Cerbera L. Gen. P1. 5th ed. 98. 1754. 

TYPE-SPEcIEs.-Cerbera manghas L. 

RANcE.-About eight species, from Madagascar 

through Malasia, with one species in Polynesia. 

1. Cerbera manghas L. 

Cerbera manghas L., Sp. Pl. 1:208. 1753.-G. Forster, Prod. 

19. 1786b.-Richard, Sert. Astrolab. 2:8. 1834.-Endlicher, 

Ann. Wien Mus., 1:174. 1836.-Guillemin, Ann. Sci. Nat., 

ser. 2, 7:245. 1837.-Jardin, Ess. Marq. 25, 42. 1862.- 

Nadeaud, PI. Us. Tahiti. 37. 1864.-Lanessan, P1. Ut. Col. 

Fr. 865. 1886.-Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 25:668. 1898.-Setchell, 

Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20:59. 1924; Univ. Cal. 

Pub. Bot. 12:201. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:89. 

1931.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128: 185. 1935.- 

F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:236. 1936. 

Galaxa sparsa Parkinson, Journ. Voy. Endeav. 38. 1773 [nomen 

subnudum, new synonym (genus and species not in Kew 

Index)]. 

Tanghinia manghas (L.) Don, Gen. Hist. 4:98. 1838.-Cuzent, 

Etud. Vkg. Tahiti 129. 1857; Iles Soc. Tahiti 214. 1860.- 

Pancher in Cuzent, Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Butteaud, 

F1. Tahiti, 59. 1891 [“Taughinin naughas”]. 

Cerbera odollam senus Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:333. 1862c.- 

Hemsley, Bot. Chall. 1 (1):19. 1885.-Hillebrand, F1. Haw. 

Is. 294. 1888.-Drake del Castillo, Ill. F1. Ins. Pac. 7:233. 
52 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

Raiatea: Moore 420, south of Faaroa, alt. 50 

m, 11 December 1926, flower and fruit (BISH, 

MIN). 

Borabora: Lesson (P, fide Drake del Castillo). 

A common tree of the lower forests, extending far 

into the interior at low elevations. It is certainly 

indigenous, in spite of Gray’s statement to the 

contrary. 

Also in the Marquesas (!) Pitcairn, Gambiers, 

Samoa (!), Tonga (I), Fiji (!), Uvea (!), and west 

to Malesia. Cultivated in Hawaii. In Rarotonga it 

was considered indigenous by Cheeseman, but 

Wilder says, “. . . introduced . . . seen about dwellings.” 

ETHNoBOTANY.-Tahitian and Rarotongan: reva, 

which is the name throughout all of Polynesia, 

becoming by regular consonant shift eva in the 

Marquesas, leva in Samoa, and rewa in Fiji. Alternative Tahitian names are given by Parkinson 

(deva, an obvious error), Nadeaud (hutureva, the 

hutu being Barringtonia), and Setchell (metua-reva 

and reva-reva). Also avu in Rarotongan (Cheeseman) and vasa in Fijian (Seemann). It becomes 

ereva in Rurutu (Stokes ex F.B.H. Brown), and 

ria in Yap (Volkens). The latex contains a violent 

poison, and eating the fruits used to be a favorite 

method of committing suicide. Jardin records the 

same custom in the Marquesas. The plant, either 

bark (Nadeaud) or root (Seemann), was used as a 

purgative, and the latex for various medications, 

such as a liniment for rheumatism (Cheeseman). 

The wood was used for drums (Parkinson). 

1892; F1. Polyn. Franc. 123. 1892 YC. odo2la”j.-Hemsley, 

Journ. Linn. SOC. Bot. 30: 184. 1894.-Burkill, Journ. Linn. 

SOC. Bot. 35:46. 1901.-Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. SOC. 6:287. 

1903.-Gibbs, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 39157. 1909 [non J. 

Gaertner, 17911. 

Cerberu forsteri Seemann, F1. Vit. 157. 1866.-Nadeaud, 

Enum. P1. Tahiti 55. 1873.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 59. 1891. 

DESCRIPTION.-Tree, 15-20 m high and 60 cm 

in diameter, glabrous. Sap milky, poisonous. Twigs 

thick, succulent, with the alternate leaves clustered at the tips. Petioles 2-4 (-7?) cm long. Blades 

elliptical to oblanceolate, 12-30 X 3-5.5 cm, 

cuneate at the base, obtuse and slightly attenuate 

at the tip, chartaceous, green, drying black. Cymes 

terminal, 5- or more-flowered. Peduncles 4-12 cm 

long; pedicels 1.5-2.5 cm long. Sepals 5, elliptical, 

the outer pair 1.8-2.5 cm long, the inner smaller, 

rounded at the tip, deciduous before anthesis. 

Flowers fragrant. Corolla salverform, somewhat 

irregular, 7 cm broad, white, waxy; tube 1.5-2 cm 

long, enlarged above; lobes elliptical or obovate, 

3 cm long, rounded at the tip. Carpels 2, I-ovuled. 

Drupes geminate, elliptical, flattened anteriorly, 

10 X 7 X 6 cm (Grant 4016) or smaller, green, 

turning dark red or purple, with spongy-fibrous 

mesocarp, floating, 1-2-seeded. 

The above description is of the Tahitian specimens. F.B.H. Brown’s description of the Marquesan material indicates shorter pedicels, broader 

leaves, longer calyx lobes, pink-centered flowers, 

and longer corolla-lobes. Christophersen’s Samoan 

specimens have even longer calyx-lobes and 

corolla-tubes. 

RANCE.-sOciety Islands: Forster in 1773-1774. 

Mehetia: St. John 14225, Fatia-po, alt. 200 m, 

12 May 1934, flower and fruit (BISH). 

Tahiti: Bertero and Moerenhout in 1831-1832 

(P, fide Drake del Castillo); Wiles and Smith (BM, 

fide Seemann); Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo) LCpine 204 in 1847 (P, fide Drake del 

Castillo); Setchell and Parks 324, Papenoo, 9 June 

1922, fruit (UC); Setchell and Parks 353, Punaauia, Punaruu, 9 June 1932, flower (UC); Adamson 28, Papenoo, alt. 500 m, 30 October 1928, 

sterile (BISH) ; Grant 4016, Teahupoo, Taaeha, 

alt. 75 m (250 ft), Hibiscus-Cerbera forest, 8 

August 1930, flower, fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 

4077, Papenoo, Ana Pua, alt. 370 m (1220 ft), 

Cerbera-Pandanus forest, 6 September 1930 (BISH, 

MIN). 

10. Thevetia Adanson 

Thevetia Adanson, Fam. 1:171. 1763 [nom. cons.]. 

TypE-SpEcIEs.-Thevetia ahouai (L.) A. de 

RANGE.-About eight species in tropical America. 

Candolle. 

1. Thevetia peruviana (Persoon) Schumann 

Cerbera thevetia L., Sp. PI. 1:209. 1753. 

Cerbera peruviana Persoon, Syn. P1. 1:267. 1805. 

Thevetia nereijolia [neriijolia] Jussieu ex Steudel, Nom. Bot. 

2nd ed. 2:680. 1841.-Hillebrand, F1. Haw. Is. 294. 1888.- 

Rechinger, Denks. Akad. Wien 85:332. 1910; Denks. Akad. 

Wien 89:637. 1913.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130: 

235. 1935. 

Thevetia peruviana (Persoon) Schumann in Engler & Prantl, 

Nat. Pflanz. 4 (2):159. 1895.Setchel1, Univ. Cal. Pub. 12: 
NUMBER 17 53 

201. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:89. 1931.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128: 186. 1935. [This combination, omitted from the Kew Index until the 8th Supplement 

(1933), was independently published by Merrill in 1914 

and is usually attributed to him.] 

DESCRIPTION.-Tree, 3-4 m high and 5 cm in 

diameter, glabrous. Leaves alternate, sessile, linear, 10-15 X 0.6-1 cm, cuneate at base, obtuse 

at tip, apparently 1-nerved, but microscopically 

reticulate. Cymes terminal, few-flowered. Pedicels 

2-4 cm long. Calyx lobes triangular, 5 mm long, 

dark glandular within at base. Corolla tubularcampanulate, 6-7 cm long, bright yellow, tube 

broadly expanded above; lobes 3-4 cm long, dextrorsely contorted. Drupe triangular-obovate, 

black, poisonous, 2-celled, the stone falcate, 

broader than long, 2 X 3 cm. 

RANGE.-society Islands (cultivated ) : Tahiti: 

Setchell and Parks 179, Faaa, churchyard, 29 May 

1922, flower and fruit (BISH, UC); Grunt 4429, 

Arue, alt. 5 m, 3 November 1930, flower and fruit 

(BISH, MIN). Raiatea: Moore 348, south of 

Faaroa, alt. 1 m, 24 November 1926, flower and 

fruit (BISH, 2 sheets; MIN); Moore 749, 20 

March 1926, flower (BISH). 

Also cultivated in the Marquesas (!), Rarotonga, 

Samoa (!), and Hawaii (!). Reported as an escape 

in Samoa [and in Kauai, Hawaiian Islands]. 

LOCAL NAMEs.-Enghh: trumpet-power, yellow 

oleander. Tahitian: Grant reported the name 

poupou (“land-shell,” i.e., PartuZu) in Huahine, 

apparently applied on account of the shape of the 

stone. Moore reports piti in Raiatea (as for Allamanda), the name applied by extension from 

Tecoma which has somewhat similar flowers. 

[Hawaii: “bestill tree.”] 

11. Nem’um L. 

Nerium L., Gen. PI. 5th ed. 99. 1754. 

TYPE-SPECIES.-Nerium oleander L. 

RANGE.-The Mediterranean region to Japan. 

The one or two following well-known species are 

cultivated in Polynesia. There are possibly three 

other species, native to southern Asia. 

1. Nerium oleander L. 

Neriurn oleander L., Sp. P1. 1:209. 1753.-Pancher in Cuzent, 

Iles SOC. Tahiti 235. 1860.-Hillebrand, FI. Haw. Is. 294. 

1888.-Butteaud, F1. Tahiti. 58. 1891.-Cheeseman, Trans. 

Linn; Soc. 6:287. 1903.Setchel1, Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. 

Biol. Bull. 20:59. 1924.-Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 

128:186. 1935.-St. John, Bish. Mus. Occ. Pap. 11(14):4. 

1935. 

Nerium indicum Miller, Gard. Dict. 8th ed. 1768.-Setchell, 

Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:202. 1926.-Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 

86:89. 1931; Bish. Mus. Bull. 120:40. 1934. 

Neriurn odorurn (Solander) ex Aiton, Hort. Kew. 1297. 

1789.-F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:235. 1935. 

h’erium haqueville Pancher in Cuzent, Iles Soc. Tahiti 235. 

1860 [nomen nudum, apparently intended as a designation 

of a horticultural variety (name not in Kew Index)]. 

DESCRIPTIoN.-ShrUb, puberulent. Leaves usually in threes, linear-oblong to -oblanceolate, 

10-15 X 1-2 cm, cuneate, acute. Cymes paniculate, terminal. Calyx lobes lanceolate, 6 mm long. 

Corolla usually filled, white or rose; lobes dextrorsely contorted, generally obovate, often irregular, 2.5-3 cm long. Follicles 2, not (or rarely) 

maturing. 

Nerium indicum and N. oleander are commonly 

treated as separate species, and Schumann (in 

Engler and Prantl, 1895: 180) distinguishes them 

as “B. lineal-lanzettlich, B1. wohlreichend -N. 

odorum; B. lanzettlich, B1. geruchlos -N. oleander,” 

but the most obvious of these characters does not 

show up at all in herbarium specimens. Linnaeus 

himself originally described N. oleander as “foliis 

lineari-lanceolatis,” indicating that even the shape 

of the leaf is subject to interpretation. Other distinctions have been made on the basis of the 

length of protrusion of the anther segments and 

the number of teeth on the segments of the crown. 

Others have expressed doubt as to the separability of the species (cf., Merrill, 1935:315). In 

any case, the Polynesian material seems to be 

uniform in having odorous flowers, but has been 

variously interpreted. No taxonomist has yet reported both species from any one locality. Setchell 

reported N. indicum from Tahiti and N. oleander 

from Samoa, but preserved specimens in neither 

case. Cheeseman reported N. oleunder from Rarotonga, while Wilder (1931) lists N. indicum from 

that island. Most earlier authors were not aware of 

Miller’s name, N. indicum, and called it N. odorum. 

RANGE.-sOCiety Islands (cultivated): Tahiti: 

Common, not collected. Raiatea: Moore 321, south 

of Uturoa, 17 November 1926, flower (red) 

(BISH, MIN); Moore 388, south of Uturoa, 1 

December 1926, white flowers (BISH, MIN). 
54 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBU’rIONS TO BOTANY 

of their commercial value were also areas whose 

natural history became increasingly well known. 

(For comments on the relationship of botany to 

British imperialism in the Far East, see Archer 

[ 19591 and Woodcock [ 19691 .) 

The Society Islands could not claim this advantage because they had few spices to speak of; 

certainly none in the quantity necessary to make 

a long sea voyage profitable. Therefore, the knowedge of their flora available in the eighteenth 

century, particularly in England, cannot be explained either by their commercial advantages or 

their accessibility. Other reasons must be sought, 

and for them it is first necessary to understand the 

circumstances under which the Societies were discovered and explored. 

The year was 1763 and the Seven Years War 

had just been overwhelmingly won by the British. 

The Treaty of Paris left the balance of power in 

Europe undisturbed, and the young king of England, George 111, pronounced it “a time of profound peace.” Finding that his nation had emerged 

from the war in undisputed command of the seas, 

His Majesty now felt himself free to devote his 

attention to what historians would later call The 

Founding of the Second British Empire (Harlow, 

1952). In pursuance of this goal, the Admiralty 

brought it to his attention (Robertson, 1948:xxii) 

that 

Land or Islands of Great extent, hitherto unvisited by any 

European power may be found in the Southern Hemisphere 

between Cape Horn and New Zeeland [sic], in Latitudes 

convenient for Navigation, and in climates adapted to the 

produce of commodities useful in Commerce . . . . 

The land supposed to lie in this area of the Pacific 

was the fabled Terra Australis Incognita, the legend of which probably began after the voyage of 

Marco Polo.2 Even though the report of the continent had never been verified, the tradition of its 

existence was still alive in the eighteenth century, 

particularly in contemporary geographical thought. 

For example, Charles de Brosses argued in 1756 

a Terra Australis Incognita (“Unknown Southern Land”) 

is not to be confused with Australia, which was discovered 

in the 17th century by the Dutch, or with Antartica. The 

land that the 18th-century navigator sought was purely 

mythical, and throughout this essay I shall allude to it as 

the “Southern Continent.” This discussion is concerned only 

with those who searched for it and played some part in the 

exploration of the Society Islands. 

Native to southern Asia. The red-flowered form 

was introduced into Tahiti by the English missionaries and the other forms in 1848 and 1850, 

according to Pancher. Also cultivated in the Marquesas (!), Rarotonga (!), Samoa, Hawaii (!), and 

Midway Island. Naturalized in Rarotonga. Reported for the first time from the Tuamotus: Jones 

841, Niau, 16 August 1922, sterile (BISH, 2 

sheets). 

LOCAL NAMES.-English: oleander. French: laurier rose and laurier blanc. Tahitian: tarona, and 

the white form tarona uouo. Samoan: oliana 

(Christophersen). 

History of the Botanical Exploration of the 

Society Islands 1 

HOWARD M. SMITH 

The Society Islands lie halfway around the 

world from Europe and were only discovered in 

1767; but by the end of the eighteenth century 

their flora was relatively well known to European 

botanists. At first glance, this seems not at all surprising. The century was, after all, one which saw 

the great voyages of exploration in the Pacific, 

and the very hallmark of the age was the pursuit 

of science. Even though long sea voyages were 

numerous, scurvy and the inability to determine 

accurate positions at sea combined to make them 

both difficult and dangerous, Moreover, they were 

expensive, and usually only possible if subsidized 

by governments or large trading companies. 

Neither of these institutions was primarily concerned with promoting the sort of botanical studies 

necessary to produce a flora, for little return on 

their investment could be promised. On the other 

hand, they were most interested in spice-producing 

plants since trade in these was a very profitable 

business indeed. (The interest of France in spices 

in the eighteenth century is well documented by 

Ly-Tio-Fane [1958, 19701.) A by-product of this 

interest was the fact that areas of the world which 

were brought to the attention of Europe because 

lThe author wishes to thank Dr. F. R. Fosberg, Dr. M.-H. 

Sachet, and Dr. Bryce Decker for their patience, help, and 

encouragement in preparing this essay. Always in my mind 

as I wrote it were Jim, Bess, and Joe Murray, who really 

began it all in Moorea in 1967. 
NUMBER 17 55 

that a land mass was necessary somewhere in the 

Southern Hemisphere in order to act as a counterweight for the land already known in the Northern 

Hemisphere; otherwise, the globe would be topheavy and could not maintain an even keel 

(Dunmore, 1965, I:45-50). The “Southern Continent” fulfilled this need for a balance very 

adequately. De Brosses found an enthusiastic English advocate in Alexander Dalrymple (1737- 

1808) who made similar arguments in An Account 

of the Discoveries Made in the South Pacific Ocean, 

Previous to 1764 (Laughton, 1963-1964, V:402- 

403). Thus both men assured their respective 

countries that the “Southern Continent” had to be 

there; all that was necessary now was to send a 

ship to the South Seas and claim it. 

The governments of England and France, however, were interested in the “Southern Continent” 

for reasons other than its capacity as a counterweight. It was reputed to be enormously rich in 

spices and gold, and, therefore, the addition of it 

to the colonial empire of either nation would upset 

the delicate balance of power resulting from the 

Treaty of Paris. The “Southern Continent,” it was 

reasoned, could make its possessor the greatest 

nation in Europe. It had first, however, to be 

found. Accordingly, an English expedition was 

fitted out, consisting of two ships: the Dolphin 

under command of Samuel Wallis and its consort, 

the Swallow, captained by Philip Carteret. The 

Admiralty advised Wallis that he was “to proceed 

with the Dolphin and the Swallow round Cape Horn 

or through the Strait of Magellan, as you find most 

convenient; and stretch to the westward about One 

Hundred or One Hundred and Twenty degrees 

of Longitude from Cape Horn, losing as little 

Southing as possible” (Robertson, 1948: xxiii). It 

was expected that the “Southern Continent” would 

be found long before one hundred degrees was 

passed, and Wallis was given detailed instructions 

on how he was to deal with its inhabitants and 

take possession of it for England. 

The ships left Plymouth Harbour together on 21 

August 1766, and the following January both were 

at the southern tip of South America. Wallis, to 

his cost, found it “most convenient” to enter the 

Pacific through the Straits of Magellan. The DoZphin and the Swallow, particularly the latter, had 

a great deal of trouble with storms and heavy seas 

in this treacherous channel, and when the Dolphin 

finally cleared the Straits, the Swallow was nowhere to be seen. Carteret was not able to get 

through until four days later, and the two ships 

were never in sight of each other again in the 

course of the voyage. 

Prevailing winds prevented Wallis from keeping 

as far to the south as he had been instructed and 

instead drove him northwest. He turned due west 

only when he was in about twenty degrees of 

latitude, and a journey of some five months on this 

course enabled him to discover Mehitia, the easternmost of the Societies on 17 June 1767 (Appendix 1). He did not land there because he could find 

no anchorage for his ship. 

At two o’clock, the same day, we bore away, and in about 

half an hour, discovered very high land in the W.S.W. At 

seven in the evening, Osnaburgh Island [Wallis’ name for 

Mehitia] bore E.N.E. and the new discovered land, from 

W.N.W. to W. by S. . . . [A]t day-break we saw the land, at 

about five leagues distance and steered directly for it . . . (Hawkesworth, 1773, 1:433). 

On 24 June 1767, the Dolphin lay at anchor in a 

superb harbor on this new island; Tahiti and all 

its allurements had been discovered. 

In order to recoup his own ill health and that 

of his crew, Wallis remained in Tahiti until 20 

July, a sojourn the delights of which are surely 

unparalleled in the history of Pacific navigation, 

but which did not advance the cause of botany 

overmuch. Very little exploration of the island of 

any kind was undertaken, much to the disgust of 

George Robertson (1948:231), Master of the 

Dolphin, who complained in his journal: 

. . . Capt. Wallis, would not allow any of his Ships company 

to go to Examen any part of the Kings Island [Tahiti], but 

a small part of the Bay where the Ship Lay, Except the day 

that Mr. Gore went four or five mile up the River side, 

where he found cotton, Ginger, Indigo and many oyther 

things growing that we knowed nothing of before. 

Gore was master’s mate of the Dolphin and the 

“River side” that he went up was that of the 

Vaipopoo, which then emptied into Matavai Bay 

where the ship was anchored. The “cotton” that 

he saw was probably Gossypium taitense Parkinson, 

and the “ginger,” Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith. 

When he reported “indigo,” he most likely saw the 

very similar Tephrosia purpurea Persoon since 

Indigofera, the true indigo, was of later introduction into the Societies. 

After Wallis left Tahiti, he did not actually land 
56 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

Philibert Commerson to his attention. Commerson 

was a young botanist who had come to Paris at 

the urging of Bernard de Jussieu, and was appointed naturalist at the Jardin du Roi ( now the 

Jardin des Plantes) in 1764. He had already 

amassed a large collection of plants from the provinces of central France and Switzerland, and at 

his death his herbarium was said to contain three 

thousand new species and genera (Lasegue, 1845: 

56; Montessus, 1888-189O:ZOO). Antoine-Laurent 

de Jussieu published a number of Comrnerson’s 

genera in his Genera Plantarum of 1789, but 

Commerson is probably best remembered to history for the romantic nonsense he wrote about the 

Tahitians in a letter to the French astronomer, 

Joseph Lalande, which was published in the Mercure de France (November 1769). In it he described Tahiti as a Utopia, an ideal republic whose 

happy inhabitants wandered about “sans vices, 

sans pre‘jugks, sans besoins, sans dissensions”-all 

of this on the strength of an eight-day visit. The 

more-or-less constant native thievery was pictured as a sort of primitive socialism, and one 

can only conjecture what he would have made of 

it had he seen a human sacrifice or the practice 

of infanticide. 

Unrealistic as this letter was, it added considerably to the growing cult of the “noble savage,” 

and Tahiti was thrust upon the European conscience in an unparalled way. The Rousseauists 

seized upon this description of a primitive society 

as proof of their contention that “civilization” was 

the source of much of the evil suffered by mankind,3 and Diderot, the editor of the Encyclope‘die, 

used it as a basis for his plea for a more liberal 

relationship between the sexes in Europe. Without 

doubt Tahiti might have seemed like an earthly 

paradise in contrast to the artificiality of Versailles, 

but Commerson’s rosy perspective fell far short of 

an accurate description of pre-European Tahitian 

life. However, we may forgive him that. It was a 

sentimental age and Tahiti was bound to appeal 

to a sentimental nature. What is harder to forgive 

is that he never published a single scientific work 

during his lifetime and therefore there is no record 

of what the first trained European botanist saw as 

he wandered through his “Utopie.” 

on any other islands of the Society group although 

he sighted and named several (see Appendix 1). 

He was back in England again on 20 May 1768 

and the “Southern Continent” was still not part of 

the British Empire. 

It would be a mistake to assume that France, 

even though defeated in 1763, was sitting idly by 

while the British were exploring the Pacific. Most 

Frenchmen regarded the Seven Years War as a 

clear indication that England was outstripping 

France and they were by no means adverse to a 

little empire building of their own. In the winter 

of 1766, the Chevalier Louis-Antoine de Bougainville left Brest in the frigate La Boudeuse to be 

followed a month later by her storeship L’Etoile. 

One of the purposes of the voyage was a search 

for the “Southern Continent” for, like Wallis, 

Bougainville had been instructed to 

examine in the Pacific Ocean as much of and in the best 

manner he can the land lying between the Indies and the 

western seaboard of America, various parts of which have 

been sighted by navigators. . . . Since knowledge of the islands 

or continents is very slight, it will be interesting to perfect 

it; furthermore, since no European nation has any settlement 

on, or claim over, these islands it can be to France’s advantage 

to survey them, and to take possession of them if they offer 

articles of value to her trade and her navigation. 

In this sea, the area to which M. de Bougainville must pay 

particular attention is that between 40” of southern latitude 

towards the north, and what lies between the two tropics. 

It is in these latitudes that are found precious metals and 

spices, M. de Bougainville will study the land, the trees and 

the principal products; he will bring back samples and drawings of every-thing he considers merits attention , . . (Dunmore, 1965, I:67). 

Here in capsule form are the interests of the 

French in the Pacific and no doubt because of the 

emphasis on natural products in the last paragraph 

of these instructions, the Duke of Praslin, who was 

Minister of the Marine at the time, decided that 

a naturalist should accompany this expedition. 

This was somewhat unusual, for most of the 

“scientific” personnel who took part in voyages 

of exploration in the eighteenth century were astronomers whose main function was determining 

the ship’s position at sea. (Vernon served in that 

capacity with Bougainville.) Since most of the 

ships’ surgeons knew a little natural history, it was 

only rarely that a professional naturalist accompanied such voyages. 

Nevertheless, the Duke of Praslin wanted a 

naturalist and two of his advisors recommended 

Jean Jacques Rousseau advocated such notions in his 

Social Contract of 1762. 
NUMBER 17 

Bougainville anchored on the eastern side of 

Tahiti at Hitiaa on 6 April 1768, a little more than 

eight months after Wallis’ departure and remained 

there for about eight days. He went home by sailing north of New Guinea, on to Batavia, through 

the Indian Ocean to the French island of Mauritius (where he left Commerson) and entered the 

harbor of St. Malo on 16 March 1769; he had to 

report that the “Southern Continent” had also 

eluded him (see Appendix 2). 

Still the idea persisted. After all, the geographers 

argued, the previous voyages had been in the 

vicinity of the Tropic of Capricorn. There was an 

enormous expanse of ocean to the south in the 

latitudes of New Zealand and surely there the continent was to be found. Let someone search below 

Capricorn and the geographers would be proved 

right. James Cook did just that-on two separate 

occasions-and he proved them wrong (Cook, 

Cook was first sent into the Pacific under the 

auspices of two institutions with very different 

motives: the Royal Society of London and the 

British government. In the spring of 1769 an event 

of great importance to astronomy was to occur. 

The planet Venus would cross the disc of the sun 

and proper observation of it would provide the 

foundation for the calculations of the distance of 

the earth from the sun. The transit had been observed in 1761, but only poorly, and it would not 

happen again until 1874. It was therefore necessary to insure the success of this observation and 

as early as June of 1766 the Royal Society began 

to prepare for it (Cook, 1955-1967, I, App. 2; see 

also Woolf, 1959). The “Committee for the Transit” decided to send observers to three parts of the 

world: Hudson’s Bay, the North Cape of Lapland, 

and to some suitable island in the South Seas. The 

Royal Society thought that the Hudson Bay Company would provide passage for the astronomers 

to North America and they might reach Lapland 

on the annual Navy ship which went there to 

protect Britain’s fishing interests. To send observers to the South Seas was another matter. The 

Royal Society itself had no money to equip and 

launch such an expedition and it turned to the 

government for the necessary financial support. 

The King was agreeable and granted the sum of 

four thousand pounds; the Admiralty provided a 

1955-1 967). 

57 

ship-the Whitby-built collier, now famous in 

Pacific history as the Endeavour. 

The Council of the Royal Society proposed as 

observers of the transit Alexander Dalrymple, the 

geographer who argued so cogently for the existence of the “Southern Continent,” and Charles 

Green, an assistant to the Astronomer Royal at 

the Greenwich Observatory. Mr. Dalrymple made 

it abundantly clear, however, that he had not the 

slightest intention of making the voyage unless he 

had “the total inanagement of the ship to be 

sent , . . .” The Admiralty, on its part, made it 

just as clear that, since Mr. Dalrymple was not a 

professional seaman, such an arrangement would be 

“totally repugnant to the rules of the navy . . .” 

(Cook, 1955-1967, 1:513). Thereupon James Cook 

was selected as the commander of the ship and also 

as one of the observers of the transit since he had 

had some practical experience as an astronomer 

during a marine survey on the northeastern coast 

of North America. 

All these arrangements had taken place by midMay of 1768 though the Royal Society had no 

very clear idea of just which island in the South 

Seas would be suitable as a site for astronomical 

observation. A few days later on 20 May, however, the Dolphin arrived in England and Wallis 

reported the discovery of an island which would 

serve the Society’s purpose quite nicely. The 

natives called it “Otaheite” and, fortunately, he 

had been able to determine its position rather 

accurately. Moreover, the natives showed no tendencies toward cannibalism, the climate was excellent, and food was available in trade for nothing 

more than iron nails and a few hatchets. Wallis 

also thought that he had actually seen the “Southern Continent” some “20 leagues to the South of 

George’s Island” (Cook, 1955-1957, I:cix), and 

Britain, still mindful of the economic and political 

advantages of an expanded empire, instructed 

Cook to pursue this report. After observing the 

transit from Tahiti, he was to sail south, down to 

forty degrees latitude; if he found no land, he was 

to turn west and search for it between thirty-five 

and forty degrees, all the way to the coast of New 

Zealand if necessary. 

At this juncture, the Secretary of the Royal 

Society communicated one last request to the 

Admiralty (Banks, 1963; 1:22): 
58 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

knowledge to some use. He badly needed more 

supplies than he could get at Tahiti and he felt 

his men would be the better for a rest before 

experiencing “the cold weather we might expect 

to meet with to the Southward at this Season of 

the year . . .” (Cook, 1955-1967, I:139). 

Although the crew had been working very hard 

to prepare for the observation of Venus, they had 

also encountered Venus in the more substantial 

form of the native women. They delighted in the 

latter to such an extent that Cook confessed to his 

journal that the men “were in a worse state of 

hilth [sic] than they were on our first arrival, for 

by this time full half of them had got the Veneral 

Disease . . .” (Cook, 1955-1967, 1:138). And so 

he sailed westwafd when he left Matavai Bay and 

in the course of the next month leisurely visited 

the islands of Huahine, Raiatea, and Tahaa on 

all of which Banks and Solander collected plants 

(Banks also had collected on Moorea during this 

voyage; Banks, 1963, I:283-285). He sailed along, 

but did not land on, the eastern coast of Borabora and sighted Tetiaroa, Maupiti and Tupai 

[Motu-iti] (Appendix 1). In describing these 

islands in his journal, Cook (1955-1967, I:151) 

said, ‘I. , . as they lay contiguous to one a nother 

[sic] I have named [them] Society Isles.” Thus 

the Societies were not named for the Royal SOciety and at first included only these six islands 

mentioned above. Now the name embraces all of 

the islands and atolls from Mehetia in the east to 

Motu One in the west. It is in this modern sense 

that the name is used in this essay. In August 

1769 the Endeavor turned due south and Cook 

began the second phase of his instructions. 

When he arrived back in England, to general 

acclaim, on 13 July 1771, he had illuminated 

much of the Pacific area but had found no new 

continent, although its possible northern limits had 

been pushed back to a considerable extent. Cook 

was promoted to commander but enjoyed only a 

brief respite at home for there was a great deal 

of clamor for a second voyage. Both Cook and 

Banks wanted to return to the Pacific and those 

theorists who clung tenaciously to the last vestiges 

of the “Southern Continent” pointed to the Pacific 

below forty-five degrees latitude which hitherto 

had not been searched. Clearly, what was wanted 

was a passage in these higher latitudes all the way 

across the Pacific. In a postscript to his journal of 

Joseph Banks Esqr Fellow of this Society, a Gentleman of 

large fortune, who is well versed in natural history, being 

Desirous of undertaking the same voyage the Council very 

earnestly request their Lordships, that in regard to Mr. Bank’s 

great personal merit, and for the Advancement of useful 

knowledge, He also, together with his Suite, being seven 

persons more, that is eight persons in all, together with their 

baggage be received on board of the Ship, under the command of Captain Cook. 

Included in Banks’ entourage, besides servants, 

artists, and a couple of dogs, was Daniel Solander 

(Rauschenberg, 1968), a young Swede and favorite pupil of Linnaeus who had been sent to 

England to promulgate the Linnean system of 

classification. Solander was elected a fellow of the 

Royal Society in 1764 and he probably met Banks 

shortly thereafter. Not only was he an agreeable 

man personally, but also one of the ablest botanists of his day; probably no better choice could 

have been made by Banks as a traveling companion in the Pacific. (For biographical information about Banks, see Banks, 1963, and Cameron, 

1952.) 

The extraordinary thing about this request of 

the Royal Society was that the Admiralty did not 

object to it in the slightest. Of Banks’ “great personal merit” at this time-he was only twentyfive-there is little enough evidence. But of his 

charm and abundant measure of the self-assurance 

of an eighteenth-century “gentleman of large 

fortune,” the very fact that no difficulties were 

raised is eloquent testimony. After all, this was a 

preposterous notion of Banks’. He proposed to inflict himself and his companions on an already 

over-crowded vessel for purposes not at all envisaged by either the government or the Royal 

Society and furthermore those purposes might uncharitably be construed as frivolous and totally 

removed from the serious nature of the enterprise 

(Banks, 1963, I:23). However, to his lasting 

credit, he brought it off; so well in fact that Joseph 

Banks was to become the single most important 

man of the eighteenth century in promoting the 

development of knowledge of the Society Islands’ 

flora. 

The Endeavour arrived at Tahiti on 13 April 

1769 and remained there for three months. Venus 

was duly observed and Banks and his party collected about the island with complete freedom. 

While there, Cook learned of several other islands 

that were not far away and he decided to put this 
NUMBER 17 

the voyage of the Endeavour, Cook had briefly 

outlined a scheme for further Pacific exploration 

and, thus spurred, the Admiralty decided upon 

another voyage (Cook, 1955-1967, 1:478-479). 

Cook, of course, was given the command and it 

was understood that Mr. Banks would accompany 

him. 

Banks was determined that this time natural 

history would not scramble aboard and make do. 

He had been lionized to such an extent ever since 

his return that this amiable young gentleman was 

suffering exceedingly from a swelled head. Two 

ships had been chosen for the second voyage-the 

Resolution and the Adventure-and when Banks 

saw the Resolution he decided emphatically that 

she would not do. He had accumulated a “Suite” 

this time of fifteen besides himself and had been 

spending money at a furious pace for all manner 

of equipment. The Resolution, he objected, was 

just not large enough for his purposes and would 

have to be refitted or else he would not go; this 

latter being his constant threat if his plans were 

thwarted in any way. Wishing to indulge such a 

wealthy youth, everyone tried hard to please him. 

Eventually, the ship, built for the coal trade with 

a wide, flat bottom and hold, was so altered that 

she became topheavy and threatened to capsize when any useful amount of sail was raised. 

At last, exasperated beyond endurance with Banks 

and his demands, the Admiralty and the Navy 

Board came down hard and ordered the Resolution restored to her original condition at once. 

This decision reduced Banks to swearing, stamping incoherence. John Elliot, a midshipman on the 

Resolution who later wrote his memoirs, recalled, 

“Mr. Banks came to Sheerness and when he saw 

the ship, and the alterations that were made, He 

swore and stamp’d upon the Warfe, like a Mad 

Man; and instantly order’d his servants, and all 

his things out of the Ship” (Cook, 1955-1967, 11: 

XXX). Again he threatened that he would not go 

but this time the Admiralty took him at his word 

and his tantrum resulted in the appointment of 

John Reinhold Forster and his son George as 

naturalists of the expedition. This is one instance 

where Banks was not responsible for the appointment of the naturalists on an English voyage to 

the Pacific. Parliament had voted four thousand 

pounds for a “scientific man,” and it was Daines 

Barrington, a prominent lawyer and naturalist, 

who got the job for the Forsters (Cook, 1955-1967, 

11; Hoare, 1967,1971). It is indicative of the interest Cook’s first trip created in England that so 

large a sum was granted for a single person on the 

proposed second voyage. It will be recalled that 

it was an identical sum of money which the King 

had granted for the entirety of Cook’s first voyage. 

Cook’s instructions were merely an expanded 

version of his own outline and once more the object of the voyage was the “Southern Continent.” 

The Royal Society had no particular interests in 

this voyage, but, together with the Board of Longitude, asked that four chronometers be tested for 

the purpose of determining longitude at sea. This 

was one of the great unsolved navigational 

problems of the day and Parliament had offered a 

prize of 20,000 pounds for its successful solution. 

One chronometer, based on John Harrison’s model 

(E. Forbes, 1966), was successful and it earned 

high praise from Cook before the journey’s end. 

Cook and the Forsters were to call at the 

Society Islands on two different occasions on this 

voyage (Appendix 2). They entered the Pacific 

by way of the Cape of Good Hope, where the 

elder Forster engaged Anders Sparrman (Forster 

and Forster, 1776:iii) as an assistant naturalist, 

and continued on to New Zealand. On 26 August 

1773 they were anchored in Matavai Bay, having 

spent some nine days on the eastern side of 

Tahiti-iti where the Resolution had been driven 

onto the reef. They spent six days in the familiar 

port and Cook then sailed to Huahine. Desirous 

of adding to his supplies, he visited Raiatea where 

the natives were so friendly that he was able to 

stock provisions beyond his expectations. 

Then for eight months Cook searched the Pacific for the “Southern Continent” in a gigantic 

swing in the high latitudes, reaching between 

seventy and seventy-five degrees before turning 

north. Subsequently he visited Easter Island, continued north to the Marquesas and then turned 

south through the Tuamotus; he was back at Tahiti on 22 April 1774. Huahine and Raiatea were 

visited as usual and on 4 June he left for another 

sweep of the Pacific. On 29 July 1775 he was 

safely back in England and Dalrymple’s and de 

Brosses’ dreams were shattered forever; the ghost 

of the “Southern Continent” was well laid to rest, 

With the completion of this voyage, Cook accepted an appointment at Greenwich Hospital for 
60 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

a well-deserved rest. It was not to be for long. 

At a dinner party given by First Lord of the 

Admiralty Lord Sandwich in early February 1776, 

Cook volunteered for yet another voyage, once 

more in search of an equally elusive bit of 

eighteenth-century geography-the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific. 

Considerable energy had been expanded on this 

effort ever since John Cabot’s voyage in 1497 but 

to no avail. All previous attempts, however, had 

been made from east to west, i.e., they began the 

search in Hudson’s Bay. What was now proposed 

was a western approach to the problem, an 

approach which led via the South Pacific and up 

the coast of California to see if the presumed 

western outlet of the passage could be found. Not 

only would the discovery be of immense strategic 

value to the British government but the Royal 

Society espoused the voyage as one which “would 

contribute to the promotion of Science in general, 

and more particularly that of geography . . .” 

(Beaglehole, 1960:289). Cook was again to have 

two ships for the purpose, the familiar Resolution 

and another Whitby-built vessel, the Discovery. 

Joseph Banks reentered the history of the 

Pacific with this voyage and under much more 

edifying circumstances than he departed from the 

last one. To be sure, he was not among the voyagers; he was, in fact, never to see the Pacific 

again. On the Discooery, however, was David 

Nelson, a Kew gardener whom Banks had engaged as a botanical collector (Dawson, 1958:256; 

Bladen, 1893:406), and natural history was competently represented on the Resolution by William 

Anderson, the surgeon’s mate of Cook’s last 

voyage. 

This time Cook personally visited Moorea and 

Borabora, two islands which he had previously 

only seen from the ship (Appendix 2). Otherwise he made the customary circuit of Tahiti, 

Huahine, and Raiatea; he then sailed north to 

discover Hawaii and search the western coast of 

North America in vain for the outlet of the Northwest Passage. He returned a second time to Hawaii, 

where he was killed in a skirmish with the natives 

on 14 February 1779. 

It is somewhat ironical that Cook, the greatest 

of the European explorers of the Pacific, was on 

each occasion asked to perform impossible tasks 

there. He could find neither the “Southern Continent” nor the Northwest Passage for the elementary reason that they did not exist as such. Of 

course, there is a “Northwest Passage” from the 

Atlantic to the Pacific around the polar region, 

but it is continuously blocked with ice. Therefore, 

in a sense, it did not exist for the eighteenthcentury sailing ship because there would have 

been no possible way for such a vessel to 

penetrate the ice cap. However, this is not to say 

that Cook made no positive contributions in the 

Pacific but to emphasize his abilities to dispel 

illusions. Because of his superb qualities as an 

explorer, his legacy was a largely completed map 

of the Pacific, and men would no longer build 

dream empires on the “Southern Continent.” It 

would be for more narrowly conceived reasons 

that future expeditions would be dispatched to the 

Pacific; the great work had been done. 

Such was the case for the first voyage of the 

Bounty under William Bligh, who had been 

Master of the Resolution on Cook’s third voyage 

(Mackaness, 1936). When Cook and Banks had 

visited Tahiti in 1769, they naturally observed 

and reported the usefulness of breadfruit in the 

native diet and great interest was taken in this 

staple in the British West Indies. Almost all of 

England’s sugar came from these islands and it 

was all produced by slave labor. Since food was 

often scarce there, particularly on St. Vincent and 

Jamaica, it was thought that the introduction of 

the breadfruit would provide a cheap source of 

food for the slaves and at the same time reduce 

the dependency of the islands on North America 

for foodstuffs. 

One of the Jamaican plantation owners, Hinton 

East, who had formed the first botanical garden 

there in the 1740s (Fawcett, 1897:346), had long 

been a correspondent of Banks; and when in London in 1786, he personally impressed upon Banks 

the value of introducing the breadfruit into the 

West Indies (Mackaness, 1936:49). Banks was 

intensely interested in such schemes and he in turn 

proposed the idea to George 111. Banks was very 

much in the confidence of his sovereign at this 

time so it is not surprising that the King thought 

well of the plan. Furthermore, Banks had maintained an active interest in the Pacific and became 

much involved in this voyage. Not only was Bligh 

appointed commander and David Nelson as botanist at his recommendation, but Banks himself 
NUMBER 17 

drew up a careful list of instructions concerning 

the care of the breadfruit plants (Mackaness, 

1936:5 1 ). 

Bligh’s party sailed from Spithead on 28 November 1787 and spent five months at Tahiti. 

When he left there, he had over one thousand 

breadfruit seedlings on board, and the mutiny 

which prevented their ever reaching the West 

Jndies is a well-known story. When the mutiny 

occurred, David Nelson cast his lot with his captain but unfortunately never reached England with 

him. He died at Timor and, of course, whatever 

botanical work he had done on Tahiti was totally 

lost. 

Bligh did not get back to England until March 

of 1790 and in the meantime England and Spain 

were approaching a serious confrontation concerning the Pacific. Even in the waning years of the 

eighteenth century the Spanish Crown regarded 

the majority of the Pacific as part of her empire, 

and ever since Wallis, French and British voyages 

into that area of the world were viewed with increasing asperity. Spain was particularly interested 

in watching British activities in the Societies and 

in 1772 she sent a voyage to Tahiti from South 

America to investigate “whether any foreign 

colony has been planted there, as is suspected 

may have been done by the British nation” 

(Corney, 1913, I:265). When this was found not 

to be the case, a second voyage was dispatched 

in 1774 to land two friars on Tahiti with an eye 

to establishing a permanent Spanish settlement 

there and thus preventing Britain from claiming 

Tahiti by right of discovery. The missionaries 

shortly became frightened of the natives and when 

a third ship reached the island in 1775 to bring 

them supplies, the friars refused to remain and 

returned to South America (Appendix 3). 

But it was not colonization in this part of the 

Pacific that was the immediate cause of strained 

relations between Spain and England in the 1780s. 

After Cook’s last voyage many adventurous minds 

were attracted to the possibilities of the sea otter 

fur trade between the Pacific Northwest and 

China. John Meares, a former lieutenant in the 

British navy, had gone so far as to purchase land 

from the local Indians in Nookta Sound in 1788 

and arranged exclusive rights to the fur trade with 

them. (Nootka Sound is an inlet of the Pacific situated on the west coast of Vancouver Island, 

61 

British Columbia,) When this became known to 

Spain later in the year, Captain Jose Marinez was 

sent from Mexico to investigate the amount of 

trade actually taking place around the Sound. SO 

alarming was his report that he was commissioned 

to establish a permanent Spanish settlement in 

Nookta Sound in 1789. In doing so he insisted 

that all of the land there belonged to Spain, including that which Meares had bought from the 

Indians. The British would not tolerate this position and a full-blown war between Spain and 

England was only averted by the Spanish realization that, because of Britain’s powerful navy 

and the strength of her allies, war with England 

at that time would be a very risky business indeed 

(B. Anderson, 1960:29-43). 

The entire affair was finally settled by diplomatic maneuverings and Britain won back Meares’ 

land in the settlement. It was decided to send a 

ship to Nookta Sound for the formal restitution of 

the land and George Vancouver was selected to 

command H.M.S. Discovery and her consort, the 

Chatham, for the purpose. In addition, he was to 

survey the coast of North America from thirty degrees latitude to Cook Inlet in Alaska just in case 

the outlet of the Northwest Passage had escaped 

Cook (B. Anderson, 1960:42-43). Vancouver was a 

logical choice for this assignment since he had been 

in the Pacific with Cook on his second and third 

voyages. 

The fine hand of Banks is once again seen in 

this instance for with Vancouver was Archibald 

Menzies, a naval surgeon and trained botanist, who 

had collected for Banks along the northeast coast 

of North America in 1785. Banks had interceded 

with the King to get Menzies appointed to this 

voyage and it was from Banks himself that 

Menzies took his instructions-a most unusual 

circumstance for a member of the Royal Navy 

(Dawson, 1958:606). 

When Vancouver and Menzies sailed in 1791, 

Banks had been a scientific advisor to the Royal 

Gardens at Kew for eighteen years and had carefully encouraged its development. He had the 

interests of the garden clearly in mind when he 

instructed Menzies (in Balfour, 1944-1945:81): 

When you meet with curious or valuable plants which you 

do not think likely to be propagated from seeds in His 

Majesty’s Garden, you are to dig up proper specimens of 

them, plant them in the glass Frame provided for that 
62 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTASY 

botanical collections from the Society Islands. 

They had been stumbled upon thirty-three years 

earlier in the search for a commercial empire hopefully to be founded on spices, and if they had liad 

these in coinniercially exploitable quantities, their 

history woultl quite probably have been vastly 

different. Apart lroiii a little ginger, however, they 

had none, so the European governments lost interest in their fiora as such. Nevertheless, an ainazing 

amount of botanical collecting had been done and 

it was due to several fortunate circumstances. Not 

the least of these was the fact that Sir Joseph 

Banks was a powerful man in eigliteenth-century 

science, and that lie was deeply interested in 

Pacific botany. Elected President of the Royal 

Society of London in 1778, he remained in that 

office for over forty years. During that long tenure he achieved international influence as a 

promoter of all the sciences. 

Indeed, it would be difficult to underestimate 

Banks’ role in bringing Society Islands plants to the 

attention of Europe. English ships were going to 

that part of the world for every purpose except 

botany, antl yet he somehow managed to get botanists on board. Not only was his among the first 

collections of the Societies’ flora, he also developed 

the finest natural history library of the region to 

be found in Europe. Most of the people interested 

in the plants of the “South Sea Islands” sooner or 

later were welcomed at Banks’ London house at 

32 Soh0 Square, and all of its botanical treasures 

put at their disposal. His herbarium had specimens from all over the Pacific and Kew Garden 

was enriched with several introductions from the 

Societies obtained at Banks’ instigation. 

In addition, events had so transpired that England had a number of reasons, both political and 

commercial, for being in the Pacific in the latter 

part of the eighteenth century, and the only routes 

were by way of the Cape of Good Hope or around 

the Horn. In either case, the Societies, ideally 

situated in the middle of the South Pacific, were 

a natural refuge and refitting station. They had 

good harbors, food was usually easily obtained at 

one or another of the islands of the group, and 

the natives-if not conforming to the letter of the 

Social Contmct-at least seemed to hold no serious prejudices against Europeans. 

Lastly, it must always be kept in mind that the 

only way of reaching the Societies in the eightpurpose, and use your utmost endeavours to preservc them 

alive ’till your return. . . . 

hlenzies carried out his instructions very faithfully 

but many of‘ the live plants intended for Kew did 

not survive due to the neglect of the servant delegated to care for them (Dawson, 1958:607). 

The Discoueiy spent a month at Tahiti to 

restore the health of the crew antl replenish the 

ship’s provisions. Then, late in January of 1792 

she sailed northwest to begin the continental survey tor which Vancouver is justly famous. 

At the same time that Banks was busily involved with Menzies and his part in the Vancouver 

voyage, lie had by no means abandoned his earlier 

protkgk, William Bligh, and his plan for the 

transfer of breadfruit to the West Indies. As early 

as October I790 Bligli was officially exonerated 

of any responsibility for the Bounty mutiny and 

Banks renewed his appeals to the L4dmiralty for 

another breadfruit voyage to Tahiti. The Admiralty was persuaded in March of 1791 and Bligh 

was instructed to look for a suitable ship (Lee, 

192O:vii et passim). He found one in a new West 

Indiaman, the Providence, and the small brig 

Assistant was chosen to accompany her; apparently Bligh was taking no chances of another 

mutiny and the necessity of getting back to England in the launch. 

Banks, as usual, chose the botanists (Dawson, 

1958:869-870). James Wiles and Christopher 

Smith were to sail on the Providence, and once 

more the interests of Kew were urged by Banks 

(in Britten, 1922:23): 

Whenever you shall meet with plants in your opinion particularly beautifull [sic] or curious, you are to . . . take on 

board one or two of each sort for the use of his Majesty’s 

Botanic Garden at Kew. . . . 

In addition, Banks requested them to make a complete set of all the specimens they collected for 

his personal herbarium, for which they would receive extra pay from him (Dawson, 1958:870). 

The two ships sailed on 3 August 1791 and 

arrived at Tahiti in early April of 1792. Bligh 

spent only about two months there but collected 

more breadfruit seedlings than in his previous 

stay of five months and this time they successfully 

arrived at the West Indies. 

Capped by this note of achievement the eighteenth century closed without any other major 
NUMBER 17 

eenth century was by sea and on that element 

Britain was supreme. These facts, in connection 

with Banks’ interest and influence, worked together 

to make this inconspicuous scattering of volcanic 

and coral outcroppings much visited and much 

explored by the English. 

In the face of all this activity, it is strange that 

so very little was published about the Societies in 

the eighteenth century or even the early nineteenth 

century. Banks’ librarian, Jonas Dryander, cataloged his library and published a five-volume 

account of it from 1796 to 1800. In the volume 

dealing with botany (1797) under the heading 

Insularum Oceani Pacifici there are only six books 

and articles listed. These are William Anderson’s 

manuscript, “Descriptiones Plantarum” (1776- 

1777), Sydney Parkinson’s JozirnaZ (1773), and 

an article attributed to Parkinson in Die Naturforscher (Z., 1774). George Forster is represented 

by three short entries: De Plantis Esculenlis 

(1786a), the Prodromus (1786b), and a paper 

entitled “Decas Plantarum Novarum ex Insulis 

Maris Australis” (1780). Strangely enough, the 

Characteres Generum Plantarum of J. R. and G. 

Forster (1776) is not listed. 

Philibert Commerson apparently never felt himself to be intellectually prepared enough to commit 

anything to paper, for in a letter written to one of 

his friends in 1757 (in Oliver, 1909:37), he 

observed: 

As for your reproach that I am communicating nothing to 

the public, it is easy to give a satisfactory reply. How could 

I expect the public to be pleased with me when I have not 

even satisfied myself? 

Whether this was conviction or merely conceit we 

cannot judge but it remains that Commerson never 

published the results of any of his botanical 

studies and his collections from Tahiti have apparently been lost. Indeed, some have doubted that 

Commerson did any botanical collecting on Tahiti 

(e.g., Grant, unpublished notes). This would be 

very surprising if it were true and there is at least 

indirect evidence that it is not. Bougainville (1772: 

304) made the direct statement in his journal that 

“M. de Commercon [sic] went on shore to botanize there [Tahiti] . . .” and there is a manuscript notebook in the Muskum National 

d’Histoire Naturelle, annotated in Commerson’s 

hand, containing observations made at Patagonia, 

Tahiti, and the New Hebrides. The notebook is 

63 

dated from 7 September to 25 October 1768 and 

thus brackets the Bougainville expedition’s stay 

on Tahiti (see Taillemite, 1968:35-58). In a paragraph entitled, “FertilitC de l’isle [Tahiti] et 

ses productions,” he noted at least the important 

economic plants such as coconuts, bananas, yams, 

sweet potatoes (pates) and sugar cane (Taillemite, 

1968 : 45). 

Commerson later alluded to the flora of Tahiti 

in a manner which leads one to believe that he 

had a first-hand knowledge of it. In a letter to 

Lalande, Commerson argued against the generalization that similar plants grow in similar latitudes 

and in the course of the argument emphatically 

stated, “Tahiti has its own characteristic botany . . .” (Cap, 1861:118). All of this indicates 

that Commerson had at least studied, and probably collected, Tahitian plants. 

Nevertheless, after his death in 1773, an inventory of his effects included plants from the 

Mascarenes, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Brazil, 

the Straits of Magellan, Buenos Aires, Batavia, 

the island of Buru (or Boero), Paraguay, New 

Ireland, and Montevideo (Oliver, 1909:221). His 

will of 1766 made the Jardin du Roi the heir of 

all his botanical material, and in 1776 they were 

put into the hands of Antoine-Laurent de 

Jussieu for study (Bidal, 1934:214; Stafleu, in 

Jussieu, 1964). Jussieu did not find any Tahitian 

material among the collection (Montessus, 1889- 

1890:200), nor is there mention of it in the published records of herbaria to which Commerson 

is known to have sent duplicates. Some of Commerson’s plants, probably duplicates, were sent 

to Louis-Guillaume Lemonnier who held the 

Chair of Botany at the Jardin du Roi from 1758 

to 1785. Lemonnier’s herbarium was purchased 

by Benjamin Delessert and a description of the 

Delessert collections contains no Commerson 

material from Tahiti. “The plants coming from 

several voyages of Commerson and which were 

entered in the herbarium of M. Lemonnier, were 

more than 3000. Several cases of plants, among 

others those collected at Tahiti, were unfortunately lost during the voyage” (LasPgue, 1845:56). 

Equally unfortunately, LasPgue is not at all clear 

about the exact voyage (traverse‘e) on which they 

were lost. Cap (1861:33-34) lists the herbaria to 

which Commerson is supposed to have sent 

duplicates. 
64 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

Aside from a trip to Madagascar, Commerson 

never left the Mascarenes and he died on Mauritius (Ly - Tio - Fane, 1958). Therefore, if his 

Tahitian plants survived the Bougainville voyage, 

they must have been either lost in the Mascarenes 

or in the transport from Mauritius to the Jardin 

du Roi. 

Accompanying Commerson on his voyage with 

Bougainville was a young artist, Jossigny. He 

made a large number of drawings from living 

specimens and these were also willed to the Jardin 

du Roi by Commerson. Some five portfolios of 

drawings arrived there in 1774, three of botany 

and two of zoology, all bearing the signature of 

either Commerson or Jossigny (Lalande, 1775: 

113, n. 1; Cap, 1861:23-24, 39). Perhaps among 

these is to be found the only extant record of 

plants observed by Commerson at Tahiti. 

Banks, also, did not publish the results of his 

botanical discoveries in the Societies. That he had 

every intention of doing so, and in the grand 

manner, is evident from the fact that the manuscripts of the floras of Madeira, Brazil, Tierra del 

Fuego, New Zealand, Java, and the Society 

Islands were prepared by Solander (1782), which 

Stearn discussed in two excellent articles (1968, 1969). 

Sydney Parkinson, one of the artists Banks had 

engaged for the voyage, had made 995 drawings 

of natural history objects, and Banks planned to 

have copper engravings of these made to be included with the text (Britten, 1905:282). Solander 

was to do the technical descriptions of all the collections resulting from the voyage, and Banks 

took it upon himself to superintend the engraving 

of the plates. The latter was a time-consuming 

task as evidenced by Banks’ letter to the younger 

Linnaeus in 1778 (Smith, 1821, 11:575): 

Uninterruptedly, however, as I have applied to the work 

of engraving for near five years, I have not yet advanced 

above half of my intended progress. About 550 plates are 

engraved, and I think, if circumstances as yet unexpected do 

not oblige me to cut it short, it will extend to double that 

number. 

The work was so near completion that he was 

able to write in November 1784 (Rauschenberg, 

1964: 67): 

The botanical work with which I am presently involved 

is nearing its conclusion. . . . Since all the descriptions were 

made when the plants were fresh, nothing remains to be done, 

except to fully work out the drawings still not finished, and 

to record the synonyms from books which we did not have 

with us or which have come out since. All that is left is so 

little that it can be completed in two months, if only the 

engravers can come to put the finishing touches on it, 

Unfortunately, these “finishing touches” were 

never completed. After 1778, when he was 

elected president of the Royal Society, Banks became increasingly occupied with its affairs and 

with the Royal Gardens at Kew. In addition, he 

had lost his co-worker, Solander, who had died in 

1782. Sir James Edward Smith (1821, II:579) 

gave it as his opinion that the reason the volumes 

were never published was because they were 

“sacrificed to the duties incumbent, for almost 

half a century, on the active and truly efficient 

President of the Royal Society.” 

Many of Banks’ and Solander’s observations on 

plants appear in the journal which Banks kept on 

the voyage of the Endeavour and also in Hawkesworth’s (1773) account of it. After Banks died in 

1820, all of his collections .were willed to the 

British Museum and in the nineteenth century, 

Berthold Seemann (1865-1873) published parts of 

Solander’s manuscript of the Societies in his Flora 

Vitiensis. Later still, the plates and descriptions 

of Banks and Solander’s (1900) Australian plants 

were published by the British Museum. However, 

the majority of what would surely have been one 

of the most impressive works in natural history of 

the eighteenth century still lies unpublished in the 

British Museum of Natural History. 

The only description of the voyage that was 

published by a member of it was Sydney Parkinson’s (1773) journal. It was posthumously 

published by his brother, Stanfield Parkinson and 

an extract was published in German in 1774 by 

“Z.” This is an important work in the history of 

the botany of the Society Islands because it contains a number of binomial names of useful 

plants found on Tahiti (Merrill, 1954b3326-363). 

It is highly doubtful that Parkinson originated any 

of these names; instead, when a new plant was 

found and Parkinson sketched it, he probably 

wrote the name Solander gave him on his drawing 

for future identification. Therefore, it would only 

be natural for him to refer to these plants by the 

Solander names in his journal. This account of 

the Society Islands is the first to include proper 

scientific names for the plants found there. However, there is a question whether or not the names 
NUMBER 17 65 

are validly published under the present rules of 

the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature 

and acceptable to modern taxonomy. F. R. Fosberg (1941:93-96, 196O:lOl-113, pers. comm.) has 

accepted at least four of Parkinson’s specific epithets 

as valid, since they are accompanied by enough 

descriptive information so that there should be no 

question about their identity. These are Sitodium 

altilis (= Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg), 

Aniotum fagifera (= Inocarpus fagiferus (Parkinson) 

Fosberg), Spondias dulcis and Pandanus tectorius. 

The Forster names of the genera Sitodium and 

Aniotum are Artocarpus and Inocarpls, respectively. 

These have been conserved over the prior Parkinson names (Fosberg, 1939:231). Most of the names, 

however, are to be regarded as nomina nuda and 

thus are not validly published. 

The Forsters foreswore colored plates and other 

pretensions to Banksian magnificence and got down 

to the business of publishing their results as soon 

as they returned to England. Both G. Forster 

(1777) and J. R. Forster (1778) wrote narratives 

of their voyage, as did Anders Sparrman (1789). 

Although all three mention the vegetation of the 

Society Islands, none of them are technical botanical treatises. The first scientific work that appeared 

from Cook’s second voyage was a collaboration 

between the elder and younger Forster (1776). It 

was entitled, Characteres Generum Plantarum 

and was first published in a folio edition of only 

six copies in 1775. In March of the following year, 

a much larger edition, in quarto, came out, apparently with no textual changes from the first edition 

(St. John, 1971). Four years later, George Forster 

(1780) delivered a paper to the Royal Society of 

Science at Upsala entitled “Decas Plantarum 

Novarum ex Insulis Maris Australis,” which mentioned ten genera of plants all taken from the 

Characteres. Only one genus, Mallococca, is recorded from the Societies (Huahine). 

The 1776 publication contained a description of 

75 new genera, classified according to the Linnean 

system, and for each genus there was a small plate 

showing the characteristics of typical fruits and 

flowers. However, the work is somewhat unsatisfactory because there are no collecting localities indicated for the genera, and the plates are extremely 

small in relation to the size of the page (Holmes, 

1952:31). 

Exactly why the elder Forster’s name appears 

first on the title page, and Sparmann’s not at all, 

is a mystery. In the preface, J. R. Foster (Foster 

and Forster, 1776:iii) described the allocation of 

duties of the three naturalists as follows: 

Sparrman was to describe the plants [and name them?] 

my son was to draw them. . . . However while Sparmann 

was examining the plants in detail my son and I often were 

consulted [by Sparrman] and we had common discussions. 

Then my son arranged the plants he [Sparrman] had described 

in another volume. I revised them all before the descriptions 

were again transcribed into yet another volume in accordance 

with the Linnean System. . . . 

In spite of the confusing syntax and surfeit of 

volumes, it seems clear that Sparrman and George 

Forster did the majority of the work, and it is 

somewhat disingenuous of J. R. Forster to assume 

credit as the senior author. 

In 1786[a], George Forster alone produced De 

Plantis Esculentis Insularum Oceani Australis. 

There were two editions of this book; one was his 

dissertation for the M.D. degree and published at 

Halle, and the other was a reprint done in Berlin 

a few months later (see Merrill, 1954a:35-40). 

Fifty-four species of plants are listed under the 

headings of their edible parts such as fruit, root, 

etc., twenty-six of which were in use in the Society 

Islands (G. Forster, 1786a:lg). In the index to 

the work, the proper Linnean class follows the 

name of the plant and each is very adequately described in the text. 

Not such a laudable production, perhaps, is 

George Forster’s Florulae Insularum Australium 

Prodromus, also published in 1786[b]. It is indeed 

a “preIiminary” flora because it appears very unfinished. The descriptions of each plant are so 

short that they are almost worthless except when 

augmented by the De Plantis Esculentis. There 

are 119 species of flowering plants listed from the 

Society Islands and Forster in this case did indicate where they were collected. However, he 

followed Cook’s definition of the Societies in that 

he considered “Tahiti” as being separate from the 

“Society Islands” (Britten, 1916:251). Therefore, 

if a specimen was not collected on Tahiti, it is 

simply labeled “Society Islands,” with no further 

indication of precisely where it was found. 

Cook’s third voyage produced no botanical 

publications whatever. David Nelson, appointed 

by Banks to collect plants for him, apparently did 

a commendable job, for Banks (in Britten, 1916: 
66 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

251) later wrote as a recommendation of him that 

he had “sailed with Captain Cook on his third voyage round the world in my service for the purpose 

of collecting plants and seeds, and was eminently 

successful in the object of his mission. . . .” 

Nelson sent his collections to Banks when lie 

landed in England in 1781 and Solander, who was 

still working on the floras from the Endeavouy 

voyage, cited a number of Nelson’s specimens. No 

doubt because Nelson was a hired collector and 

because his collection was incorporated into a flora 

already in progress, he did no publishing on his 

own. 

William Anderson was under no such obligation 

to Banks, but, since he died at sea on 3 July 1778, 

it is impossible to say if he would have published 

any of his notes. He recorded his observations of 

the plants he collected in two manuscripts: 

“Descriptiones seu characteres specificos plantarum 

in itinere nostro visa annis 1776-77,” which is 

only 6 pages long, and the “Genera nova plantarum seu descriptiones characterum naturalium 

plantarum adhuc incognitarum in itinere nostro 

visa 1776-77 in linguis Latinis et Anglices scriptes,” 

of 32 pages. The former of these came into the 

possession of Banks and is mentioned in the 

catalog of his library (Dryander, 1796-1800, 

111:184); both of them are now in the British 

Museum of Natural History. Although subsequent 

botanists, including Robert Brown and J. D. 

Hooker made use of them, the manuscripts themselves were never published (Britten, 1916:348-351). 

Archibald Menzies (Boulger, 1963-1964) collected plants on Tahiti and kept a detailed journal 

of his long voyage with Vancouver, but the only 

part of it that he published was an account of his 

mountain-climbing experiences in Hawaii (Menzies, 1829, I:201-208, II:435-442). In 1920 another portion dealing with Hawaii was edited and 

published under the title of Hawaii Nei 128 Years 

Ago (Menzies, 1920), but no other section dealing 

with the Pacific Islands has been issued. There 

are copies of the complete journal, which runs to 

five volumes, in the British Museum and at the 

Linnean Society of London (Balfour, 1944-1945). 

Some of his new species of plants were described 

and published by Sir James Edward Smith (1821) 

and Robert Brown (1810) but by far the majority 

of them by W. J. Hooker in his Botanical Miscellany (1830) and the Flora Boreali-Americana 

Menzies’ own particular interests were in cryptogarns and when he died, he bequeathed his large 

herbarium of them to the Edinburgh Botanic 

Garden. Naturally Banks had received many 

specimens, and some of Menzies’ plants from the 

Pacific Islands are reported to be in the Martius 

collection at Munich. Other Menzies specimens are 

also at Brussels and the British Museum (Balfour, 

Due to the very nature of the breadfruit voyages, it is not surprising that no publications 

resulted from them. They were strictly commercial 

ventures and the botanists who sailed on them 

were hired primarily to care for the breadfruit seedlings. Little time was available for anything else 

and even before the ships sailed from England 

Banks had arranged to buy the collections for 

himself. 

Since there were facilities for maintaining live 

plants on board, Bligh was able to bring back 

some “curiosities” on the Providence. In a table 

summarizing the results of the voyage, he included 

“An Account for his Majesty’s Garden at Kew.” 

There were 24 vessels containing 32 plants from 

Tahiti and among these were “Breadfruit, Rattah 

or Chestnut, Ayyah or Jambo, Avee or Apple, 

Peeah Sago Flour, Oraiah Plantain, Cocoanut, 

Nono singular and Hoohee or Yams” (Lee, 

When the Aovidence arrived at Jamaica, Wiles 

was engaged to remain there as a gardener at Bath 

and his collections are in the Delessert Herbarium 

at Geneva, at Kew, and in the Banks’ collection 

at the British Museum. Smith’s dried specimens 

from Tahiti are also in the British Museum 

(British Museum, 1904:83). Aiton and Aiton 

(1810-1813) list some of the plants introduced 

into Kew from this voyage. 

(1 829-1840). 

1943-1944: 18 1 ) . 

1920:222). 4 

‘The plants, their Tahitian names, and taxa are as follows: (1) breadfruit: “nru,” Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) 

Fosberg; (2) chestnut: “rata” (or “map”), Znocnrpus fagifertis 

(Parkinson) Fosberg; (3) jambo: “ahia,” Eugenia malaccensis 

L.; (4) apple: “vi,” Spondias ddcis Parkinson; (5) sago flour: 

“pia,” Taccn Zeontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze; (6) coconut: “niu,” 

Cocos niicifera L.; (7) yams: “uhi” or “ufi,” Dioscorea alata 

L. Plantain is Mum parndisiaca L., but “oraiah” cannot be 

rendered into any Tahitian equivalent. Similarly, “nono” is 

the Tahitian for Morinda citrifolia L., but it it not clear to 

what the “singular” refers. 
NUMBER 17 

Thus the eighteenth century provided only a 

meager list of books about the plants to be found 

in the Society Islands. Even in the nineteenth 

century, which saw a tremendous increase in the 

amount of collecting and number of publications 

concerning their botany (see below), there was 

still no flora of the islands written. Several lists of 

species with varying amounts of description and 

comment were available, mostly done by French 

naval officers interested in botany or by Frenchmen living on Tahiti. None of these, however, 

were critical taxonomic works. The closest thing to 

a flora of the Societies was Emmanuel Drake del 

Castillo’s Flol-e de la Polyne‘sie FranCaise of 1892, 

which includes the Marquesas, Tuamotus, and the 

Gambier and Wallis groups (Jouan, 1896, has 

critically reviewed this flora). When Drake del 

Castillo prepared it, he had not seen many of the 

plants in the British or American collections, nor 

had he ever seen any of the plants in the field. 

It is now, of course, much out of date. And so, 

this flora prepared by Dr. Martin Grant in 1936, 

partial though it is, must be considered as much 

more than just an addition to the field of Society 

Islands’ botany; it constitutes a real beginning. 

A CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF THE MAJOR VOYAGES, COLLECTIOKS, AND PUBLICATIONS CONCERNING 

THE FLORA OF 7 HE SOCIETY ISLANDS IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWEXTIETH CFNTURIES 

18 17-1856. 

1822-1825. 

1826. 

1827-1828. 

1830. 

1831-1834. 

1834. 

3833. 

1836. 

1836-1839. 

1836-1842. 

3837-1840. 

1839. 

J. M. Orsniond, missionary, left a record of the native names and uses of a large 

number of plants which was published by Henry (1928). 

Lesson, with Duperrey in the Coquille, collected a few plants. [The phanerogams 

of this voyage were reported by Brongniart (1829) and the cryptogams by Bory de 

Saint Vincent (1827-1829). Lesson (1838) included chapters on the plants of Tahiti 

and Borabora in his narrative of the voyage. Duperrey (1825-1830) wrote the general 

account of the voyage.] 

Captain Beechey in the Blossotn. A fair-sized plant collection was made by Lay and 

Collie, and a report published by Hooker and Arnott (1832-1840). 

[Hugh Cuming made a small collection in Tahiti which is discussed by St. John 

(1940). These plants are now at Kew.] 

[Captain Waldgrave (1833) discussed some plants of the Society Islands before the 

Royal Geographical Society.] 

Bertero and Morenhout made an extensive plant collection which was written up 

by Guillemin (1836-1837). 

Nightingale collectecl a few plants, largely in Huahine, [and a list of the ferns by 

IV. J. Hooker was included as a botanical index in Nightingale (1835).] 

Captain Fitzroy and Charles Darwin in the Beagle. Darwin made a few observations 

on plants in the Society Islands in his journal (1852). 

Endlicher (1836) published a list of all the plants known from Polynesia, Micronesia and New Zcaland. 

DII Petit-Thouars in the Venus. A very few of his plants were reported on by 

Decaisne (1849, 1864). 

Captain Belcher in the Srilphzir. Hinds and Barclay collected a few plants. [Hinds 

published a superficial description of the vegetation in Belcher’s (1843) narrative 

of the voyage]. 

Dumont d’Urville in the Astrolnbe and the Zilie. Collections were made by 

Hombron, Jacquinot, and Le Guillou. [Hombron and Jacquinot (1845-1853) edited 

the botanical volumes of the voyage and Dumont d’Urville (1841-1846) wrote the 

narrative.] 

The United States Exploring Expedition under Captain Wilkes. [Wilkes (1844) 

wotc the general account of the voyage.] Plants were collected by Pickering, Rich, 

and Brackenridge. [Several reports on the flowering plants were issued by .4sa Gray 

(1854-1856) and Brackenridge (1854-1855) wrote up the ferns.] ~ 

6This list is adapted from Granl’s original manuscript of this publication and all material in 

brackets is added by Smith. It is concerned only with the ferns and flowering plants and is by 

no means exhaustive. For more complete information, see Sachet and Fosberg (1955, 1971) and 

Merrill (1947). 
68 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

1843. 

1845-1847. 

1845-1847. 

1847. 

1848. 

ca. 1850. 

185 1-1 853. 

1852-1 857. 

1855. 

1856-1859. 

1856-1863. 

1857. 

1857-1 859. 

1865-1 873. 

1865-1 884. 

ca. 1870. 

1875. 

1878. 

1886. 

1886-1898. 

1891. 

1905-1906. 

1909-1 912. 

1910. 

1918. 

1921. 

192 1-1 923. 

1922. 

[Virey discussed the economic flora of the Societies.] 

Galathea expedition, with Didricksen collecting a few plants. 

Dr. Johnston wrote a short paper on the botany of Tahiti, [This paper was found 

among the papers of William Swainson and the author is unknown. Rehder (1911, 

I:510) credits it to Nadeaud and Merrill (1947) agrees that it is, probably a translation of Nadeaud (1874).] 

Vesco, the surgeon of the Uranie sent a number of plants to Paris. [This was the 

frigate Uranie under Captain A. J. Bruat.] 

[E. Delessert (1848) wrote a narrative of his travels in the Atlantic and Pacific 

Oceans and included notes on the vegetation of the Society Islands.] 

Bidwill, Sibbald, and Ribourt collected a few plants. 

Anderson and Ponten, botanists on the Eugenie, made a small collection. [This 

was a Swedish expedition and the narrative of it was written in Swedish by Skogman 

in 1855. His account mentions some plants from the Societies. For the German 

translation, see Skogman (1856).] 

Jardin (1862) collected a considerable number of plants in the Marquesas, and 

secured a few plants in Tahiti, [He also published (1860) a supplement to Guillemin 

Pancher and Vieillard made a small collection and Pancher published a short paper 

on the flora [in Cuzent (1860).] 

Nadeaud made very extensive plant collections and published an account of the 

useful plants (1864), a check-list of the flora (1873), an essay on the botany of Tahiti 

(1874) and a number of taxonomic notes (1897, 1899). 

Cuzent, residing in Tahiti, wrote two important papers on the medical and useful 

plants (1857, 1860) and a number of shorter ones (1861a, 1861b). 

Lepine, a pharmacist stationed in Tahiti collected a number of plants and published at least one paper (1857). 

Commodore Wullerstorf-Urbair in the Novara. Jelinek made a small collection, now 

in the Vienna herbarium. [The botanical part of the voyage was edited and published by Fenzl (1867-70).] 

Seemann’s Flora Vitiensis (1865-1873) contains a record of all the Society Islands’ 

plants then in the British Museum. 

Jouan published several papers on the useful plants (1865, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1882, 

1884). 

Whitmee made a small collection. [This was the Rev. S. J. Whitmee who also collected in Samoa.] 

Captain Spry in the Challenger. Moseley (1879) made a small collection of plants. 

[Baker (1876) wrote a description of the ferns.] 

Vernier and Savatier, botanists with the Magicienne, brought a number of plants 

back to Paris. [Savatier’s herbarium is now at Kew; see Stapf (1909). A brief 

account of the voyage was published by Savatier (1880).] 

Lanessan’s (1886) paper on the useful plants is merely a compilation based on 

Nadeaud (1864) and Cuzent (1857). 

Emmanuel Drake del Castillo wrote the first flora which included the Society Islands 

(1892), a check-list of all Polynesian plants (1886-1892) and a number of short 

papers (1887, 1888, 1890, 1898). 

Butteaud’s (1891) Flow tahitienne is an inaccurately compiled check-list of the 

native flora with original notes on the introductions. 

Seurat published several papers on the useful plants (1905, 1906a, 1906b). 

Leland, Chase, and Tilden made a small collection (see page 1). 

Christian (1910) published a few notes, largely on the useful plants. 

[Bonaparte (1918) published a list of Tahitian ferns with notes.] 

F. Brown secured a small number of specimens (see page 1). [In their Flora of 

Southeastern Polynesia, F. Brown (1931, 1935) and Brown and Brown (1931) discuss 

a number of Society Islands plants although the flora is mainly concerned with all 

of Southeastern Polynesia but the Societies]. 

Whitney expedition. Quayle and Curtiss made a large collection. (See page 1). 

Setchell and Parks made a large collection, and a report on the flowering plants 

1836-1837).] 
NUMBER 17 69 

1926-1927. 

1926-1932. 

1927. 

1929-1930. 

1930-1931. 

1932. 

1932-1 933. 

1934. 

1961. 

1963. 

1963. 

1967. 

was published by Setchell (1926). [Maxon (1924) reported on the ferns, and Viguier 

(1930) wrote some general notes on the vegetation compiled from Setchell.] 

Moore made an exhaustive collection in Raiatea, the nearest thing to a complete 

herbarium that I have ever seen from Polynesia. A description of his novelties has 

been published (1933, 1934). 

[Wilder collected in the Societies, and published a paper on the breadfruit of 

Tahiti (1928).] 

[Macdaniels made a large collection from Tahiti. (See page 1). From the collection, Moore (1940) described 14 new species.] 

[Adamson collected several plants in Tahiti. (See page l).] 

[Grant’s collection on which this flora is based.] 

[Copeland published a report on the ferns from Grant’s collection.] 

[Martelli wrote two papers (1932, 1933) on the Pandanaceae.1 

[The Mangarevan expedition with St. John and Fosberg. Several papers have been 

published on the plants collected by them. See Copeland (1938), Fosberg (1937), 

Heimerl (1937), Sherff (1937), and Sussenguth (1936).] 

[A very small collection was made in Moorea by Elizabeth Murray and is now in 

the Bishop Museum.] 

[M.-H. Sachet collected in Tahiti and sets will be deposited in the Bishop Museum 

and in the U.S. National Herbarium.] 

[J.-N. Maclet began collecting in Tahiti and has continued. Many of his specimens 

are at the U.S. National Herbarium.] 

[Howard Smith collected 186 numbers in Moorea. A complete set of the flowering 

plants is in the Bishop Museum and the ferns are in the University of Michigan 

Herbarium.] 
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1912. 

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Appendix 1 

Island 

Mahetia 

Meetia 

Maitea 

Otaheite 

Otaiti 

Taiti 

Moorea 

Eimeo 

Tetiaroa 

Tethuroa 

Tubuai Manu 

Maiao Iti 

Tapoamanao 

Tapuaemanu 

Huaheine 

Hooheine 

Uliatea 

Ulietea 

Iriru 

Yoolee e Tea 

Tahaa 

Otaha 

Mahea 

Whennuaia 

Whernuaia 

Bora bora 

Bola Bola 

Vavau 

Tubai 

Motu Iti 

Maupiti 

Maura 

Maurua 

Mobidie 

Mopelia 

Mopihaa 

Motu One 

Manuai 

Mehitia 

Tahiti 

Huahine 

Raiatea 

Tupai 

SYNONYMY OF NAMFS OF SOCIETY ISLANDS 

European name Discoverer 

Osnaburgh Wallis 

King George I11 Island 

Duke of York’s Island 

- 

Sir Charles Saunders Island 

Lord Howe Island 

Bellingshausen 

Scilly 

Wallis 

Wallis 

Cook 

Wallis 

Cook 

Cook 

Cook 

Roggeveen 

Cook 

Roggeveen 

Wallis 

Kotzebue 

Wallis 

Date 

1767 

1767 

1767 

1769 

1767 

1769 

1769 

1769 

1722 

1769 

1722 

1767 

1824 

1767 

Manuae 

Fenua Ura 

Fenuna Ora 

lThe islands are listed from southeast to northwest and common variants of their names listed 

*Those who first reported the existence of the island, not necessarily those who first landed 

under them. (For further details consult Jourdain, 1970, and Sharp, 1960). 

on it. 

80 
Appendix 2 

LANDING LOCALITIES IN THE SOCIETY ISLANW 

Captain and island Landing site 

Wallis 

Tahiti 

Bougainville 

Tahiti 

Cook-1st Voyage 

Tahiti 

Moorea (Banks) 

Huahine 

Matavai Bay 

Hitiaa Lagoon 

Matavai Bay 

Islet of Irioa 

Fare Harbor 

Raiatea Opoa Harbor 

Rautoanui Bay 

Tahaa (Banks and Solander) Haamene Bay 

Cook-2nd Voyage 

Tahiti 

Huahine 

Raiatea 

Cook--3rd Voyage 

Tahiti 

Moorea 

Huahine 

Raiatea 

Borabora 

Tahiti 

Bligh-1st Voyage 

Vancouver 

Tahiti 

Bligh-2nd Voyage 

Tahiti 

Vaitepiha Bay 

Matavai Bay 

Matavai Bay 

Fare Harbor 

Fare Harbor 

Haamanino 

Haamanino 

Vaitepiha Bay 

Matavai Bay 

Papetoai Bay 

Fare Harbor 

Haaminino 

Teavanui Harbor 

Matavai Bay 

Toahroah Harbor 

Matavai Bay 

Length of stay 

21 Jun - 20 Jul 1767 

6 Apr - 14 Apr 1768 

13 Apr - 13 Jul 1769 

1 Jun - 4 Jun 1769 

17 Ju1 

20 Jul 

28 Ju1 

- 20 JU1 1769 

- 29 Ju1 1769 

- 29 JU1 1769 

2 Aug - 9 Aug 1769 

17 Aug - 24 Aug 1773 

26 Aug - 1 Sep 1773 

22 Apr - 14 May 1774 

3 Sep - 7 Sep 1773 

15 May - 23 May 1774 

8 Sep - 17 Sep 1773 

23 May - 4 Jun 1774 

13 Aug - 23 Aug 1777 

23 Aug - 29 Sep 1777 

29 Sep - 11 Oct 1777 

4 Nov - 7 Dec 1777 

8 Dec - 8 Dec 1777 

12 Oct - 2 NOV 1777 

25 Oct - 24 Dec 1788 

25 Dec - 4 Apr 1789 

30 Dec 1791 

- 24 Tan 1792 

(Menzies went to District of Oparee in that time) 

Matavai Bay 10 Apr - 19 Ju1 1792 

81 
Captain 

Wallis 

Bougainville 

(Giraudais) 

Cook 

Boenechea 

Cook 

(Furneaux) 

Boenechea 

Langara 

Cook 

(Gore) 

IVatts 

Bligh 

Edwards 

Vancouver 

(Broughton) 

Wea therhead 

? 

Bligh 

(Portlock) 

New 

Wilson 

Appendix 3 

VOYAGES TO THE SOCIETY ISLANDS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 

Ship1 

Dolphin 

La Boudeuse 

L’Etoile 

Endeavour 

Aguila 

Resolution 

Adventure 

Aguila 

Aguila 

Resolution 

Discovery 

Lady Penrhyn 

Pandora 

Discovery 

Chathain 

Alatilda 

Priiice William 

Henry 

Providence 

Assistant 

Daedalus 

noz1nty 

Duff 

Nation 

England 

France 

England 

Spain 

England 

Spain 

Spain 

England 

England 

England 

England 

England 

England 

? 

England 

England 

England 

Date 

1767 

1768 

1769 

1772 

1773, 1774 

1774-1775 

1775 

1777 

1778 

1788 

1791 

1791-1792 

1792 

1792 

1792 

1793 

1797 

Purpose of visit 

Look for southern continent 

Look for southern continent 

Transit of Venus and look for southern continent 

To see if the British had made a permanent settleResupply on way to look for southern continent 

ment on Tahiti 

Take missionaries to Tahiti 

Take supplies for missionaries on Tahiti 

Resupply on the search for the Northwest Passage 

Resupply on way to New South \Vales 

Breadfruit from Tahiti 

Looking for the mutineers from the Bounty 

Resupply on way to survey northwest coast of North 

Resupply on a whaling voyage 

America 

? 

Breadfruit from Tahiti 

Resupply on the way to take supplies to Captain 

Deliver members of the London Missionary Society 

Vancouver 

to Tahiti 

From Henry, 1928:6-30. 

82 
Index of Botanical Names 

(Accepted names of species and subdivisions are in capitals; page numbers of principal accounts 

and synonyms are in italics; other names mentioned or plants not described are in roman) 

Achras sapota, 26 

Adenostemma, 5 

Agapetes, 6 

vitiensis, 6 

Aleurites, 4, 17, 31 

ALLAMANDA, 38 39, 53 

zapota, 26 

CATHARTICA, 39 

var. HENDERSONII, 39 

var. schottii, 39 

hendersonii, 39 

neriifolia, 39 

SCHOTTII, 39 

violacea, 39 

ALSTONIA, 22, 38, 41, 42, 43 

COSTATA, 41-43. 44 

var. FRAGRANS, 41, 42, #3-## 

ELLIPTICA, 41, 42, 43, 44-45 

fragrans, 43 

macrophylla, 41 

montana, 44 

plumosa, 41, 43, 44 

reineckiana, 41, 43, 44 

scholaris, 41 

ALYXIA, 5, 38, 46-47 

bracteolosa, 47 

erythrosperma, 47 

LATILIMBA, 47, 48, 50 

oliviformis, 47, 48 

spicata, 46 

SCANDENS, 47-48, 49-50 

STELLATA, 47-49, 50 

Anagallis arvensis, 23 

Andromeda cerea, 6 

Apetahia, 5 

ARDISIA, 12, 13 

humilis, 13 

tinifolia, 13 

ELLIPTICA, 12, 13 

Ascarina, 20 

Barringtonia, 52 

Bassia, 27 

Beaumontia grandiflora, 37 

Besleria latcriforia, 35 

Buddleia asiatica, 32 

Burckella, 25 

Canthium, 47 

Carissa grandiflora, 37 

grandis, 35 

Carruthersia, 37 

CATHARANTHUS, 38, 45 

Centaurium, 37 

australe, 37 

sebaeoides, 37 

umbellatum, 37 

forsteri, 52 

odolla, 52 

odollam, 51 

oppositifolia, 51 

parvipora, 51 

PERUVIANA, 52 

thevetia, 52 

ROSEUS, 45 

CERBERA, 17, 38, 51, 52 

MANGHAS, 43, 51-52 

Chelonespermum, 25 

CHRYSOPHYLLUM, 25, 28 

COCOS, 4 

Colocasia, 6 

Couthovia, 32 

Crossostylis, 22, 32, 50 

Cyathea, 16, 21, 32, 42, 49 

Cyathodes 9, 11, 12 

banksii, 10 

macraeana, 10 

pomarae, 12 

tahi'tensis, 12 

tameiameiae, I0 

CAINITO, 28 

var. societatis, 10, 11 

Davallia epiphylla, 32 

Diospyros, 28 

Discocalyx, 12 

Echites coryin bosa, 41 

costata, 41 

Embelia, 12 

ERVATAMIA, 38, 45 

coronaria, 45 

DIVARICATA, 45-46 

ORIENTALIS, 46 

var. dilatata, 46 

Erythrina orientalis, 43 

FAGRAEA, 5, 32, 35, 36, 51 

83 

BERTERIANA, 7, 35-36, 37, 46 

ceylanica, 35 

gracilipes, 36 

LONGITUBA, 36-37 

pua, 35 

samoensis, 36 

tahitensis, 35 

vitiensis, 36 

Fitchia, 5 

Freycinetia, 3, 43 

Fuchsia, 5 

Galaxa oppositifolia, 49 

sparsa, 51 

Gardenia, 36 

GENIOSTOMA, 5, 32-33 

arboreum 34 

ASTYLUM, 33, 35 

CLAVATUM, 34-33 

crassifolium var. glaberrirnum, 33 

gracile, 33 

rapense, 34 

RUPESTRE, 32, 33-34, 35 

vitiense, 33 

linearis, 7 

Gleichenia, 4, 7, 8 

Glochidion, 22, 43 

Gyn@ogon, 46, 47 

apolimae, 47 

oliviformis, 47 

scandens, 48, 49 

stellafturn, 46, 48 

subsp. apolimae, 47 

Hibiscus, 4, 32, 41, 42, 49, 52 

Hitoa, 5 

Hex, 16, 49 

Inocarpus, 4 

Ixora, 5, 14 

taitensis, 7, 43 

JASMINUM, 5, 29-30 

AZORICUM, 31,32 

divaricatum, 31 

fluminense, 31 

DIDYMUM, 31 

var. stenophyllum, 31 
84 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY 

COLLINA, 15, 20-21 

var. FALCATA, 15, 21 

coriacea, 18 

falcata, 21 

fasciculata, 22 

FUSCA, 12, 14, 21-22, 23 

guyanensis, 13 

HARTII, 14, 16-17 

myricifotia, 14, 21, 22 

f. marquesensis, 22 

f. rapensis, 22 

var. FASCICULATA, 14, 22-23 

LONCIFOLIA, 14, 16 

NADEAUDII, 15, 17, 18-19, 20 

OBOVATA, 15, 17, 18 

OVALIS, 15, 16, 17-18, 20 

RONUIENSIS, 15, 19-20 

ST. JOHNII, 15, 19 

samoensis, 14, 22 

tahltensis, 15 

TAITENSIS, 14, 15-16, 17, 19 

VESCOI, 15, 18 

VIRIDIS, 15, 23 

Rauwolfia sandwicensis, 37 

grandiflorum, 30 

MULTIFLORUM, 30 

OFFICINALE, 30 

f. GRANDIFLORUM, 30 

pawiflorum, 31 

pubescens, 30 

SAMBAC, 30 

Labordia, 32 

Lagenophora, 5 

LEPINIA, 5, 38, 39 

ponapensis, 39 

solomonensis, 39 

tahitensis, 40 

TAITENSIS, 39, 40 

Leucaena forsteri, 14 

Leucopogon cymbulae, 9 

Limnanthemum indicum, 37 

Linociera pauciflora, 29 

Lochnera rosea, 45 

LUCUMA, 27 

bifera, 27 

OBOVATA, 27 

Lygodium, 4 

Lyonsia laevis, 37 

Lysimachia, 23 

mauritiana, 23 

rapensis, 23 

Maba, 28 

Macaranga, 20 

Madhuca, 25 

Maesa, 12 

MANILKARA, 25, 26 

kauki, 26 

ZAPOTA, 26 

Melicytus ramiflorus, 34 

Melodinus, 37 

Metagonia, 6 

cerea, 6 

Metrosideros, 5, 8, 14, 16, 20, 21, 32, 36 

collina, 7, 12, 21, 43 

Mimusops decussata, 25 

dissecta, 25 

Morinda, 32, 50 

Myrsine 14 

collina, 20, 21 

coriacea, 15, 18 

falcata, 20, 21 

longifolia, 16 

myricaefobia, 21 

ovalis, 15, 17 

tahitensis, 15, 17, 18 

taitensis, 15, 17, 18 

vescoi, 18 

var. longifolia, 15, 16 

Neonauclea, 18, 42, 43, 49 

NERIUM, 38, 53 

cmonarium, 45 

divaricatum, 45 

haqueville, 53 

indicum; 53 

odmum, 53 

OLEANDER, 53-54 

Nertera 

depressa, 5 

granadensis, 5 

Nesoluma, 25 

Nyctanthes multiflora, 30 

pubescens, 30 

sambac, 30 

OCHROSIA 38, 50 

borbonica, 50, 51 

parviflora, 51 

EUROPAEA, 29 

sativa, 29 

OPPOSITIFOLIA, 51 

OLEA, 29 

Osmanthus sandwicensis, 29 

PALAQUIUM, 5, 25 

lanceolatum, 25 

NADEAUDII, 25 

Pandanus, 17, 32, 49, 52 

Parasponia, 42 

Payena, 25 

Pittosporum, 14 

PLANCHONELLA, 5, 26 

grayana, 26, 27 

obovata, 26 

TAHITENSIS, 27 

PLUMBAGO, 23 

caerulea, 23 

capensis, 24 

coccinea, 24 

europaea, 23 

grandiflora, 24 

INDICA, 24 

maxirnoruicrii, 24 

rosea, 24 

AURICULATA, 24 

ZEYLANICA, 5, 24 

PLUMERIA, 38, 40 

acuminata, 40 

acutifolia, 40 

alba, 40 

jamesonii, 40 

RUBRA, 4041 

Pouteria, 27 

lucuma, 27 

Psidium, 18 

Psychotria, 21 

Pteralyxia, 37 

RAPANEA, 5 12, 13-15, 21, 44 

cheesemanii, 14 

Samolus repens, 23 

Santalum, 43 

insulare, 17 

Sapota achras, 26 

Sclerotheca, 5 

Sideroxylon, 26, 27 

tahitense, 27 

vitiense, 27 

Strophanthus caudatus, 37 

Strychnos vitiensis, 32 

STYPHELIA, 59-10, 12, 20, 44 

acerosa, 9 

brevistyla, 11 

douglasii, 9 

POMARAE, 7, 10, 12, 43 

TAMEIAWEIAE, 9, 10-11 

var. BREVISTYLA, 11-12 

var. brownii, 10 

var. macraeana, 10 

f. marquisensis, 10, 11 

tubiflora, 9 

BENZOIN, 28 

officinalis, 28 

Suttonia, 12, 14 

Symplocos leptophylla, 28 

Tabernaemontana, 37 

STYRAX, 28 

citrifolia, 46 

coronaria, 45 

divaricata, 45 

orientalis, 46 

vitiensis, 46 

Tanghinia manghas, 51 
NUMBER 17 85 

Tapeinosperma, 12 

Tecoma, 17, 32, 53 

stans, 39 

ahouai, 52 

nereifolia, 52 

THEVETIA, 38, 52 

PERUVIANA, 52-53 

Trachelospermum divaricatum, 37 

VACCINIUM, 5, 6, 12, 44, 48 

adenandrum, 9 

ataternoides, 6 

antipodum, 6 

CEREUM, 6-7, 9, 12, 13 

var. ADENANDRUM, 9 

var. CEREUM, 7-8 

f. eriostemon, 7, 9 

var. genuinum, 7 

f. eriostemon, 8 

var. RAIATEENSE, 8-9 

var. typicum, 7 

f. eriostemon, 8 

Var. PUBIFLORUM, 8 

f. SKOlTSBERGII, 8 

cereus, 9 

myrtillus, 6 

raiuteense, 8 

rapae, 6 

reticulatum, 9 

whitmeei, 6 

Vinca alba, 45 

rosea, 45 

Weinmannia, 12, 20, 36, 48, 49 

parviflora, 7, 12, 43 

Xylosma, 32 

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