ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN
No.
57
Preliminary r e p o r t on t h e f l o r a of Onotoa Atoll, G i l b e r t Islands by
Edwin T. Moul
Issued by
THE PACIFIC SCIEKCE BOARD
National Acadei,ly of Sciences--National Research Council Washington, D. C .
September 15,
1957
PRELGXB!ARY REPORT ON THE FLORA OF OnOTOA ATOLL, GILBERT
ISLANDS
This r e p o r t represents the second p a r t of the preliminary r e p o r t on the work of the General N a t u r a l i s t , from June 1 5 t h t o August 30th, on the P a c i f i c Science Board's
1951
Xxpedition t o Onotoa i n the G i l b e r t Islands. The p r o j e c t wks supported by funds granted t o t h e Natioqal Acaderny of Sciences by Con-t r a c t N7onr-291 (oh), NR 388-001 with the Office of Naval Research. The generous cooperation of the U. S. Navy Department, the !T. S. Coast Guard, and t h e I i i l i t a r y A i r Transport Service i s acknoriledged.
'he author i s g r a t e f u l f o r the a i d and a s s i s t a n c e given by Nr. Harold J.
Coolidge, Nrs. Lenore Smith and Iiiss Ernestine Akers. ' h e cooperation and kindness of the B r i t i s h Colonial Government and i t s l o c a l representative,
Hr
ir, Richard Rrrpin and h i s wife adfled much t o our comfort and success. The advice and a s s i s t a n c e of my a s s o c i a t e s bias a constant source of help and en- couragement.IN TRODUC TI.31
The r e p o r t on the animals of the a t o l l has been published i n the A t o l l Research B u l l e t i n $28, Xay 31, 1954. A preliminary r e p o r t on t h e Geology of the a t o l l by Dr. Preston E. C l o u i , ' J r . can be found i n the same publication
#12, December
15,
1952.The a t o l l of Onotoa (see map), t o t a l l i n g 5.2 square miles of land, i s divided i n t o 3 l a r g e inhabited i s l a n d s designated as North Island, South Island and Tabuarorae and four q u i t e small uninhabited i s l a n d s lcno!m a s Aonteuma,
Abanekeneke, Manntabuariki and Abeindngan. A population of approximately 1800 people l i v e i n t h i s small area, hence a l l land t h a t i s a t a l l useful has been planted il coconut groves. The smaller i s l a n d s a r e primarily of c o r a l gravel s o i l s and supported a few coconut t r e e s , with the exception of Nannta- buariki which had only s c a t t e r e d shrub grorith. Sixty species of flowering plants have been i d e n t i f i e d . About 15: of these which a r e c u l t i v a t e d were confined t o the v i l l a g e areas. A feri species were represented by o d y one or two plants on the whole a t o l l .
rnGE TA T I '31 . .
Coconut groves
Iiost of the land on t h e l a r g e r i s l a n d s i~as covered with coconut t r e e s . Small groves were a l s o present on two of t h e s m l l e r islands. The grdves tiere generally made up of randomly s c a t t e r e d t r e e s of v a r j i n g h i - g h t s and ages; a
few recently planted ones (on formerly inhabited s i t e s ) were i n regular rows and of uniform s i z e and age,
The aspect of the coconut p l a n t a t i o n s varied with t h e i r l o c a t i o n on t h e a t o l l , with the substratum and ground water conditions. Dense stands of coconut palms forming a continuous canopy, grew on the limesand s o i l s (Cloud l o c . c i t . , pp. 22,
58).
Such vigorous groves were t y p i c a l of the lagoon s i d eof the islands, along the v i l l a g e road. They formed dense shade and had feu understory plants. Young coconuts and Pandanus were usually present. Near the v i l l a g e s a few Ficus t r e e s were found i n these groves and appeared t o have been planted. =he more o r l e s s well tended dense plantations, the s o i l surface was usually bare, except f o r a fe1.r grasses and herbs, Lepturus, Stenotaphrum, Euphorbia, and Fimbristylis a l l growing widely s c a t t e r e d . In many areas an a c c u m u l a t i o ~ of f a l l e n leaves and husks l i t t e r e d the s o i l and may have contributed t o the sparseness of ground cover vegetation. The densest stand of Stenotaphrum observed on t h e a t o l l formed a complete ground cover i n a grove on the North Island, r,~here the s o i l surface had been c l e a r e d of a11 l i t t e r . Adjoining our camp s i t e a l s o on the North Island was a s t a n d of coconut t r e e s reported t o be
15
years of age. These t r e e s were planted i n regular rows and were of uniform height. The owner had k e p t t h e s o i l c l e a r of litter and i n the dense shade the herbaceous vegetation grew widely scattered.I n c o n t r a s t t o these heavy groves, were the t h i n , i r r e g u l a r stands, usually l o c a t e d down t h e c e n t e r of t h e l a r g e i s l a n d s and on the seaward side, but generally on lime sand s o i l . Since the canopy was q u i t e open, t h e under- s t o r y here was well developed and showed an increased number of species.
Xesserschmidia, Guettarda, Pandanus, Scaevola and young coconuts formed the understory and, i n some cases. verv dense t h i c k e t s . The ground cover here was a l s o more kxtensive and consis"ted of imxed o r pure s t i n d s of
m,
Lepturus, X m b r i s t y l i s , Triumfetta and Euphorbia. Blue-green algae and mosses covered the s o i l i n many places between the clumps of herbs.
A few very poor groves occurred on t h e three l a r g e r i s l a n d s on lime sand s o i l , but were more common a t t h e exposed extremities of these i s l a n d s on f i n e c o r a l gravel s o i l and on the small i s l a n d s of Aonteuma and
Abanekeneke F~here the s o i l was a l s o c o r a l gravel. These stands consisted of a f e t , ~ widely s c a t t e r e d t r e e s , usually old and sometimes i n f e c t e d with bracket fungus. The understory where developed vas a dense t h i c k e t of Scaevola and Guettarda. The ground cover consisted of the same herbs l i s t e d above.
The e f f e c t of t h e r e c e n t year and a h a l f of drought (191i9-50) could be seen near the sou$h end of South Island. The width of the i s l a n d a t t h i s p o i n t i s only about 50 f e e t from lagoon beach t o seaward r a m p r t s . The f r e s h water l e n s must have completely disappeared o r become s o shrunken t h a t s a l t water penetrated i n t o t h e s o i l , f o r nearly a l l the coconut palms were dead i n t h i s area. Scaevola, Pandanus and Guettarda d i d )not show any serious e f f e c t s .
t :
I . ,
IS.
Clearings
A t i n t e r v a l s along tine l e n g t h of North Island occurred i r r e g u l a r c l e a r - ings. There vere no i ? d i c a t i o n s a s t o t h e i r origin. Lack of plantings and/or carelessness on the p a r t of the owners may have been t h e reason f o r t h e i r existence. The s o i l appeared t o be the same as i n the b e s t coconut groves.
In these clearings rrere found s c a t t e r e d t h i c k e t s of Scaevola and Guettarda rrith some Pandanus and an occasional t r e e o r clump of Messerschmidia. ilany babai p i t s w h a d been dug throughout t h i s area. Generally one or two desserschn6dia t r e e s vere found growing a t the edge on the mounds of earth.
The dead leaves of t h i s t r e e were gathered, p i l e d up and l a t e r used as mulch around the Cp-tosperm (babai) p l a n t s i n the p i t s .
The ground cover c o n s i s t e d of l a r g e i r r e g u l a r cLumps of Sida f a l l a x ,
-
Lepturus, Portulaca and Euphorbia chamissonis. I n many cases these patches were of one species only. The bare areas of white sand betr.een them had a broken c r u s t of blue-green algae (~cytonema spp.) with mosses growing on it.
Area of Brackish Pools
-- -
East of the v i l l a g e of Buariki on Worth Island and a t t h e northern end of South Island were. two a r e a s of brackish pools. The s o i l was a s i l t y lime type termed "caliche" by Cloud (loc. c i t . ) . Piidely s c a t t e r e d coconut t r e e s vere growing there. Tney were dwarfed and did not seem t o bear a heavy crop
of coconuts. Pemphis grew around t h e edges of the pools and i n small thickets.
Young coconut t r e e s occurred i n t h e understory, even i n g r e a t abundance, on South Island. On North I s l a n d only s c a t t e r e d c a m s of F i m b r i s t y l i s were
present with c r u s t s of blue-green algae covering much of t h e bare sand between them. On South Island the ground cover i n this a r e a was more l u s h and in- cluded Lepturus and Portulaca.
Vegetation of the Seaward Ramparts
--
Thickets of Scaevola grew on t o p o f the ramparts and showed s i g n s of damage by s a l t spray on the seaward s i d e s . Pandanus a l s o greri s p a r s e l y along the top of the ramparts o r back of the& scaev-er s i n g l y o r i n groups, and a l s o shobred signs of damage by s a l t spray. Ho1.rever some of these plants were able t o produce l a r g e fruits i n t h i s s i t u a t i o n . Plesserschmidia was l e s s common on t h e ramparts %ban Pandanus, occurring now and then on t h e c r e s t , Cassytha was r a r e here, b u t occasionally grew on Scaevola.
On the inner slope of t h e ramparts,-the vegetati0.l was s p a r s e and
s c a t t e r e d , with areas of white sandbetween., Few C ~ C O ~ U ~ S grew on t h e slope, b u t the groves s t a r t e d a t t h e i r base. Scaevola busbe$. grew on the. slopes and
dorm i n t o the groves. 'Pandanus, ?iesserschmidia andGuettarda
--
were more common on t h i s s l o p e than on the r a ~ ~ a r t s . Cassytha was r a r e here, b u t d i d p a r a s i t i z e Scaevola. Culms of firnbristy-lis, alone o r with Lepturus, were s p o t t e d here and there. Sida f a l l a x and trio species of Portulaca uere a l s o p a r t of t h i s-
community.
I
A t the north end of North I s l a n d t h e rampart vegetation consisted of a pure s t a n d of Pemphis. These shrubs a t t a i n e d a h e i g h t varying f r o m 1 0 t o
15
f e e t and formed almost s o l i d hedge-like t h i c k e t s , broken by t h e paths made by t h e natives going through t o the seaward reef.Vegetation on Gravel
-- 9
A t some places on the seaward s i d e of t h e i s l a n d s , on the northern point of North I s l a n d and on Aonteuma, Abanekeneke and Manntabuariki the s o i l consisted o f coarse and f i n e gravels. These were areas reached by v~aves and probably flooded during periods of storms. A ferr i s o l a t e d
Scaevola and Guettarda bushes riere conspicuous a g a i n s t t h e bareness of t h e m o m e small Pisonia 'trees were found here, t h e i r leaves badly damaged by l e a f c u t t i n g bees. Pandanus and Zorinda c i t r i f o l i a were represented by occasional dwarfed specimens. Lichens were c o l l e c t e d on t h e bark of
Guettarda grouing i n t h i s h a b i t a t on Aonteuma.
The chief herbs on these areas were both species of Boerhavia,
f a l l a x and t h e two species of Portulaca. The Boerhavia p l a n t s were l a r g e
-
and the t o t a l spread of s i n g l e illants reached a s much as - - 8 f e e t . These were d i s t r i b u t e d widely, some growing i n t h e shade of t h e Guettarda or Scaevola shrubs, while others were i n the open. The few $Ida p l a n t s-
$?ere l a r g e and shrubby, b u t shoved yellowing of the foliage. The Portulaca plants were i n i s o l a t e d clumps or as s c a t t e r e d individuals. Cassytha was common on the Guettarda and Scaevola bushes.Further back from the shore l i n e coarse c o r a l fragments graded i n t o f i n e r i'ragmente. R e vegetation remained primari.ly the same, with the addition o f a few i s o l a t e d coconut palms. Premna was common on Aonteuma i s l a n d on t h i s f i n e gravel. Lepturus and Phyllanthus %7ere a d d i t i o n a l ground cover plants, b u t only the l a t t e r r e a l l y comnon.
Pisonia Groves
Some s c a t t e r e d Pisonia t r e e s erere l o c a t e d on t h e c o r a l gravel areas on Aonteuma I s l a n d and on the north end of North Island, but on Tabuarorae
there were trio d i s t i n c t narrow groves of l a r g e t r e e s over 40 f e e t i n height.
These groves were on a ridge of indurated phosphatized limesand s o i l and the odor and droppings under these l a r g e t r e e s i n d i c a t e d a big b i r d popula- tion. The nests of the smaller noddy t e r n rrere occupied a t the time of our v i s i t on July 25th. The s o i l ??as bare d i r e c t l y under t h e t r e e s except f o r dead branches and fragments of logs, a l l s o f t and spongy. However, on both s i d e s of t h e groves t h e vepetation was the most l u x u r i a n t seen on t h e a t o l l . R e greatestnumber of species were a l s o noted here. The predominant understory p l a n t was
w,
but young b r e a d f r u i t s , papayas, both flowering and bearing f r u i t , Guettarda, Pandanus and young coconuts were a l s o present.A wide v a r i e t y of herbaceous plants covered t h e ground under t h i s shrub understory.
Vegetation around Fish Ponds
- - - - YL
Sand F l a t sA t the n o r t h e n d of North I s l a n d r a s a l a r g e f i s h pond ?ihich ended i n extensive salid t l a t s , p a r t i a l l y flooded a t high t i d e . The g r e a t e s t concen- t r a t i o n of mangrove, Rhizophora mucronata, bordered t h e f i s h ponds and grew
-
on t h e p a r t of the sand f l a t s flooded by .the t i d e s . The only other man- groves observed were 2 trees.. and many small seedlings growing i n t h e . shallot,^
calcareous sand of t h e embayment between Aonteuma and North Island. . The wetter sand f l a t s , flooded a t very high t i d e , had a heavy s t a n d of mangrove t h a t extended almost completely across. The f i s h pond was
almost completely e n c i r c l e d by mangrove t h i c k e t s growing i n the shallow water. - Back of the mangroves on higher ground was a zone of ~ e b h i s , and coconut palms beyond t h e Pemphis.
The bottom of t h e f i s h pond was covered alnlost completely with t u r t l e grass, Thalassia
--
hemprichii. Green algae, ~ ~ o s t l y a species of Nicrodictyon,-.
grew a s epiphytes on the t u r t l e grass.
The highest sand f l a t s appeared t o be dry most of the time and were flooded a t only extreme high t i d e s . The c e n t r a l p a r t of these Clats 17as bare white sand r i d d l e d with burrotrs of r ' i i d l e r crabs. Pemphis formed a shrub border, b u t a l l of t h e shrubs t h a t had grorrn f a r out on t h e f l a t s were dead, only those along t h e edge Irere s t i l l l i v i n g . Groves of coconut palms grew dorm t o the edge of the f l a t s .
Babai p i t s (Taro p i t s )
--
The c u l t i v a t i o n of Cyrtosperma f o r food was q u i t e extensive on t h e a t o l l . P i t s had been dug t o a depth of
15
f e e t i n the limesand s o i l s i n the c e n t e r of t h e three l a r g e islands. Xany o f these xere i n the areas described above as clearings. On Tabuarorae t h e r e rrere many abandoned ?its.Since these ikts were generally moist o r flooded shallowly with r ~ a t e r from the f r e s h ,rater lens, algae samples uere take.1 i n many of them. Blue- green algae, Phacus and Rhizoclonium vere common. Complete i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of t h e f r e s h water algae from these p i t s i s being made.
A v a r i e t y o f floriering p l a n t s grew i n these p i t s . Eleocharis
geniculata and Cyperus laevigatus rrere common, t h e l a t t e r r7as q u i t e abundant i n s e v e r a l abandoned p i t s on Tabuarorae. The only banana plants seen on t h e a t o l l grew i n one of the babai p i t s . Several l a r g e shrubs- of J u s s i a e a
s u f f r u t i c o s a vere found grotling i n a p i t e a s t of the v i l l a g e of Aiaki.
The p i t s v a r i e d i n s i z e , but usually were between 25 and 30 f e e t long, v i t h a width of 1 0 t o 20 f e e t . Nr. Richard Turpin, t h e B r i t i s h Land Com- missioner, t o l d me the t i.n some cases a s many a s 10 individuals owned l i t t l e p l o t s i n a s i n g l e p i t . In many p i t s the n a t i v e s had b u i l t up the humus
around t h e l a r g e s t plants by using mats of coconut l e a v e s t o form a c i r c u l a r mil and then had f i l l e d t h i s with the l e a v e s of iXesserschmidia and
Guettarda along with t h e blackish sand found under o l d t r e e s of these species. Some of the l a r g e r babai p l a n t s were flowering. Only i n a few cases were the p l a n t s i n a s i n g l e p i t of t h e same s i z e .
Vegetation of sand dunes
---
On the southern t i p of North Island, the southern t i p of South Island and t h e northern t i p of Tabuarorae a r e a s e r i e s of low sand dunes. These areas a r e h o t during t h e middle of t h e day because o f t h e i r exposure t o the sun. m e white sand between the s c a t t e r e d shrubs causes an extreme glare.
The p r i n c i p a l shrubs were Scaevola, Guettarda and Pemphis. These were the only shrubs present i n t h i s community on R'orth b u t on South Island and Tabuarorae Suriana, Sophora and Terminalia were a l s o grow- ing. Suriana, however, was common only on Tabuarorae. Cassytha had
p a r a s i t i z e d a number of these shrubs. Grasses and herbs were r a r e and s i w e t h e sands were apparently s h i f t i n g from time t o time, no moss nor algae were present.
Sixby species o f vascular p l a n t s tiere c o l l e c t e d o r observed by the author on Onotoa between 3un.e 211th and August 30th, 1951. I n the following species list i s included a s h o r t account of t h e occurrence and abundance of the p l a n t s . Native use i s included whenever observed or learned. The author's c o l l e c t i o n number follotis t h e name of t h e i s l a n d on which collec- t i o n s were made. Native names obtained a r e included only i f supplied by more than one authori6y. The first and second s e t of plants a r e deposited i n t h e U. S. National Herbarium and Yne Herbarium of t h e Bernice P. Bishop I4useum a t Honolulu. The other duplicates a r e i n t h e Chrysler Herbarium a t Rutgers University, h?ew York Botanical Garden, Gray Herbarium a t Harvard,
University of C a l i f o r n i a Herbarium a t Berkeley and t h e p r i v a t e herbarium of D r . P. R. Fosberg,
Angiospermae : Nonocotyledonae PAN DANACEAE
Pandanus t e c t o r i u s S o l .
North I s l a n d 83hlr, 81i12.
A l i s t of native names supplied by our cook, Baru is given below. He a l s o supplied information on t h e use made of some of these v a r i e t i e s by t h e n a t i v e s .
te aramar.u ) t e aramarieba ) t e bakororso t e ulonas t e aramoroia
both with small phalanges, leaves used f o r mat wea&ng.
t e iribaikawa t e t i n a
t e iritawatar.~a
-
t a l l s t r a i g h t trunk, used f o r supports i n house b u i l d -t e aranteba ing.
te annabai t e i r i k i r i
t e i r i a u r i a r i a
-
l a r g e f r u i t e d v a r i e t y , b l a c k i s h c a s t on leaves This i s one o f t h e t h r e e important plants i n t h e native economy. It grows on limesand s o i l s under t h e coconuts and on the f i n e gravels. S a l t damaged specimens grev on t h e ramparts and a ferr s t u n t e d ones on the coarse gravels.A t one s p o t on North Island, new plantings had been made by taking a crotm from a branch, tying t h e leaves together and planting these c u t t i n g s r a t h e r deep i n t o the s o i l . 'Pnese new plantings were i n i r r e g u l a r rows i n
t h e shade of coconut t r e e s .
The r i p e f r u i t
i s
lcnovrn as " t e tou". The f r u i t i s taken a p a r t and cooked, then t h e pulp i s pressed from the base o f the phalanges and spread on Guet'carda leaves t o d r y i n the sun. Duri'lg t h e drying process t h e mass or pudding i s usually covered with f l i e s . It i s c a l l e d " t e tuaeu. If t h i s pudding i s mixed with water, as a soup, it i s then c a l l e d"te
kabubu".l'halassia hemprichii (Ehrenb.) Ascherson Lagoon 8188.
Large beds of t h i s aquatic p l a n t were found i n the north end of the c e n t r a l lagoon along t h e shore of North I s l a n d a t t h e v i l l a g e of Taneang.
The plants were deeply r o o t e d i n t h e limesand bottom and t h e leaves were only about 6 inches long. These beds were covered a t lorr t i d e . The p l a n t s grew s o densely t h a t they caused the deposition of sand and f i n e silt. The green alga, 1Iicrodictyon, and a small gelatinous r e d a l g a were very abundant, both attached and f l o a t i n g among these weeds. Halimeda stuposa a l s o grew
i n these areas. 'Ihe bottom of t h e f i s h pond a t t h e northern end of North Island rim almost completely covered with S a l a s s i a and many f i s h and in- v e r t e b r a t e s were present i n t h e weed patches and on t h e i n d i v i d u a l plants.
Genchrus echinatus L.
"
t e a n t i " . n'orth Island 8386; South Island 8206.Found i n j u s t trro s i t e s o ; ~ t h e a-toll: thick s o l i d stands a r e common along the road ~ o r t h oof the v i l l a g e of Aiaki, and s e v e r a l s'ingle plants were gr'orling along the road on North Island a t o w supply dump, south of
the Government area. It seems c e r t a i n t h i s i s a r e c e n t intro-lucti.on and vill probably spread un&isputed over the atoll before long. The native
name given i s the one used i n the northern a t o l l of itakin and rfas supplied by Jim Redfern, our i n t e r p r e t e r from Makin.
Lepturus repens re or st.) R. Br.
North Island 8019, 8&5h; South I s l a n d 8212.
The' commonest grass on t h e a t o l l , found on a l l t h e i s l a n d s , the l a r g e s t stands on the limesand s o i l , b u t r a r e l y forming a t u r f . Gn the poorer s o i l s ,
only widely s c a t t e r e d culms were p r e s e n t and usually i n a s s o c i a t i o n r \ ~ i t h Fimbristylis cymosa. S c a t t e r e d clumps grew on t h e sealrard beach ramparts.
The linost vigorous plants were found along t h e lagoon roads.
Stenotaphrum micranthum (Desr .) Hubb.
North Island
a55,
8155.The second most important grass on the a t o l l , r e s t r i c t e d t o the t h r e e l a r g e islands. It was found growing on limesand s o i l i n t h e dense shade of coconut groves. It rjas a l s o r a t h e r common around t h e edges of the babai p i t s i n f u l l sun. Many of the stands o f t h i s grass were dense and continuous i n c o q t r a s t t o those of Lepturus. I n the grove north of t h e P r o t e s t a n t
Church, i n the v i l l a g e area of Buariki on North Island was found the h e a v i e s t and l a r g e s t s t a n d anywhere on the a t o l l , covering almost completely a $acre t r a c t .
Eragrostis amabilis (L.) 1'. & A. " t e u t e u t e n i mwaanetl.
North I s l a r d 8130, 8339; South I s l a n d 8207.
Found a s a turf a t various places along t h e v i l l a g e road on b o t h t l o r t h and South Islands. Also common along paths i n the center and north end of F o r t h Island. On Tabuarorae i t grew on a narroti piece of high ground between
the lagoon and the shrubby growth on t h e sand f l a t s . Growing mixed !&th Cenchrus on South Island.
Iherever t h i s grass tias seen t h e s o i l seemed t o be v e t and dark in c o l o r with a g r e a t amount of humus. It was usually found only on the f i n e r s o i l s i n which there were few or no g r a v e l p a r t i c l e s .
Eragrostis ra7hitney-i Fosb. " t e uteute n i mwaane".
North Island 8090, 8316.
Confined t o B!orth Island. Growing on limesand s o i l s along the lagoon road and along a path i n a sunny a r e a i n t h e c e n t e r of North Island. Common rrhere it was found.
Cyperus laevigatus L.
Tabuarorae 8224.
Collected only on t h i s i s l a n d i n an abandoned babai p i t . The bottom of the p i t had a very shallow l a y e r of water and the s o i l Ts7aS held f i r m l y by the r o o t s and rhizomes of the p l a n t s . Formerly i t was used f o r weaving.
Eleocharis geniculata
(L,)
R. & S.Yorth Island.
8158,
8337; South Island 8210.Grovnng i n some o f the babai p i t s on North and South Islands. Not abundant i n any of the p i t s .
Fimbris t y l i s cymosa R. Brom " t e u t e u t e n i aiine".
North Island @21, 8129, 82'81; South i s l a n d 8208.
A very common sedge on a l l t h e i s l a n d s of the a t o l l , growing a s s c a t t e r e d plants, never as a turf. iviany of the culms on the beach ramparts and i n n e r s l o a e of t h e r a m ~ a r t s were d r i e d UD and anoarentlv dead. Pure stands r?ere frequently seen i n the coconut gEoves Long thewlagoon road, a t other places Fimbristylis was growing mixed with Lepturus. Around t h e brackish pools i n the a r e a of ltcaliche" s o i l on North Island t h i s was the only vascular p l a n t forming ground cover.
PALiIACUE
Cocos n u c i f e r a L. 11& n i l ~
-
North Island 8373;. 8411. , , .
Distribution of coconut palms on the a t o l l has been discussed i n describing vegetation and need not be repeated here. R e coconut i s c e r - t a i n l y the s t a f f of l i f e of the Onotoan. It supplies him with food, toddy, s h e l t e r , rope, matting, flooring, o i l and medicine. The d r i e d product of the n u t is s o l d t o the l o c a l cooperative t r a d i n g company where commodities from the outside world can be purchased.
The gathering of the "toddy" Tias one of the most f a s c i n a t i n g aspects of t h e coconut cnlture. Thy c e r t a i n t r e e s were s e l e c t e d and others dis- regarded f o r toddy co1lect:ing I ?ever d i d l e a r n . Iiovever, i t was s a i d t h a t some t r e e s produced more than others. Toddy t r e e s could be spotted, s i n c e notches were c u t on the lower p a r t of the trunk. The flower buds of t h e s e t r e e s vere t i e d s h u t t o keep them from opening, then the t i p s were c u t o f f , The dripping s a p from these c u t t i p s was &ained i n t o a b o t t l e or empty coconut s h e l l by using a l e a f l e t of coconut as a g u t t e r . Each morning and evening t h e young me? or boys climbed t h e toddy t r e e s and repl.aced t h e
f i l l e d containers with empty ones, making a f r e s h c u t on the bud each time.
The gatherer s a t on the p e t i o l e of one of the l a r g e leaves and accompanied h i s labor with singing. To gather toddy and not s i n g rrould cause i t t o s p o i l . It was unearthly, b u t b e a u t i f u l t o hear t h e s e voices from t h e t r e e tops a t d a m and dusk. A l l the s i n g e r s had f i n e voices. Usually the songs were unfamiliar, but llFron the Halls of ibntezuma", " S i l e n t Night, Holy
%lightH, "You a r e ;.iy Sunshine", - and some o t h e r f a m i l i a r tunes with Gilbertese xords were a l s o heard a t these times.
The t o w i s used f r e s h , mixed with water and i s then c a l l e d l%arariew.
I f the toddy i s b o i l e d t o keep i t from fermenting i t becomes a brown syrup and then mixed with water a s a refreshing drink i t i s c a l l e d llkamaimai".
It has the f l a v o r of coca cola t h a t has become somet~hat f l a t from standing.
I f the toddy is allowed t o ferment, which r e q u i r e s s p e c i a l permission, i t becoines highly intoxicating. T*!e saw i t s e f f e c t upon a young man who passed out %bile dancing a t one of the f e a s t s . A b e e t l e of genus S e s s i n i a gets i n t o t h e toddy and if not noticed and removed causes a p a i n f u l inflammation of the urinary t r a c t ,
Other native names associated with t h e coconut a r e as follows:
t e ben
---
a r i p e coconutt e r i k i
--
a germinating coconut t e mormoto-
a drinking coconut Fritchardia sp. ?A s i n g l e p l a n t of a fan-palm growing i n f r o n t of the Government House on Horth Island.
Cyrtosperma chamissonis ( ~ c h o t t . ) Nerr. " t e babai"
North Island 8172, 8157, 8159; South I s l a n d 8211.
Zxtensively c u l t i v a t e d i n p i t s dug i n t h e limesand s o i l t o a depth of 10 t o
15
f e e t . This was t h e only species found i n c u l t i v a t i o n f o r the s t a r c h s t o r e d i n t h e roots. Plants of a l l s i z e s , some i n bloom, were found i n t'ne p i t s . The natives build a c i r c u l a r wall of coconut matting around indiv.idua1 p l a n t s and b u i l d up a compost, using t h e leaves of Messerschmidia and Guettarda mixed with darlcened limesand s o i l f r o n under t h e older t r e e s of these species.The l a n d tenure of these p i t s was r a t h e r i n t e r e s t i n g . The f a m i l i e s using t h e p i t s usually d i d not own t h e l a n d i n which they were dug, b u t per- mission had been granted t o t h e i r a w e s t o r s s e v e r a l generations before. fie- quently, a s many as 10 d i f f e r e n t families had plantings i n one p i t , none of which was l a r g e r than 20x50 f e e t ; most were smaller. The only abandoned p i t s seen were on the e a s t e r n s i d e of Tabuarorae.
Since the p i t s were dug t o a depth t h a t would i n t e r s e c t the water table, algae, p r i n c i p a l l y blue-greens and Rhizoclonium, covered t h e wet s o i l o r grew i n t h e shallow water. One p i t had a bloom of Phacus
~ l e u r o n e c t e s i n it. XosquitoeS and dra on f l i e s bred i n t h x t s , a s i n d i c a t e d i n the r e p o r t on the animals fidlooul, 19%).
ni4ARYLL IDACEAE' Crinum a s i a t i c u k L.
-
North Island
@Oh.
Is'lanted as an ornamental around t h e v i l l a g e houses, but n o t common.
Also found planted i n one of the cemeteries. Very few specimens were flowering during our s t a y on the a t o l l .
Observed only once on t h e a t o l l : There were t h r e e t r e e s i n one of the babai p i t s on Sorth Island. The plants Irere small and yellori green i n color. I n c o n t r a s t , banana was common i n the v i l l a g e s on Makin A t o l l i n the Northern Gilberts.
Artocarpus a l t i l i s '(park,) Fosb. " t e mai
".
Nortln Island 8299.
Breadfruit t r e e s were planted on each s i d e of t h e v i l l a g e s t r e e t s along the lagoon shore. Hany of t h e t r e e s were small. Young t r e e s were planted i n a c i r c u l a r well l i n e d with r e e f rock and t h e r o o t s covered with humus and dead leaves. Coconut matting was used t o cover the s o i l , a l l o w ing the young t r e e s t o grow between the mats. Nany of the t r e e s i n Aiaki v i l l a g e were small and poor and some of them were dead. The l a r g e s t t r e e s were i n the v i l l a g e o f Tekawa, which is l o c a t e d on the widest p a r t of North Island. A 1 1 the t r e e s along t h e s t r e e t i n the v i l l a g e ofTabuarorae
were dead. The n a t i v e s reported t h i s t o be the r e s u l t of the 19119-195'0 drought. The f r u i t s seen were small, wrinkled and contained l a r g e seeds.
On t h e i s l a n d of Tabuarorae, b r e a d f r u i t t r e e s of s e v e r a l s i z e s Tiere seen i n the l u x u r i a n t vegetation along t h e edges of t h e Pisonia grove.
This area was underlain with phosphate deposits, a t t r i b u t e d t o the b i r d s nesting i n the Pisonia t r e e s . These groves were formerly more extensive and covered the a r e a where t h e brea&uits riere now growing.
Ficus t i n c t o r i a Forst.
-
'I t e bero".North Island
@57,
8128; Tabuarorae 8232.Small t r e e s were found grotsing on the three l a r g e islands. From t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n i t seemed apparent t h a t most of them had been planted. These t r e e s were gro~ring around the edges of many of the babai p i t s and, i n one case, i n an abandoned p i t . Others xere planted around the houses i n the v i l l a g e s . On North Island a ror! had been planted a t r e g u l a r i n t e r v a l s along a path through t h e coconut grove.
On
Tabuarorae they formed small t h i c k e t s around t h e Pisonia grove. 'Ihe f r u i t s uere small and used a s food.n e u r y a r u d e r a l i s (Forst.) Gaud. ex Wedd. " t e nekeneke"
.
b!orth Island
81L7,
8336; Tabuarorae 8228.Common only a t one s p o t on North Island, around a copra hut. Very common i n many stands under t h e Pisonia t r e e s on Tabuarorae. A n a t i v e g i r l brought specimen
8336
t o camp t o trade f o r c i g a r e t t e s . I presume these p l a n t s came from Worth Island.N
YC TAGINACEAEBoerhavia d i f f u s a L. " t e wao".
North Island 8037, 8039, e085, 8106,
813b,
83LO; South I s l a n d 8198;Abanekeneke 8I.b.
A common p l a n t of the seaward s i d e of the islands, growing on both the f i n e and coarse c o r a l gravel s o i l s . Frequently found on the beach ramparts, sometimes under dead or l i v i n g Scaevola shrubs. It was very common a l l over the c o r a l gravel of t h e o l d v i l l a g e s i t e on Abaneksnelce.
In some cases the sprawling p l a n t s spread a distance of
4
f e e t i n a l l d i r e c t i o n s from the root. Both florrers and f r u i t were present on most plants. The flowers were pink i n most cases, but a few of t h e plantsassigned t o tiiis species had trhi'r;e flowers, These p l a n t s shoved some i n t e r - media-te chsracters between t h i s and
E.
t e t r a n d r a and may be hybrids.(BILL 8 m .
T h i s arld B.
-
t e t r a n d r a a r e used as food f o r hogs.B. t e t r a n d r a Forster
- "
t e 1,~aonnansi.".
North Island
W84,
8151; South I s l a n d 8202; Tabuarorae 8223.!be r a r e r of the two species found on the a t o l l . Growing on c o r a l gravels and boulder ridges of t h e seaward s i d e of North and South Islands.
Dn Tabuarorae, hot.rever, it was very common on the limesand s o i l s i n the t h i n coconut groves. EZowers and f r u i t were present on most plants. 'Ibe flowers were v h i t e i n t h i s species.
Pisonia grandis R. Bro~m " t e bulta".
Aonteuma
8082;
F o r t h I s l a n d 8152; Tabuarorae 8229.Two long narror,! groves of t h e s e t r e e s about hO f e e t t a l l were found on a ridge of indurated phosphatized limesand s o i l (Cloud 1952) on Tabuarorae.
The only other specimens seen were a few t r e e s on t h e north end of Aonteuma on 'coral gravel and two small groups of t r e e s on ~Xorth Island. One of these gy.ou& . o C t h e nprth t i p o f t h e I s l a n d ~ g r e n on c o r a l gravel. and the other groilp was near the brackish pools on the seaward s i d e of the i s l a n d . The t r e e s on Aonteya and North Island had leaves badiy damaged by l e a f - c u t t i n g . . bees.
The l a r g e t r e e s on Tabuarorae had l a r g e buttressed trunks; many would have required a t l e a s t three men with arms extended t o completely e n c i r c l e
them. The wood was very s o f t . The odor of ammonia was strong under these t r e e s , due t o the excrement from t h e l a r g e colony of nesting t e r n s . The most l u x u r i a n t veeetation on anv of the i s l a n d s was on e i t h e r s i d e of these
*groves and consisxed of
e,
papaya, Morinda--
c i t r i f o l i a , b r e a d f r u i t saplings, with a heavy ground cover of Flewya and grasses.Bougainvillea s p e c t a b i l i s Willd.
The record f o r t h i s p1ant:is b a s e d b w t h e appearance of t h e f l o r ~ e r s i n a t t l e i f t worn by one of t h e g i r l s on August 1 6 t h . . On questioning her, i t 37as learned t h a t t h e p l a n t grew i n the yard of the house assigned t o the
n a t i v e preacher of the v i l l a g e of Buariki.
A c u l t i v a t e d ornamental planted around some of t h e houses i n the v i l l a g e of Aiaki on South Island.
PORTULACKCEAE
Portulaca l u t e a Solander
-
" t e mtea".North Island 8322,
8073,
8089, 83h1, 8k5LThe l a r g e r leaved of the two species growing on t h e a t o l l . Great v a r i a t i o n was noticed i n the coloring of the sterns of these plants, some uere red.
, '.
Growing on limesand and c o r a l gravel s o i l s and i n the groves, c l e a r - ings, and on beach ramparts and t h e i r .inner slope. Observed on a l l t h e i s l a n d s of the a t o l l . In places on c o r a l gravels it formed thick stands.
The natives reported t h a t i t v a s used a s pig food and a s human food i n times of famine.
Portulaca samoensis V. Poelln. "te nteatt
.
North I s l a n d 8023, 8072, 8107, 8281r, 8395; South Island 8199.
Distribution much t h e same a s t h e other s p e c i e s and used by t h e n a t i v e population f o r the same purpose. Apparently no d i s t i n c t i o n i s made by them between the species.
LAURACEAE
Cassstha f i l i f o r m i s L.
"te
ntanini".North Island 8056,
e058,
8&l.A p a r a s i t i c member of the family having a suwerficial resemblance t o dodder (kuscuta). It was found grow& p r i n k p a l l ; on Scaevola s e ~ i c e a and Guettarda speciosa, occasionally attached t o Euphorbia chamissonis and pewhis. One p l a n t was found growing on Suriana mapitima, on the i s l a n d of Tabuarorae. Common along t h e beach r a m ~ a r t . r a r e r on t h e i n n e r s l o ~ e .
- .
b u t frequent i n the sunny open areas i n t h e ' c e n t e r of the l a r g e islands. Wide- spread i n the a t o l l wherever the h o s t plants grew. n o t m r s and f r u i t were present during the expedition's s t a y on the a t o l l .Hernandia sonora L. te nimaa repmrepwa"
.
South Island 8195.
Cne small t r e e , possibly the only one on the a t o l l , found along the lagoon road south of t h e v i l l a g e of Aiaki on South Island. The wood was forrnerly used f o r outriggers,
Delonix r e g i a
-
(Boj .) Raf. " t e tau".North Island 8296.
One small t r e e ,
6
f e e t t a l l , growing beside a house i n the v i l l a g e of Buarilci, North Island. Flor.iers and f r u i t were not present. This was t h e only specimen seen on t h e a t o l l .Sophora tomentosa L. " t e niltamaatuutuu".
South Island 8192; Tabuarorae
81%.
A comaon shrub on the narrow southern t i p of South Island where the coconut t r e e s had been k i l l e d by the drought. Growing on dune sands. The only other occurrence was on Tabuarorae a s a member of the shrub cor~nunity on the sand f l a t s and b o r d e r j - ~ g t h e i n l e t s a t t h e northeast end of the
island. Flowers and. f r u i t were present on most of t h e shrubs.
SURIANACEAE (often included i n t h e SI5ARUBnCEA.Z) Suriana maritima L.
Tabuarorae 8226, 8308.
This shrub was common only on Tabuarorae. I t grew on dune sand on t h e shore of t h e lagoon and as a member of t h e shrubby t h i c k e t on t h e f l a t s a t the northeast corner of the island. F a i r l y common a s a member of t h e under- s t o r y of the coconut groves on t h i s p a r t of t h e island. Young seedlings t,rere present. The only other specimens seen were on the lagoon shore i n t h e
v i l l a g e of Buariki on iNorth Island.
Euphorbia chamissonis Boiss.
,,~... . F o r t h I s l a n d 8059, 8365.
mis
plant, xiti1 Sida f a l l a x , formed-
1073 shrubby thickets i n the c e n t e r of the l a r g e i s l a n d s and i n many c l e a r i n g s i q the coconut plantations. I n the shade of %he groves on tine f i n e limesand s o i l , s c a t t e r e d p l a n t s of t h i s species +)ere frequently the only ground cover. I n other groves i t grew with Lepturus and ~ i d a t o form t h e ground cover. It was second i n importance t o Sida.-
The n a E s made no use of t h i s plant.Euphorbia pros t r a t a A i t .
North I s l a n d m92, 8146. ..
Not a common plant, but abundant vhere i t grew. It was t h e dominant ground cover i n the deep shade of a coconut grove a t t h e north end of North Island. The c o r a l gravel spread around t h e v i l l a g e houses tias usually k e p t c l e a r of vegetation, but i n the v i l l a g e of Aiaki on South Island t h i s p l a n t m s abundant i n a number of these gravel yards.
PhylLanthus n i r u r i L.
North Island 8087, 8148; ~ a b u a r o r a e 8231.
Growing i q t h e coconut groves o?, t h e t h r e e l a r g e islands, b u t not a common member of the ground cover. Found on lime s o i l s and f i n e c o r a l gravels. R e s t r i c t e d t o the v i l l a g e areas along t h e lagoon. A t the extreme northern end of North Island i t was confined t o an a r e a of s c a t t e r e d copra huts. One 'of the comnon herbs found i n -the Pisonia groves.
Dodonaea viscosa
(L.)
Jacq. t e kaiporav.Aonteuma N83; North i s l a n d 8303.
Found growing as a low shrub i n t h e t h i n coconut grove on Aonteuma.
Later, s e v e r a l plants were observed i n the v i l l a g e of Buariki. Used i n scenting the o i l f o r t h e h a i r .
Triumfetta procumbens F o r s t e r t e kiaou"
.
North Island mh0,
@9&, 8105, 8131;
Tabuarorae 82%F a i r l y common on the l a r g e r i s l a n d s . It was found growing on the ramparts on dune sand and was a l s o r a t h e r common on sanay s o i l i n the c e n t r a l portion of the i s l a n d s . I n coconut groves it frequently g r e l i u p between and over the l i t t e r s c a t t e r e d on the ground; some of the runners were a s long as four f e e t . It was i n flower and f r u i t during the period of our s t a y on t h e i s l a n d .
Used medicinally by the natives f o r poultices and drunk as tea during c h i l d b i r t h . A l s o reported used a s soap.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.
-
These plants riere reported a s growing i n the compound of one of Yne native preachers, b u t were not located. On August 1 3 t h one of the native g i r l s was observed with these f l o 5 ~ e r s i n her h a i r .
Hibiscus tiliaceus_ 1,. --.-
Pi o r t h Is!.ad 03C0, 8306, 8kh9.
Cnly two groups of these t r e e s were found o n the atoll. and both r e r e on Nortll Island. The t r e e s growing along the lagoon shore i n t h e v i l l a g e of Riiwiki were the l a r g e s t and riere i n f u l l bloom during our v i s i t . The othe:? g ~ o u p of t-ses were a t t h e south end along the road i n t h e v i l l a g e of Temao. Here '%here was one o l d t r e e surrounded by many small ones.
The flor.iers, yellow with r e d centers, were used a s ornaments i n the h a i r of the v i l l a g e r s .
Sida f a l l a x blalp.
--
" t e kaiao" and " t e Itaura".North Island e020, e088, 8202.
One of the most widely d i s t r i b u t e d ground cover plants on the a t o l l ,
g r o w i n g a t some places t o a height of 2 f e e t . It was found on a l l types of s o i l , b u t was most abundant on the limesand s o i l s under the coconut trees.
Plants growing on the c o r a l gravels were usually' c h l o r o t i c . Flo?,:ers and f r u i t were present during the whole period of our s t a y on t h e islands. The l a r v a e of t h e common b u t t e r f l y , (Hypolimnas bolina)
,
were abundant on the foliage.The floxers rrere t h e f a v o r i t e f o r rmking t h e head " l e i s " t h a t everyone wore. Children f o l l o w i ~ g along with the c o l l e c t o r made " l e i s " a s they went, and the author r a r e l y came back from an expedition without wearing one con- t r i b u t e d by them. Sometimes the p l a n t s a r e used a s p a r t of t h e compost f o r the babai p i t s .
Caloph~llum inophyllum L. " t e i t a i "
,
North Island 8127; South I s l a n d 8203.
This t r e e was r a r e on t h e a t o l l . Tnere were two l a r g e t r e e s i n a coconut grove on North Island. Another s i n g l e t r e e about 25 f e e t t a l l was l o c a t e d e a s t of the l a g o o n r o a d a t the south end of South Island. F l o m r s and f r u i t were lacking. The t r e e s were observed i n bloom on the A t o l l of IJajuro i n the '!iarshall Islands on the t r i p t o Onotoa. The l m b e r was
formerly used i n canoe building. Because of tlhe present s c a r c i t y , i t as now being used only f o r canoe paddles. A brown skipper b u t t e r f l y rras
caught on t h e leaves of, t h i s t r e e and another observed fljring about. These i n s e c t s were observed nothere e l s e on t h e a t o l l and were probably s p e c i f i c t o t h i s plant.
CARICACEAE Carica papaya L.
North Island 8150, 8153; Tabuarorae 8230.
Planted around a few of the houses i n the v i l l a g e s ; b u t not a common c u l t i v a t e d plant. tdany small p l a n t s were found around an i s o l a t e d copra hut a t t h e north end o f North Island. The l a r g e s t number were growing i n and around the Pisonia groves on Tabuarorae. The plants were i n flower and f r u i t during our s t a y on t h e i s l a n d . B e n a t i v e s s o l d us the f r u i t which :.re a t e f o r breakfast. They m r e of good q u a l i t y and q u i t e good flavor.
LY THRACEAE
Pemphis acidula Fors t.
--
" t e ngea".North Island
8036, e056,
8086, 8315.One of t h e common shrubs of the a t o l l , growing on sand dunes a t the ends of the l a r g e r i s l a n d s and on t h e gravel s o i l s ' o f t h e smaller ones.
In some places i t formed t h i c k e t s on top of the seaward ramparts. It uas coriunon a l s o along t h e lagoon shore away from the v i l l a g e s . On North I s l a n d i t formed a complete zone between t h e Rhizophora and the coconut palms a t the margin of the f i s h ponds and a l s o grew on the t i d a l f l a t s a t t h e upper end of t h e ponds. Shrubs t h a t had grown f a r o u t o? these t i d a l f l a t s were now dead, probably from the higher s a l i n i t y r e s u l t i n g from t h e drought of t h e l a s t year and a half.
I n t r ~ o areas of brackish ponds, one on North I s l a n d and one on South Island, Penphis formed t h e dominant shrub of the understory.
Flowers and f r u i t were p r e s e n t during our s t a y on t h e island. A Catocala-like moth (Achaea janata) was very abundant on foliage. Cassytha f i l i f o r m i s grew on Pemphis occasionally.
Jussiaea s u f f r u t i c o s a L.
South Island 8209.
Several l a r g e shrubs grew i n a wet babai p i t e a s t of the v i l l a g e of Aiaki. These were the only specimens seen. The flowers were yellow and were p r e s e n t on the same shrubs with r i p e seed pods.
Barringtonia a s i a t i c a (L.) -.- ICum " t e usill.
South Island 8205.
One small immature t r c e i n a shallow p i t on South Island, south of the v i l l a g e of Aiaki. The leaves were l a r g e , dark green and glossy with s h o r t r e d p e t i o l e s , No f r u i t nor blossoms were observed on Onotoa. Ripe f r u i t were seen on Xakin, G i l b e r t Islands, on the t r i p t o Onotoa.
One afternoon i n the Uaneaba (Community house) a t Aiaki, a s I was passing around p l a n t specimens i n order t o secure the native names, one of the group of. natives t o l d t h e i n t e r p r e t e r t h a t t h i s t r e e was t h e only one on the a t o l l and.rias on his land. He added t h a t t h e young f r u i t was used t o poison. f i s h and, i n t h e . o l d days, t o poison people.
Rhizophora mucronata Lam.
North Island
m51,
8098; Aonteuma 8077.Confined t o %he north end of Vorth I s l a n d and an embayment between i t and Aonteuma. The l a r g e s t s t a n d surrounded the f i s h ponds and t h e t i d a l f l a t s a t the upper end of tlie ponds. Only tr?o small mature t r e e s were growing i n t h e Aonteuna embayment, but there were many small seed- l i n g s a l l along t h e lagoo? shore. The t r e e s rrere i n bloom and a l s o had f r u i t r r i t h pendent r a d i c l e s .
Terminalia samoensis Rech. " t e ukina".
Aonteuma e081; South Island 8191; Tabuarorae 8225.
A fey$ u i d e l y s c a t t e r e d specimens of shrub s i z e found only on t h e t h r e e i s l a n d s l i s t e d above. Tney were grorriqg on dune sand o r c o r a l gravel s o i l s , The f r u i t on t h e Aonteuma specimens rrere green on J u l y 9th.
The f r u i t c o l l e c t e d on South I s l a n d on July 23rd, and Tabuarorae on J u l y 26th were s c a r l e t . One l a r g e t r e e grew on the seaward rampart on South Island. The f r u i t s were used a s decorations and i n making l l l e i s l l . Ap- parently they were not eaten.
Polyscias g u i l f o y l e i (Cogn
.
& ~ i a r c h . ) Bailey " t e butatora".North Island 8305.
Planted i n hedges. Observed i n t h e v i l l a g e s of Buariki, Taneang- Tekawa and Aiaki. The leaves were green and v h i t e and t h e d r i e d p l a n t s were very fragrant.
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don.
"
te b u r a r o t i ".
North Island 8279.
One of the common ornamentals planted around the v i l l a g e houses.
The white and purple flowered v a r i e t i e s were observed.
Nerium oleander L.
North Island 8302.
Che small shrub a t a v i l l a g e house i n Buariki. The n a t i v e s knerr it contained a poisonous substance.
Ipomoea
-
tuba (Schlecht) G. Don " t e rulcu".llorth I s l a n d 8338; South I s l a n d 8197.
This p l a n t ?!as found only a t the two s i t e s represented by t h e col- l e c t i o n s . It xas most abundant on South Island near the seaward s i d e , where i t r.7as very common and formed a dense tangle on t r e e s , shrubs and ground. On Worth Island i t tras gror.ring on the c o r a l gravel s o i l of t h e rampart and vas not abundant. ?Ieither f r u i t nor florrers were observed.
Reportedly used as medicine t o a t t r a c t t h e g i r l s . The cormnon Ipomoea pes-caprae s o abundant or. the i s l a n d of Betio a t Tara~ra Atoll and on
--
ot'ner l s l a n d s v i s i t e d , was missing here. a
Piesserschmidia araentea (L.f.1 I. il. Johnston
---
" t e rent!.i-onteuma 8076; Worth Island
8156,
8279.A common t r e e of the atoll, graving on a l l the i s l a n d s except the very small ones. Frequently found i n t h e coconut groves and a common member of
the understory on Tabuarorae. It was more abundant along the seaward ram- p a r t and along the edges of the c l e a r i n g s . One t o s e v e r a l of these t r e e s always grev on t h e edges of t h e babai p i t s . The leaves riere c o l l e c t e d and used f o r coinpost around the babai plants. It grew on sand and gravel s o i l s .
It
was i n flower and f r u i t during our stay.I;esserschmidia was commonly i d e s t e d with a c a t e r p i l l a r , probably the l a r v a l s t a g e of a small Mymphalid b u t t e r f l y , and a l s o t h e colorfu.1 moth Utetheisa. ?;he moth was usually a t r e s t on the underside of the leaves.
Lantana camara L .
Tnis p l a n t was not collected. It was growing around one o r two v i l l a g e houses. It was used by t h e g i r l s a s h a i r decoration.
Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn. I t t e inato".
Aonteuma
ma;
North I s l a n d 8298.Small shrubs which tended t o be vine-like, were growing on Aonteuma.
The.y were i n t h i c k e t s of Guettarda and Scaevola and under the coconuts.
The s o i l here was c o r a l gravel. Neither f l o ~ r e r s nor f r u i t vere present.
Tney were a l s o found around s o m of t h e houses i n the v i l l a g e of Buariki. 'The f l o v ~ e r s were used i n making " l e i s " .
Premna o b t u s i f o l i a R. Br. "te aango".
A common shrub of the south end of Ronteuma, growing on c o r a l gravel s o i l . 'he only other occurrence vas on t h e lagoori shore of South Island, south of t h e v i l l a g e of Aiaki. Here some of t h e shrubs grew t o a h e i g h t of f i f t e e n f e e t . F l o ~ ~ e r s and f r u i t riere present during our s t a y on t h e a t o l l . i'remna ~7as reported t o be used as a aerficine. Some of the leaves showed damage by leaf-cuttAng bees.
Physalis l a n c e i f o l i a Nees
Morth Island 8993, 8149.
.
A fer? plants growing beside a copra shack a t t h e northern end of S o r t h Island. 1'0 other specimens seen, both c o l l e c t i o n s being made a t t h e
same s i t e . Flowers and f r u i t were present.
,
Russelia equisetifortnis Scblecht & Cham. te kaibaun".
North Island 8167, 8307, 8387.
A common p l a n t around the Residency and the v i l l a g e homes.
Collectio'ns were made only on Worth Island, but the p l a n t was present on South I s l a n d and Tabuarorae. The s c a r l e t flowers were highly prized f o r l t l e i s l t .
Pseuderanthemum c a r r u t h e r s i i Seem. I'te rotill.
North I s l a n d
W38,
8301.Commonly c u l t i v a t e d and growing around the houses i n a l l the v i l l a g e s . I n the cemeteries a t the northern and souther? t i p s of 'North Island, a number of graves had these shrubs growing a t one end. Two v a r i e t i e s were obseme.d,,,:Che v a r i e t y had purplish-green leaves, dark twigs and magenta flowers. The other.-variety had:green leaves and l i g h t colored [email protected]. No flovrers were observed on the latter.
Guettarda speciosa L. " t e u r i " .
' North Island
m41,
82e0, 8333; Aonteuma @79.Second i n importance t o ~ c a e v o l a as an understory t r e e and t h i c k e t former. It was found on a l l types 'of s o i l s on a l l the islands, including the very small c o r a l gravel i s l a n d s between North and South Islands.
Flot~ers and f r u i t were present during t h e time $7e were. on the. a t o l l . It was frequently p a r a s i t i z e d by Cassgtha f i l i f o r m i s .
The f r a g r a n t flowers were used by the natives f o r " l e i s " . The
women spread a dozen o r so leaves on the ground on which t o dry t h e pandanus :pulp. The skin from the f r u i t of t h i s p l a n t , with a p a r t of the r o o t of Scaevola, were s a i d t o be used t o cure venereal disease. These were crushed
together, the j u i c e put i n t o a drinkin8 coconut and t h i s mixture drunk by the patient. One treatment i s s a i d t o be e f f e c t i v e .
ivlorinda c i t r i f o l i a L.
libmekeneke
BlGk,
81kG; Tabuarorae 8227.This p l a n t was found gror.ring p r i n c i p a l l y belo1.7 the ramparts on the seaward s i d e of the i s l a n d s . Also a member of the Pisonia grove community.
It most frequently grew on c o r a l gravel s o i l s . Signs of damage by s a l t spray were evident on the small i s l a n d o f Nanntabuariki. The t r e e s on North Island had been attacked by t h e l e a f - c u t t i n g bees, A l a r g e Sphingid
c a t e r p i l l a r , l a r v a of t h e day-flying hawk moth, was found on t h e f o l i a g e of t h e t r e e s i n the cemetery on North Island. The t r e e was a l s o planted around the houses i n the v i l l a g e s . Both flowers and f r u i t r e r e present during our s t a y on t h e island. The f r u i t i s used as food i n times of famine, but apparently n o t highly regarded o r used a t other times.
GOOD231 IACEAE
Scaevola s e r i c e a J a h l " t e mao".
North Island e024, 8283, 8396.
Tne commonest understory and t h i c k e t former o n the a t o l l . It was present on a l l t h e i s l a n d s and grew on a l l types of s o i l . It formed dense t h i c k e t s i n t h e neglected coconut groves. On the seaward ramparts i t formed s o l i d t h i c k e t s a t many places and these plants shoved a con- s i d e r a b l e amount of k i l l i n g by s a l t spray. Web! shoots, however, a r i s e d i r e c t l y from the r o o t stock. It was i n flower and f r u i t during the time we were on the a t o l l and was frequently p a r a s i t i z e d by Cassgtha f i l i f o r m i s .
Vernonia ciner.ea (L.) Less. " t e waonnansi"
South I s l a n d 8193.
This small composite was found growing along t h e lagoon road both north and south of the v.illage of Aiaki, South Island. It Tias f a i r l y common i n t h i s area, but not found a t any o t h e r l o c a t i o n on t h e a t o l l .
The flowers were l i g h t purple.
PTERIDOPHYTA
No members of t h i s group o f plants grew on Onotoa.
Polypodium s c o l e r ~ n d r i a %7as common on i:iaj uro Atoll, iiarshall Islands.
I,Y/5/51.
The mosses and liverworts c o l l e c t e d on the expedition t o Onotoa were determined by Dr. 1-1. A. i l i l l e r and samples r e t a i n e d i n h i s col- l e c t i o n . Duplicate specimens Tiere d i s t r i b u t e d t o t h e Herbaria indicated above.
Because of the i r r e g u l a r amount of r a i n f a l l on Onotoa, with long periods of drought, Bryophytes were n o t common on the a t o l l . flosses grew on the lime-sand soil: along roads and paths and on sail bare of vascular plants. The heaviest growth was i n t h e shade of t r e e s . Host . . of t h e moss patches were surrounded. by a t h i c k growth of t e r r e s t r i a l
blue-green algae. Black t u f t s of Scytonema ocellatwn f r e q u e n t l y were mixed with t h e moss p l a n t s and suggested the presence of another species.
Only one species. of moss was found and no l i v e r w o r t s were c o l l e c t e d on Onotoa. Dixon (1927: Jour. Bob. 65:254.) has previously recorded Brachymenium indicum (Doz. & Piott.) Bry. Jav. a s occurring on k o t o a , b u t t h i s species did not show up i n the c o l l e c t i o n s . N i l l e r i n d i c a t e s
the one species found t o be B r a c h ~ n i u m
-.
melanothecium( c .
l:i&l.) Jaeg.and s t a t e s t h a t it i s widespread i n Oceania. The f o l l o ~ f i n g c o l l e c t i o n s were made:
North I s l a n d e060,
8061,
8095, 8176.South I s l a n d 8213.
Tabuarorae 8241.
@I t h e t r i p o u t t o Cnotoa from I h a j a l e i n Atoll, there were op- p o r t u n i t i e s t o c o l l e c t on the various a t o l l s v i s i t e d . These c o l l e c t i o n s a r e irlcluded beiov.
MUSC
I
Hajuro i i t o l l , iiarshall Islands.
8002. Growing on t h e trunk of a palm t r c e i n a shaded area, Rogeron Island, ~~S.A.8/51.
8621. Graving on a b r e a d f r u i t t r e e , Rogeron Island.
~1/18/51.
KwajaLein A t o l l , Xarshall Islands.
@Ol. Base o f palm t r e e . liwadak Island. Species widespread i n Oceania. ( N i l l e r , 1953, p.
5 ) .
Calmperos thyridioides Broth.
lffijuro Atoll, liarshall Islands.
@05. Gn r o t t e n uood i n a Scaevola thickets. Uligalc Island.
vr/lsin. .
., -Previously reported from Arno Atoll and other places i n t h e iiarshalls as C. moluccense by l%.ller, 1953, p.
b.
( i i i l l e r personal correspondence).
-
HEPATICAE Archile jeunea mariana (Gott.) St.
I h a j a l e i n A t o l l , i.iarshal1 Islands.
B O O . On the bark of Fisonia t r e e s . F a i r l y coimon on t h e hori- zontal branches. Wooded center of Kwadak Island. VI'/l7/Sl.
k c o r d i n g t o ;iiller (Correspondence) t h i s is a r a t h e r depauperate specimen but f a l l s within t l ~ e range of the species. lkdespread i n Oceania.
Hygrole j e w e a v e s i c a t a (idiitt.) Stephani
?4ajuro Atoll, i i a r s h a l l Islands.
mO3.
On the trunk of a palm tree. Rogeron Island. ~1/18/51.l l i l l e r s t a t e s (Corresnondence) t h a t he believes t h i s s ~ e c i e s belongs i n cheiloleje&ea.
The
m a t e r i a l from tlw Marshalls i; s l i g h t l y smaller than the type.The f e u l i c h e n s found have been turned over t o Dr. George A.
Llano, L a x l ~ l l Field, 'ilabama, f o r determination. These c o l l e c t i o n s
?rere made i n dense t l ~ i c k e ts on t h e bark of Guettarda, Norinda, Pandanus and coconut trees.
The fungus 'ollections made on Onotoa have been turned over t o Dr. Donald P. Rogers a t the )Ierr Pork Eotanical Garden and determinations have n o t been ~ilade a t t h i s date.
A ilurnber of species of bracket fungi were c o l l e c t e d on r o t t i n g l o g s . Tne coinmones.t was a r e d polypore. A r e t i c u l a t e orange slime rnold was found on decayj.ng panclanus leaves. A white g i l l e d fungus was c o l l e c t e d several times from the base of l i v i n g coconut palms. Fungus b e e t l e s arere present i n some of t h e specimens collected.
