A T O L L R E S E A R C H B U L L E T I N N O - 287 C H E C K L I S T OF T H E V A S C U L A R P L A N T S O F T H E NORTHERN L I N E I S L A N D S ISSUED B Y T H E S M I T H S O N I A N I N S T I T U T I O N W A S H I N G T O N , D. C., U 4 . A - C H E C K L I S T OF THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF THE NORTHERN L I N E I S L A N D S INTRODUCTION The Northern Line I s l a n d s c o n s i s t s of f o u r a t o l l s a l igned on a n a n a x i s which runs from south e a s t t o n o r t h west. The t h r e e southern i s l a n d s Christmas ( K i r i t i m a t i ) , Fanning (Tabuaeran) and Washington (Tera ina) have permanent populat ions and a r e p a r t of t h e Republic of K i r i b a t i w able 1). The f o u r t h i s l and , Palmyra, on t h e no r th end of t h e cha in , i s a n unoccupied U.S. possession. Table 1 Northern Line I s l ands Land a r e a Rainf a1 1 Populat ion P o l i t i c a l (sq. kms. ) (mi l l ime te r s ) j u r i s d i c t i o n Palmyra 0.6 416 1 0 U.S. Washington 14.2 2902 417 K i r i b a t i Fanning 34.6 2086 434 K i r i b a t i Christmas 363.4 7 66 1288 K i r i b a t i Sources: Ca r t e r , 1984; Ministry of Education, Training and Culture, 1979; Taylor, 1973. The i s l a n d s a r e remarkably d i s s i m i l a r considering t h e i r proximity. This i s i n p a r t due t o t h e f a c t t h a t they l i e ac ros s a n abrupt r a i n f a l l g rad ien t . Christmas i n t h e south, i n t h e e q u a t o r i a l dry b e l t , r e c e i v e s only 766 m m of r a i n p e r year , whereas t h e i s l a n d s f u r t h e r riorth a r e inf luenced by t h e i n t e r t r o p i c a l convergence t o a progress ive ly * Department of Geography, Univers i ty of Hawaii g r e a t e r e x t e n t . Palmyra, f o u r d e g r e e s o f l a t i t u d e n o r t h , r e c e i v e s 4161 m i l l i m e t e r s p e r y e a r and s u p p o r t s a l u x u r i a n t f o r e s t . The i s l a n d s a r e a1.m q u i t e d i f f e r e n t i n form. Chris tmas i s a v e r y l a r g e a t o l l ; most o f t h e l a n d i s o n e con t inuous s u r f a c e which a lmos t comple te ly e n c i r c l e s a n embayment o r lagoon and t h e r e i s a l a r g e p r o t r u d i n g p e n i n s u l a o f f t o t h e s o u t h e a s t . The i s l a n d c o n t a i n s e x t e n s i v e p l a i n s o f l i m e s t o n e hardpan, numerous sha l low p o o l s , beach berms and sand dunes. The ocean c o a s t i s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y a sandy beach. Fanning on t h e o t h e r hand cor responds more c l o s e l y t o t h e p o p u l a r image o f a n a t o l l a s i t i s made up o f t h r e e long , narrow i s l a n d s which surround a s h a l l o w lagoon. I ts ocean s h o r e i s covered a lmos t comple te ly w i t h p l a t e - l i k e c o r a l s h i n g l e and l i t t l e sand . Washington i s perhaps t h e most p e c u l i a r i s l a n d o f t h e group. It h a s t h e s m a l l e s t c o r a l p l a t f o r m and t h e i s l a n d i s lens-shaped. I n s t e a d o f a lagoon open t o t h e s e a t h e c e n t r a l d e p r e s s i o n o f t h e i s l a n d c o n t a i n s a f r e s h w a t e r l a k e and two p e a t bogs. The s h o r e h a s a narrow f r i n g i n g r e e f u s u a l l y covered on t h e landward s i d e w i t h a t h i n s t r i p o f sand. Although Palmyra i s a s l i g h t l y l a r g e r c o r a l s t r u c t u r e t h a n Washington, i t i s mos t ly submerged r e e f . A t t h e t i m e of f i r s t su rvey t h e a t o l l c o n s i s t e d o f about f i f t y t i n y i s l e t s h e a v i l y v e g e t a t e d down t o h i g h t i d e l e v e l ; however d redg ing and r e c l a m a t i o n have g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d i t s a r e a . The i s l a n d s were u n i n h a b i t e d a t t h e t i m e of European d i s c o v e r y b u t t h e r e i s ample e v i d e n c e of former P o l y n e s i a n occupancy (Emory, 1934, 1939; Finney, 1958) . Whalers and t r a d e r s s topped a t t h e i s l a n d s d u r i n g t h e e a r l y n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y b u t t h e f i r s t a t t e m p t a t s e t t l e m e n t was by a group from Hawaii i n 1820. The co lony of about f o r t y peop le i n c l u d e d b o t h Europeans and Hawaiians b u t a p p e a r s t o have been a f a i l u r e because most o f t h e p a r t y had r e t u r n e d by 1822 (Maria Loomis, 1819-24; E l i s h a and Maria Loomis, 1820-24). Whalers who s topped by t h e i s l a n d f o r wood o r coconuts recorded a n o c c a s i o n a l castaway o v e r t h e n e x t two decades . However by 1840 a w h i t e man and 30 S o c i e t y I s l a n d e r s were l i v i n g on t h e i s l a n d and a b l e t o s u p p l y one of t h e s h i p s engaged i n t h e U.S. Explor ing Exded i t ion w i t h "watermelon, t a r o and pumpkins" (Anonymous, 1838-41). Two y e a r s l a t e r a w h a l e r r e p o r t e d t h e g roup was engaged i n producing coconut o i l and s u p p l i e d them w i t h a r rowroot (Hussey, 1841-45). Edward L u c e t t a r r i v e d on Fanning i n 1846 w i t h a t i t l e and t h e i n t e n t i o n o f e s t a b l i s h i n g a coconut o i l i n d u s t r y . He no ted t h a t t h e r e was a "man o f Crusoe h a b i t s " on t h e i s l a n d who had a n Hawaiian w i f e and a l a r g e f a m i l y o f c h i l d r e n and g r a n d c h i l d r e n and was engaged i n t h e r a i s i n g of p i g s . What happened t o t h e e a r l i e r co lony o r whether t h i s r e p r e s e n t e d a r e l i c t o f i t i s n o t c l e a r ( L u c e t t , 1851) . I n 1852 John E n g l i s h purchased t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t and by 1854 seems t o have expanded t o Washington I s l a n d because a w h a l e r who s topped t h e r e r e p o r t e d h e was a b l e t o t r a d e f o r "sweet p o t a t o e s , coconuts and bananas" (Engl i sh , 1857; Hol ley, 1853-57). Washington h a s no s a f e anchorage and i t may have been occupied o n l y i n t e r m i t t e n t l y because when a n o t h e r whaler s topped t h e r e i n 1861 h e no ted t h a t t h e n a t i v e s cou ld p rov ide n o t h i n g because t h e y had o n l y been t h e r e f o r a few months (Greene, 1860-65). E n g l i s h s o l d h i s i n t e r e s t s i n t h e i s l a n d s t o Will iam Gre ig , h i s a s s i s t a n t , and George B i c k n e l l i n 1864 who swi tched t o t h e production of copra and were responsible for extensive planting of coconut on both Washington and Fanning. When George Bicknell died the operation of the plantation passed to the Greig family who remained there well into the twentieth century. Drought-prone Christmas Island with only small natural stands of coconut had little to offer whalers except turtles and fish. Phosphate attracted guano diggers to Christmas Island in 1858 and some rock was also exported from Fanning Island between 1878 and 1881 but the Northern Line Islands were not among the major producers of phosphate rock. It was not until 1882 that more or less permanent occupation began on Christmas. Messrs Macfarlane and Henderson of Auckland took possession of the island in the name of their company and over the next few years their employees were engaged in the gathering of pearl shell from the lagoon and the planting of coconuts (Bailey, 1977). When the British Commonwealth communications cable was constructed across the Pacific from Canada to Australia, a relay station was built on Fanning Island which operated from 1902 to 1963. This imposing facility, which had a permanent staff and could boast of a swimming pool, tennis courts and extensive gardens, enhanced the position of Fanning as the focus of human activity in the Line Islands. In 1902 Lever Brothers Ltd. acquired a lease of Christmas Island and financed a major coconut planting program. The Greigs and the heir of James Bicknell were forced to sell their interests in Washington and Fanning Island in 1907 although members of the Greig family remained to manage the plantation. The purchaser was Emmanuel Rougier who conveyed them to a company called Fanning Island Limited just a few years later. Meanwhile by 1914 he had taken over the Lever lease of Christmas Island and formed the Central Pacific Coconut Plantations Limited . He and later his nephew Paul Rougier ran the islands as a plantation. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Company took over the running of the Christmas Island coconut plantation in 1941 after Paul Rougier became embroiled in criminal and political affairs and returned to France (Bailey, 1977). Washington and Fanning, the wetter and more productive islands, were acquired by Burns Philp & Co. who continued to operate them as coconut plantations until they sold them to the Kiribati government in 1983 (Republic of Kiribati, 1983). During the Second World War New Zealand and American troops were garrisoned on Christmas Island and in 1956-58 Britain used the island for nuclear testing. The United States used it for similar purposes in 1962. All devices were detonated in the atmosphere and its most conspicuous martial legacy is 100 kilometers of sealed road and impressive quantities of abandoned equipment and rusting structures. Palmyra Island escaped permanent settlement or significant modification until the United States established a military base there in 1940 which was eventually expanded to accommodate 6,000 personnel. The transformation of the island by dredging the lagoon, constructing causeways and building airstrips has been described in detail by Dawson (1959). The island was abandoned as a base in 1958 and plans to develop it as a plantation or a resort have come to nothing. It remains an uninhabited U.S. possession recovering from profound disturbance. In 1979 the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands, formerly administered by the British, became Kiribati, an independent republic. It is the hope of the government to use the Line Islands, particularly Christmas, to settle people from heavily overpopulated South Tarawa, in the Gilbert group. However the economic prospects for development of the Line Islands are small, and the problem of transport and communication with the administrative and population center far to the west, is great. Improvements to the airport and the construction of an hotel were sponsored by the Japanese government who built and maintains a down-range missile tracking station on Christmas Island. A small tourist industry exists on Christmas based on game fishing and some fish are exported to Honolulu. Copra production has diminished almost to zero. However the government is presently-engaged in a study of the agricultural potential of the newly acquired Washington and Fanning Islands. SUMMARY OF THE LAND FLORA The indigenous land flora of vascular plants consists largely of widespread strand and coral island species. Endemism is low, as is to be expected on an atoll. The only endemic species which have been described from the islands belong to genera which, for one reason or another, pose many problems for the systematist. Hence the status of these taxa (Asplenium pacificurn, Pandanus fanningensis, P. hermsianus, four varieties of P. fischerianus, Portulaca fosbergii aKd P. johniir is in doubt. Only Gine indigenous species, out of a total 07 42, occur on all of the islands in the group and the significant differences in the floras, and the character of the vegetation communities, can be related to rainfall (Table 2). The smaller but wetter islands (Palmyra and Washington) are mostly covered by closed forest and have more indigenous species than the much larger Christmas Island. The vegetation of the latter consists of either sickly coconut plantation or low scrub. Fanning receives sufficient rainfall to support closed canopy forests of ~ocos, Pisonia and Pandanus but extensive tracts of land are inundated during high tides and these mudflats support mainly Lepturus grass. Table 2 Origin and status of species Indigenous Cultivated Advent ive TOTAL or persisting Palmyra Washington Fanning Christmas Simi l a r i t y i n d i c e s c a l c u l a t e d on t h e b a s i s of t h e e n t i r e indigenous f l o r a (Table 3) show a h igh l e v e l of s i m i l a r i t y between Palmyra and Washington and, t o a s l i g h t l y l e s s e r e x t e n t , between those two i s l a n d s and Fanning. Christmas, on t h e o t h e r hand, i s q u i t e d i s s i m i l a r from Palmyra and Washington b u t bea r s cons iderable s i m i l a r i t y t o Fanning. * Table 3 S i m i l a r i t y ind ices : indigenous spec ies Washington Fanning Christmas Palmyra 78.2 63.6 40.0 Washington 62.5 36.4 Fanning 61.9 Calcula t ions based on Sorensen index of s i m i l a r i t y S I = number of spec i e s common t o both i s l a n d s x 100 112 ( t o t a l spec i e s on i s l a n d A + t o t a l spec i e s on i s l a n d B) The concent ra t ion of introduced s p e c i e s shows a d i s t i n c t l y d i f f e r e n t pa t t e rn . Fanning has many more c u l t i v a t e d and advent ive s p e c i e s , which can probably be explained by i t s s u i t a b i l i t y f o r h o r t i c u l t u r e and i t s long h i s t o r y a s t h e headquarters f o r t h e main p l a n t a t i o n on t h e i s l a n d s . Kyte (1861) remarked on t h e v a r i e t y of c rops which were grown on t h e p l a n t a t i o n and t h e owners went s o f a r a s t o b r i n g s o i l from Honolulu f o r t h e i r gardens. Many o t h e r p l a n t s were imported f o r t h e ex t ens ive gardens of t h e Cable S t a t i o n and even today a number of ornamental s p e c i e s p e r s i s t d e s p i t e t h e l ack of ca re . Washington might have been equal ly s u i t a b l e t o support c rops p l a n t s o r ornamentals b u t i t l acks a s a f e anchorage and s o fewer i n t roduc t ions have occurred. Most of t h e e x o t i c s p e c i e s recorded from Palmyra were introduced when i t served a s a m i l i t a r y base. The seve re ly d is turbed a r e a s a r e s t i l l s u i t a b l e h a b i t a t s f o r advent ive spec i e s b u t t h e introduced p l a n t s w i l l probably be rep laced i f no f u r t h e r human i n t e r f e r e n c e occurs. I t would appear t h a t some advent ive spec i e s recorded i n t h e n ine t een th century have s i n c e disappeared. The guano d igge r John Arundel f o r example c b l l e c t e d ~ c h ~ r a n t h e s a pe ra and Asclepias curassavica on Fanning but they have no t been recorded s i n c e and we can assume they a r e l o c a l l y e x t i n c t . There i s a much lower l e v e l of s i m i l a r i t y between t h e assemblages of advent ive spec i e s on t h e d i f f e r e n t i s l a n d s (Table 4). Furthermore t h e p a t t e r n s of s i m i l a r i t y a r e somewaht d i f f e r e n t . The h i g h e s t s i m i l a r i t y i s between Fanning and Washington which i s probably because they a r e both wet , have experienced s i m i l a r human u s e and indeed been operated a s a s i n g l e p l a n t a t i o n f o r most of t h e i r r e c e n t h i s t o r y . Table 4 S i m i l a r i t y ind ices : advent ive spec ies Washington Fanning Christmas Pa lmyra 4 1 . 9 4 5 . 3 4 5 . 8 Washington 5 6 . 0 5 3 . 3 Fanning 4 3 . 6 The p a t t e r n of s i m i l a r i t y between t h e c u l t i v a t e d spec i e s on i s l a n d s shows a s i m i l a r p a t t e r n t o t h a t of t h e advent ives (Table 5 ) . Fanning and Washington aga in show a h igh l e v e l of s i m i l a r i t y fur thermore Fanning, Washington and Christmas toge the r a s a group seem t o have much i n common bu t a r e q u i t e d i s s i m i l a r from Palmyra. This may be because Palmyra has had a very d i f f e r e n t h i s t o r y of human occupat ion and d is turbance . Table 5 S i m i l a r i t y ind ices : c u l t i v a t e d o r p e r s i s t i n g Washington Fanning Christmas Pa lmyra 3 0 . 0 2 1 . 4 3 5 . 9 Washington 6 5 . 5 5 3 . 5 Fanning 4 6 . 3 PLANT COLLECTORS OF THE NORTHERN LINE ISLANDS Of t h e f o u r i s l a n d s of t h e Northern Line I s l ands , Christmas and Fanning have rece ived most a t t e n t i o n from p l a n t c o l l e c t o r s because they a r e more acces s ib l e . A few specimens remain from c o l l e c t i o n s gathered i n t h e n ine t een th century bu t t h e f i r s t sys temat ic i nven to r i e s were made by p a r t i c i p a n t s i n expedi t ions s e n t by t h e Bishop Museum i n t h e 1 9 2 0 ' s and 3 0 ' s . Since t h a t t ime t h e r e have been o t h e r e f f o r t s which have added one o r two new indigenous spec i e s t o t h e known f l o r a and made i t poss ib l e t o keep t r a c k of in t roduct ions . A summary of information about each of t h e c o l l e c t o r s who have worked i n t h e Northern Line I s l ands , and t h e d i s p o s i t i o n of t h e i r specimens, has been compiled f o r re ference . Arundel, John T. was a t r a d e r and guano d igger who became one of t h e leading f i g u r e s i n t h e P a c i f i c phosphate i ndus t ry ( ~ a n g d o n , 1 9 7 4 ) . He was a t f i r s t a f i e l d manager f o r t h e B r i t i s h f i rm of Houlder Bros. and Co. which operated i n t h e e q u a t o r i a l P a c i f i c i s l ands . He l a t e r went i n t o t h e bus iness himself and, between 1 8 8 3 and 1 8 9 1 , operated from Apia us ing mostly Niue and Cook I s l a n d l abo re r s . A t va r ious t imes he h e l d l e a s e s f o r many of t h e d r y guano i s l a n d s . He t r a v e l e d ex tens ive ly and i s known t o have v i s i t e d t h e Line I s l a n d s i n 1 8 7 3 . Between 1 8 7 9 and 1 8 8 1 h e d i r e c t e d t h e guano mining on Fanning (Arundel, 1 8 7 0 - 1 9 1 9 ) . On one these trips he apparently collected 21 specimens on Fanning and other islands, which were sent to Joseph Hooker at Kew (Arundel, 1890). From these a list was compiled (Anonymous, 1874-86) which was reported in part by Hemsley (1855) in the results of the Challenger Expedition. His specimens are preserved at Kew. Ball, Stanley C. was a zoologist and Curator of Collections at the Bishop Museum who participated in the Fanning Island Expedition in the company of C.E. Edmondson. They made comprehensive biological collections during a ten day stay on Fanning in July and August 1922 (Edmondson, 1923; Gregory, 1923). Ball made the collections of plants which, along with his field notebooks, are in the Bishop Museum. In 1924 Ball was on Christmas and again on Fanning Island but this time in the company of G.P. Wilder as members of the scientific party on the "Cruise of the Kaimiloa" sponsored, in part, by the Bishop Museum. Ball made no further collections at this time. Bennett, Frederick Debell was the surgeon on board a whaling ship which circumnavigated the globe between 1833 and 1836. During the voyage he stopped on Christmas Island (6-10 May, 1835) and made extensive plant collections. A list of the plants collected was published along with his account of the voyage (Bennett, 1970). His specimens from this voyage were sent to Berlin Herbarium (Lanjouw and Staflen, 1954) and presumably destroyed during the Second World War. It is possible that some duplicates may exist at the British Museum or at Kew. Bergman, H.F. and Erling Christophersen were botanists on the Whippoorwill Expedition sent to the Line Islands by the Bishop Museum. Bergman was responsible for systematic collecting and made extensive collections while on Christmas (31 July and 7 August) and on Washington (13-18 August 1924) (Gregory 1925). He also visited Fanning with other members of the expedition but on this island Christophersen seems to have made all of the collections. His specimens are preserved in the Bishop Museum and the U.S. National Herbarium and were used in the preparation of a detailed report on the vegetation of the islands by Christophersen (1927). Browne, Ashley was employed by the University of Hawaii Agricultural Extension, and selected as a member of the official party of a ship dispatched to supply a group of young men from Honolulu who were living on the Southern Line Islands (Bryan, 1974). The ship stopped at Palmyra on 17 October 1939 during which time Browne collected a few specimens which are now at Berkeley. Bryan, Edwin H. was Curator of Collections at the Bishop Museum when he made at least two stops on Palmyra Island during the 1930's. He travelled with ships which transported and suppiied young men from Honolulu who were sent to occupy the Southern Line Islands in an effort to strengthen the United States's claim to that territory. In the course of these voyages the ships visited the Northern Line Islands. During stops on Palmyra (23 March 1935 and 11-12 August 1938) Bryan took the opportunity to make collections of plants (Bryan, 1974). His specimens are in the Bishop Museum and the U.S. National. However the labels show confusion, in some cases, about the site of collection. Christophersen, Erling and H.F. Bergman were the botanists on the Whippoorwill Expedition sent by the Bishop Museum to survey the Line Islands. It was the responsibility of Christophersen to study the ecological aspects of the islands. However he also made all the collections on Fanning during their stay (29-30 July) and both men collected while they were on Christmas (31 July to 7 August)(Gregory, 1925). However all the collecting on Washington appears to have been done by Bergman. Christophersen wrote a detailed report of the vegetation of the Line Islands based on these observations (Christophersen (1927). Cooke, Charles Montague Jr. was a malacologist at the Bishop Museum who accompanied Henry Cooper and Joseph Rock on an expedition to Palmyra 1sland in 1913 (Rock 1916). He was a leader of "Trip B" of the Whippoorwill Expedition which visited the Line Islands again in 1924 (Gregory, 1924); however all of their important work was done on Baker and Howland Islands. Cooke was the leader of the Mangarevan Expedition, sponsored by the Bishop Museum, which stopped at Fanning Island (20-29 April 1934) on the way south. In the course of the return journey they called at Christmas Island (21-22 October) and again at Fanning (23 October). The botanists of the party were Harold St. John and F. Raymond Fosberg who did most of the collecting independently of Cooke (Kondo and Clench, 1952). Cooper, Henry E. was a judge in Honolulu and President of the Board of Regents of the College of Hawaii. In 1913, soon after purchasing the island of Palmyra, he took a group of scientists on an-expedition of exploration. Joseph Rock wrote the report of the trip (Rock, 1916). Cooper was listed along with C.M. Cooke as a collector on that expedition. However Cooper collected plants independently on another visit to Palmyra in 1914. All specimens were given to the Bishop Museum. Dawson, E. Yale, a marine biologist, was on Palmyra (15-21 October 1958) for the purpose of studying ciguatera fish poisoning. He documented the considerable changes caused by the construction of a military base on the island during the Second World War (Dawson, 1959). His extensive collections of both native ruderal and cultivated species are preserved in the Bishop Museum and the U.S. National Herbarium. Fosberg, F. Raymond first visited the islands as a member of the Mangarevan Expedition which stopped at Fanning Island (20-29 April 1934) during the journey south and at Christmas Island (21-22 October) and again at Fanning (23 October) on the voyage home. At this time Fosberg was acting as an assistant to Harold St. John. Fosberg again collected on Christmas Island (16 August 1936) in the company of Alfred Metraux and his wife E.M. Metraux. His specimens are in the Bishop Museum and the U.S. National Herbarium. G a l l a g h e r , M.D. was a major i n t h e B r i t i s h armed f o r c e s s t a t i o n e d on Chris tmas I s l a n d from June 1958 t o mid J u n e 1959 d u r i n g a s e r i e s o f a t o m i c t e s t s . H e was t h e founder and g u i d i n g s p i r i t o f - t h e N a t u r a l H i s t o r y S o c i e t y o f Chris tmas I s l a n d e s t a b l i s h e d f o r t h e purpose o f f o s t e r i n g i n t e r e s t i n w i l d l i f e . A s e r i e s o f b u l l e t i n s were i s s u e d which c o n t a i n e d u s e f u l i n f o r m a t i o n abou t t h e p l a n t s and an imals o f t h e i s l a n d (Anonymous, 1962) . Major Ga l lagher made c o l l e c t i o n s o f p l a n t s which h e s e n t t o t h e Bishop Museum and p u b l i s h e d a n a r t i c l e based on h i s o b s e r v a t i o n s o f t h e b i r d s (Ga l lagher , 1960) . Hamilton, Dean C. made c o l l e c t i o n s and o b s e r v a t i o n s o f p l a n t s on t h e n o r t h e r n p o r t i o n o f Chr i s tmas I s l a n d i n t h e v i c i n i t y of Main Camp w h i l e c o n d u c t i n g a n en tomolog ica l s u r v e y o f t h e i s l a n d f o r t h e P l a n t Quaran t ine D i v i s i o n , A g r i c u l t u r a l Research S e r v i c e o f t h e Uni ted S t a t e s Department o f A g r i c u l t u r e (11-14 A p r i l 1962) . I n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h Alvin K. Chock, t h e n o f t h e Botany Department, Bishop Museum, a l i s t o f p l a n t s of t h e i s l a n d was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e A t o l l Research B u l l e t i n (Chock and Hamilton, 1962) . The specimens a r e p r e s e r v e d i n t h e Bishop Muesum. Herms, Will iam B. was a n en tomolog is t f rom t h e Col lege of A g r i c u l t u r e o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a , Berke ley who, w i t h Harold Kirby Jr . , a g r a d u a t e a s s i s t a n t , s p e n t f o u r months- i n t h e L ine I s l a n d s i n $ e s t i g a t i n g t h e p e s t s o f coconut . H e s p e n t most o f h i s s t a y from 3 May t o 27 J u l y 1924 on Fanning I s l a n d . However h e and h i s a s s i s t a n t made a s h o r t f o r a y t o Washington I s l a n d (13-16 May) d u r i n g which Herms was l a r g e l y i n c a p a c i t a t e d (Herms, 1925 ; 1926) . They made c o l l e c t i o n s o f p l a n t s on b o t h i s l a n d s . C h r i s t o p h e r s e n (1927) in forms u s t h a t E.D. M e r r i l l p repared a manuscr ip t o f a f l o r a o f t h e i s l a n d s based on t h e s e c o l l e c t i o n s and t h a t i t was prese rved i n t h e Bishop Museum l i b r a r y . A s e a r c h was made f o r t h i s manuscr ip t b u t i t c o u l d n o t be l o c a t e d . However Chr i s tophersen f u r t h e r s t a t e d t h a t h e had i n c o r p o r a t e d i t s i n f o r m a t i o n i n t o h i s p u b l i s h e d work. H i l l , F.L. made c o l l e c t i o n s on Chris tmas I s l a n d on 25 October 1957 and t h e y a r e p r e s e n t l y i n t h e Bishop Museum. No o t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n abou t t h e c o l l e c t o r h a s been found. H i l l , Margaret was a s c h o o l t e a c h e r employed by t h e C i v i l Aeronau t ics A u t h o r i t y d u r i n g t h e t i m e t h e y main ta ined a b a s e on Palmyra I s l a n d . I n October 1949 s h e made a c o l l e c t i o n o f 2 5 p l a n t s from t h e v i c i n i t y o f t h e i n h a b i t e d a r e a o f Menge i s l e t . The p l a n t s , mos t ly r u d e r a l s , were i d e n t i f i e d by Marie C. Neal and E.H. Bryan and a r e p r e s e r v e d i n t h e Bishop Museum (Dawson, 1959) . J e n k i n . R . N . and M.A. F o a l e conducted a s t u d y of t h e p o t e n t i a l of Chr i s tmas I s l a n d f o r growing coconuts f o r t h e D i r e c t o r a t e of Overseas S t u d i e s o f t h e ~ r i t i s h ~ove;nment d u r i n g 1965 and 1966 ( J e n k i n and F o a l e , 1968) . They s p e n t August and September 1965 on Chris tmas I s l a n d do ing t h e f i e l d p o r t i o n o f t h e s t u d y and d u r i n g t h a t t ime J e n k i n c o l l e c t e d p l a n t specimens. A t l e a s t some of t h e specimens a r e a t Kew. Judd , Alber t F. was a t r u s t e e o f t h e Bishop Museum who went a s a member of t h e o f f i c i a l p a r t y o n t h e s h i p s u p p l y i n g g roups of young men s e n t t o occupy t h e Sou thern L i n e I s l a n d s . He and D. M i t c h e l l made c o l l e c t i o n s w h i l e on Palmyra I s l a n d ( 1 3 J u n e 1935) which were p laced i n t h e Bishop Museum. Kirby, Harold Jr. was a g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t i n zoology from t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a who accompanied W i l l i a m Herms t o Fanning, and presumably Washington I s l a n d , t o s t u d y i n s e c t p e s t s a t t a c k i n g t h e c o c o n i t . ~ x t e n s i v e c o l l e c t i o n s on b o t h i s l a n d s were made. They a r r i v e d a t Fanning on 3 May and Kirby remained u n t i l 3 October a l t h o u g h Herms l e f t n e a r t h e end of J u l y . They made a s h o r t f o r a y t o Washington (13-16 May) (Herms, 1925; 1926) . Otherwise most o f Ki rby ' s t i m e was s p e n t on Fanning a l t h o u g h he j o i n e d t h e s c i e n t i f i c p a r t y o f t h e Whippoorwill Exped i t ion s e n t by t h e Bishop Museum when t h e y s topped on Fanning (Gregory, 1925). Lee, Mary Ann Bacon, a geographer from t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Iowa, s p e n t s e v e r a l weeks on Fanning i n J u l y 1983 t o conduct a s t u d y o f t h e e f f e c t o f l a n d c r a b s on t h e g e r m i n a t i o n and s p r e a d o f s e e d s . She c o l l e c t e d p l a n t s mainly i n t h e v i c i n i t y of t h e Cab le S t a t i o n and t h e y a r e p r e s e r v e d i n t h e Bishop Museum. Long, C.R. p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e P a c i f i c Ocean B i o l o g i c a l Survey whose g o a l s i n c l u d e d a n i n v e n t o r y o f t h e t e r r e s t r i a l f l o r a of i s l a n d s o f t h e Northwest Hawaiian Chain and t h e a t o l l s o f t h e C e n t r a l P a c i f i c . Long made two voyages t o t h e L i n e I s l a n d s , d u r i n g which h e c o l l e c t e d e x t e n s i v e l y . I n t h e c o u r s e o f t h e f i r s t t r i p i n 1964 h e s topped on Palmyra (6-7 J u n e ) , Washington (9-10 J u n e ) and Chris tmas (14-16 J u n e ) on t h e way s o u t h and a t t h e same i s l a n d s on t h e r e t u r n t r i p Chris tmas (21-23 November), Washington (25-26 November), and Palmyra (27-28 November). I n t h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r on t h e r e t u r n l e g o f a voyage t o t h e s o u t h e r n i s l a n d s h e s topped a g a i n on Chr i s tmas I s l a n d (25-30 J u n e ) and f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e on Fanning ( 2 J u l y ) . The main s e t o f h i s specimens, h i s c o l l e c t i o n r e c o r d s and notebook a r e housed i n t h e he rbar ium of t h e Bishop Museum. There a r e i n a d d i t i o n a l specimens i n t h e U.S. Na t iona l Herbarium. Metraux, A l f r e d , a n a n t h r o p o l o g i s t and e t h n o l o g i s t , a l o n g w i t h h i s w i f e E.M. Metraux, was on Chr i s tmas I s l a n d (16 August 1936) w i t h Fosberg and made e x t e n s i v e c o l l e c t i o n s which a r e now i n t h e Bishop Museum and U.S. N a t i o n a l Herbarium. M i t c h e l l , Donald D . , o f Kamehameha Schools i n Honolulu, t r a v e l l e d w i t h t h e o f f i c i a l p a r t y on t h e s h i p t a k i n g fo rmer s t u d e n t s from t h e s c h o o l who were s e n t t o occupy t h e Southern L ine I s l a n d s . He was on Palmyra I s l a n d ( 1 3 J u n e 1935) and, i n t h e company of A.F. Judd , made c o l l e c t i o n s of p l a n t s which a r e p r e s e r v e d i n t h e Bishop Museum (Bryan 1974) . Moel le r , Henry S . c o l l e c t e d on Palmyra I s l a n d (28 December 1959 t o 3 J a n u a r y 1960) and h i s specimens a r e p r e s e r v e d i n t h e Bishop Museum. P e r r y , Roger c o l l e c t e d on Chris tmas ( ~ u g u s t 1979) and on Washington ( ~ u n e 1979) i s l a n d s . H i s specimens a r e i n Kew. Rock, Joseph F r a n c i s C h a r l e s was a b o t a n i s t a t t h e Col lege of Hawaii (which was l a t e r t o become t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Hawaii) who made impor tan t c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e f l o r a o f Hawaii and China. He and a z o o l o g i s t from t h e Bishop Museum were i n v i t e d by t h e owner o f Palmyra, Henry E. Cooper, t o accompany him on a n e x p e d i t i o n t o t h a t i s l a n d i n 1913. They made e x t e n s i v e c o l l e c t i o n s between J u l y 1 2 and 28 th and Rock wrote a d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e i s l a n d i l l u s t r a t e d by e x c e l l e n t photographs (Rock, 1916) . The p u b l i c a t i o n , produced i n c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h s e v e r a l s p e c i a l i s t s , i n c l u d e s l is ts of f u n g i , l i c h e n s , mosses, f e r n s and h i g h e r p l a n t s a s w e l l a s d e s c r i p t i o n s o f new s p e c i e s and forms. Specimens a r e p rese rved i n t h e Bishop Museum and t h e U.S. N a t i o n a l Herbarium. Rock a l s o w r o t e a popula r account o f t h e t r i p which was pub l i shed i n t h e A t l a n t i c Monthly (Rock, 1929). R u s s e l l , Dennis J. and Roy T. Tsuda c o l l e c t e d on Fanning I s l a n d i n J u l y 1972 whi le t h e y were g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s i n botany a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Hawaii. The i r specimens were p r e s e n t e d t o t h e Bishop Museum and were c o n s u l t e d by Harold S t . John when h e prepared t h e f l o r a o f Fanning ( S t . John, 1974). S t . John , Harold was t h e b o t a n i s t on t h e Mangarevan Exped i t ion l e d by C. Montague Cooke and sponsored by t h e Bishop Museum. With t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f F. Raymond Fosberg h e c o l l e c t e d on Fanning I s l a n d (20-29 A p r i l 1934) d u r i n g t h e southward passage and on Chris tmas I s l a n d (21-22 October) and Fanning (23 October) on t h e voyage back t o Honolulu (Gregory, 1935) . C o l l e c t i o n s were made by S t . John and Fosberg a s w e l l a s S t . John and Cooke. The specimens a r e p rese rved i n t h e Bishop Museum. S t . John a l s o made t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n s o f t h e specimens c o l l e c t e d by R u s s e l l and Tsuda on Fanning i n 1972 and prepared a f l o r a o f t h i s i s l a n d ( S t . John, 1974). Tsuda, Roy T. and Dennis J. R u s s e l l c o l l e c t e d on Fanning i n J u l y 1972 w h i l e t h e y were g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s i n botany a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Hawaii. T h e i r specimens were p r e s e n t e d t o t h e ~ i s h b ~ Museum and were- c o n s u l t e d by Harold S t . John i n t h e p r e p a r a t i o n of t h e f l o r a o f t h e i s l a n d ( S t . John , 1974) . S t r e e t s , Thomas H. was t h e a s s i s t a n t surgeon on board t h e U.S.S. Portsmouth, commanded by Joseph S. S k e r r e t t , which was engaged i n t h e United S t a t e s North P a c i f i c Surveying Exped i t ion between 1873 and 1875. T h i s was a hydrographic su rvey conducted by t h e U.S. Navy t o check h a z a r d s t o n a v i g a t i o n i n t h e P a c i f i c and Lower C a l i f o r n i a . I n t h e c o u r s e o f t h i s t h e y s topped on Palmyra (12-27 December 1873), Washington ( 3 1 December 1873 t o 3 January 1874) , Fanning ( 4 January 1874) and Christmas I s l a n d s (14-22 January 1874) ( S k e r r e t t , 1873-4). S t r e e t s and t h e su rgeon , Will iam H . J o n e s , made p l a n t c o l l e c t i o n s and g a t h e r e d in format ion on animal l i f e s u f f i c i e n t t o w r i t e t h r e e a r t i c l e s on t h e b i r d s and n a t u r a l h i s t o r y o f t h e i s l a n d s ( S t r e e t s , 1876, 1877a, 1877b). Most o f t h e p l a n t specimens were s e n t ahead t o Asa Gray who made de te rmina t ions . By t h e t i m e S t r e e t s r e t u r n e d from t h e e x p e d i t i o n t h e specimens had been d i s t r i b u t e d th rough t h e herbar ium o f t h e Department o f A g r i c u l t u r e . No comple te l i s t o f t h e specimens had been made. The l i s t l a t e r pub l i shed by S t r e e t s was based on d u p l i c a t e s h e had r e t a i n e d o f m a t e r i a l c o l l e c t e d o n Palmyra, Washington and Christmas I s l a n d s ( S t r e e t s , 1877a). Some of S t r e e t s ' specimens a r e i n t h e U.S. N a t i o n a l Herbarium. On t h e l a b e l s t h e c o l l e c t o r was f i r s t shown a s D a l l ( o r Dale) b u t t h i s h a s been c r o s s e d o u t and rep laced by t h e name D r . S t r e e t s . Wester, Lyndon L. made c o l l e c t i o n s d u r i n g two t r i p s t o t h e Northern L i n e I s l a n d s . I n t h e c o u r s e of a reconna i sance o f t h e vegea t ion i n 1982 h e c o l l e c t e d on Fanning (4-11 August) , Washington (6 August) and Christmas (12-19 August). I n t h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r a l o n g e r s t a y was made on Washington I s l a n d (7-21 August) i n t h e company of James 0. J u v i k and Pau l Holthus f o r t h e purposes o f conduc t ing a v e g e t a t i o n survey and o b t a i n i n g p e a t from t h e bog f o r p o l l e n a n a l y s i s . T r a n s p o r t t o Washington r e q u i r e d s t o p s on Fannning I s l a n d and some a d d i t i o n a l c o l l e c t i n g was done (6-7 and 21-22 August). A l l specimens a r e p rese rved i n t h e Bishop Museum. Wilder , G e r r i t Pamile was a n h o r t i c u l t u r a l i s t who, a long w i t h S. B a l l , was a member o f t h e s c i e n t i f i c p a r t y on t h e "Cruise o f t h e Kaimiloa". Wilder made p l a n t c o l l e c t i o n s d i r i n g s t o p s on Fanning (27 November t o 7 December 1923) and Chris tmas (8-17 December). The specimens were d e p o s i t e d i n t h e Bishop Museum (Gregory, 1925) . CHECKLIST I n t h e l i s t o f s p e c i e s below t h e p resence o f a s p e c i e s o n one o r o t h e r o f t h e Northern Line I s l a n d s i s i n d i c a t e d by t h e symbols P (Palmyra) , W (Washington), F (Fanning) o r C (Chr i s tmas) . Th i s i s fo l lowed by t h e names ( a b b r e v i a t e d ) o f t h e person, o r persons , who have c o l l e c t e d specimens c o n s u l t e d f o r t h i s work. I n some i n s t a n c e s p a r t i e s o f two o r t h r e e c o l l e c t o r s v i s i t e d a n i s l a n d a t t h e same t ime and made c o l l e c t i o n s b o t h i n d i v i d u a l l y and i n p a i r s o r t r i o s . The v a r i o u s combinat ions o f c o l l e c t o r s were n o t d i f f e r e n t i a t e d and any p l a n t s c o l l e c t e d by members of t h a t group a r e d e s i g n a t e d i n t h e same manner. The a b b r e v i a t i o n s f o r c o l l e c t o r s and groups o f c o l l e c t o r s a r e i n d i c a t e d below. Most o f t h e specimens t a k e n from t h e L ine I s l a n d s a r e i n t h e herbar ium of t h e Bern ice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu. The l o c a t i o n of a specimen i s i n d i c a t e d i n round b r a c k e t s ( ) a f t e r t h e c o l l e c t o r ' s name o n l y i f i t i s housed i n a n herbar ium o t h e r t h a n t h e Bishop Museum. A few important specimens seem t o b e l o s t , o r a t l e a s t n o t found i n t h e obvious p l a c e f o r them. They a r e shown i n s q u a r e b r a c k e t s [ 1. S p e c i e s n o t r e p r e s e n t e d by specimens i n h e r b a r i a a t a l l , bu t which have been d i r e c t l y observed by t h e a u t h o r o r recorded i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e by a r e l i a b l e source , a r e d e s i g n a t e d "observed" Ad 1 Bal Ben Ber Br n B ~ Y Ch t Cok co P Cur Daw F&M Ga 1 G r i Ham H&K * I ( 1 Arund e 1 B a l l Bennett Be rgman Brown Bryan Chr i s tophersen Co oke Cooper C u r l e t t Dawson Fosberg and Metraux Gal lagher G r iggs Hamilton Hems and Kirby HiF H i M J e n J & M Lee Lng Mo e P r y RC C R&T S t J S &F SF C Sdg S t r We s W i 1 H i l l , F.L. H i 11, Margaret J e n k i n Judd and M i t c h e l l Lee Long Moeller P e r r y Rock, Cooke and Cooper R u s s e l l and Tsuda S t . John S t . John and Fosberg S t . John, Fosberg and Cooke S 1 edge S t r e e t s Wester Wilder Int roduced by Po lynes ians o r i n h i s t o r i c t ime Specimen was n o t seen. Herbarium where t h e specimen i s housed i f o t h e r t h a n Bishop Museum. Herbar ia K Kew UC U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a , Berkeley US U.S. Na t iona l Museum of Na tura l His to ry . P SILOTACEAE Psi lo tum nudum (L.) Beauv. Found most ly as a n e p i p h y t e o n b a s e s o f coconut t r u n k s . P - Daw, Lng(K) W - Ber, Pry(K), Wes F - R&T, Wes. A SPLENIACEAE Asplenium n i d u s L. Holttum d e s c r i b e d A. p a c i f icum from a p l a n t grown a t Kew. The s p o r e s were o b t a i n e d from; specimen c o l l e c t e d on Washington I s l a n d . However t h e s t a t u s o f t h i s taxon, a s d i s t i n c t from A. n i d u s , w i l l only b e -- c l e a r when t h e genus i s s t u d i e d more c l o s e l y . It i s one of t h e most common e p i p h y t e s and u n d e r s t o r y s p e c i e s on Palmyra and Washington. P - RCC, ~ r y ( K ) , Bry W - Ber, H&K(uC), Sdg(K), Pry(K), Wes. NEPHROLEPIDACEAE Nephrolepis e x a l t a t a S c h o t t Loca l ly abundant a s a n e p i p h y t e on t r u n k s i n unders to ry . Some doubt e x i s t s abou t t h i s s p e c i e s . S ledge d i d n o t g i v e a s p e c i f i c name t o t h e specimen h e c o l l e c t e d and F. M . - ~ a r r e t t f e i t t h a t t h e P e r r y specimen was i n t e r m e d i a t e between E. b i s e r r a t a and E. h i r s u t u l a . - W - Str(US), Ber, pry(K),-wes. N. h i r s u t u l a F o r s t . - Appears on Palmyra and shows d i s t i n c t d i f f e r e n c e s from t h e s p e c i e s o n Washington.. P - Daw, Lng. POLYPODIACEAE Phymatodes s c o l o p e n d r i a (Bum. f.) Ching Very common e p i p h y t e and forms dense u n d e r s t o r y i n coconut f o r e s t . Recorded a s Polypodium aureum by S t r e e t s and Polypodium s c o l o p e n d r i a o r Microsorium s c o l o p e n d r i a s e v e r a l o t h e r s . P - RCC, J&M, Brn. W - s t r i m ) , - ~ e r ( K ) , H&K(uC), Wes. F - ~ d l ( K ) , Bal, Cht, H&K(UC), R&T ,Wes. ARAUCARIACEAE *Araucar ia sp . A few l a r g e t r e e s p l a n t e d a s o rnamenta l s Fanning . F - R&T, Wes. 1. PANDANACEAE Pandanus s p . A new s p e c i e s recognised by S t . John b u t F - STC. around t h e Cable S t a t i o n on n o t y e t pub l i shed . 1. Fosbern (Kew Bul l . 31:837-840. 1977) r e n a r d s a l l o f t h e Pandanus t a x a - . - l i s t e d h e r e a s minor t a x a , c u l t i v a r s , o r i n d i v i d u a l s of Pandanus t e c t o r i u s Parkinson. P. fanningensis S t . John A spec ies known from only two specimens c o l l e c t e d i n 1972 near t h e cable S t a t i o n on Fanning. F - R&T. P. f i s che r i anus Mar t e l l i - var. r o c k i i (Mart.) B.C. Stone A specimen from Palmyra c o l l e c t e d by Rock was descr ibed by ~ a r t e l l i ( i n Rock 1916) a s a new spec i e s , P. rock i i . However Stone (1968) bel ieved t h i s taxon i s b e t t e r f e g a r d e d a s a v a r i e t y of P. f i scher ianus . - P - RCC, J & M , Moe. var. cooperi (Mart ex Rock) B. C. Stone Mater ial co l l ec t ed by Rock from Palmyra was descr ibed by M a r t e l l i ( i n Rock, 1916) a s a new v a r i e t y of P. pulposus (var . cooperi Mart. ex Rock). However a f t e r i n t e n s F e s tudy of t h e Pandanus of t h e Marshall I s lands Stone (1968) concluded t h a t t h i s taxon i s b e t t e r regarded a s a form of P. f i s che r i anus . - P - RCC *var. pulposus (warburg) B.C. Stone f orma bergmanii (F. B r . ) B.C. Stone A specimen c o l l e c t e d by Bergman on Washington I s l and was descr ibed by Brown (1930) a s a new spec i e s , P. bergmanii F. B r . . Stone (1968) bel ieved t h i s t o be a c u l t i ~ a t e ~ v a r i e t ~ s i m i l a r t o some found i n t h e Gi lbe r t I s l ands and poss ib ly introduced by workers. He concluded t h a t t h i s taxon should be regarded a s a form of P. f i scher ianus . - W - Ber var. b ryan i i B.C.Stone A specimen c o l l e c t e d by Bryan on Palmyra i n 1935 was descr ibed a s a new v a r i e t y of P. f i s c h e r i a n u s by Stone (1968). S t . John (1983, pers. comm.) be l i eves t h a t t h i s t a x a should be r a i s e d t o t h e spec ies l e v e l but h e has not published t h e new name. This wild spec i e s has a l s o been c o l l e c t e d on Washington Is land . P - Bry. W - Wes. P. hermsianus Mart. - A s i n g l e phalange co l l ec t ed on Fanning I s l and by Herms was t h e b a s i s upon which Mar t e l l i (1926) descr ibed t h e spec ies P. hermsianus Mart. He bel ieved t h e phalange had d r i f t e d from elsewhere and t h a t t h e spec ies was not n a t i v e t o Fanning. Stone (1968) thought t h e r e was i k u f f i c i e n t ma te r i a l t o c r e a t e a new spec ie s but S t . John (1972) concluded t h a t a specimen he and Fosberg c o l l e c t e d on Fanning i n 1934 belonged t o t h i s taxon and was ab le t o provide a more complete desc r ip t ion . F - H&K(UC), S&F. *P. - t e c t o r i u s parkinson var. nova-caledonicus Mart. S t . John (1972) be l i eves t h i s t o be a c u l t i v a t e d spec i e s introduced t o Fanning Is land by Gi lbe r t e se laborers . Furthermore he th inks t h e specimen c o l l e c t e d by Long i n 1965 i s t h e same a s one photographed by Herms i n 1924. F - Lng POTAMOGETONACEAE Potamogeton s p . A s t e r i l e specimen, s a i d t o have been c o l l e c t e d by Bergman i n t h e l a k e of Washington I s l a n d ( C h r i s t o p h e r s e n , 1927). W - [Ber ] . POACEAE *Cenchrus e c h i n a t u s L. A common g r a s s on a t o l l s b u t perhaps n o t n a t i v e . P - HIM. W - Wes. F - S&F, R&T, Wes. C - Gal, Ham, Wes. *Chlor is i n f l a t a Link An a d v e n t i v e on Palmyra i n 1949 (Dawson, 1959). P - H I M *Cynodon d a c t y l o n (L. ) Pers . A common lawn s p e c i e s on Washington and Fanning. W - Ber, Wes. F - H&K(UC), Wes. *Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L. ) Willd. An uncommon weed i n waste a r e a s around Napia v i l l a g e on Fanning. Perhaps a new a r r i v a l . D i g i t a r i a p a c i f i c a S tapf Th is i s t h e S n ther i sma p e l a g i c a F. Brown ( v a r i e t y b ) which was desc r ibed in-1-e p l a n t i d e n t i f i e d by C h r i s t o p h e r s e n (1927) a s Panicum s t e n o t a p h r o d e s Nees. e x Stend. C - Ber, SFC, F&M, Gal, Lng, Wes. * D i g i t a r i a sp. I n g r a s s y a r e a s around v i l l a g e on Washington. Sa id by one of t h e r e s i d e n t s t o b e a new a r r i v a l . W - Wes. *Eleusine i n d i c a (L.) Gaertn. A common v o l u n t e e r i n waste p laces . P - Daw. W - Ber, Wes. F - S&F,R&T, Wes. C - Gal, Ham, Lng, Wes. * E r a g r o s t i s c i l i a r i s (L.) R . B r . Rare i n was te a r e a s . C - Wes. *E. p i l o s a (L.) Beauv. - Rare i n waste a r e a s C - Wes. *E. t e n e l l a (L.) Beauv. e x R.& S. - Recorded a s E. a m a b i l i s (L.) Wight and A r n o t t by C h r i s t o p h e r s e n (1927) and 6 o c k & Hamilton (1962). A common weed. W - Ber, Wes. F - H&K(UC), R&T, Wes. C - Ber, Gal, Wes. E. whi tney i Fosb. - L i s t e d a s E. f a l c a t a (Gaud.) Gaud. by Chr i s tophersen (1927) (See Fosberg, 1979) Lepturus r e p e n s - ( F o r s t . f .) R. B r . Commom i n n a t u r a l and open a r e a s , a long roads and i n u n d e r s t o r y where shading i s n o t excess ive . Th is was d e s i g n a t e d as "Haemoenthuia c o n f i t e s s a " on t h e l i s t o f p l a n t s c o l l e c t e d by Arundel. P - RCC(K), Bry, J & M , Daw, Lng. W - Ber, Lng, Wes. F - Adl(K), Bal, Cht, W i l , H&K(UC), Lng, R&T, Wes. C - Ber, SFC, F&M, Gal, Ham, Lng, H ~ F ( K ) , Wes. *Panicurn maximum Jacq. M i s i d e n t i f i e d a s P. ba rb inode Tr in . *Paspalurn f imbria tum H.B.K. Dawson (1959) found t h i s n a t u r a l i z e d on Cooper i s l e t o f Palmyra. P - Daw. *P. o r b i c u l a r e F o r s t . f . - Dawson (1959) found t h i s n a t u r a l i z e d on Menge i s l e t o f Palmyra. P - Daw. *Rhynchelytrum repens (Wi l l d . ) C. E .Hubb. Also known a s T r i c h o l a e n a r o s e a Nees. Smal l colony p e r p e t u a t i n g i t s e l f around Fanning Is. Cable S t a t i o n . F - R&T, Wes. *Saccharurn o f f i c i n a r u m L. C u l t i v a t e d i n v i l l a g e on Washington. W - observed. *Sporobolus i n d i c u s (L.) R. B r . = S. p o i r e t i i (R. & S.) Hi tch. on-palmyra Dawson (1959) found n a t u r a l i z e d on Menge i s l e t and i n d i s t u r b e d a r e a on Cooper I s l a n d and h a s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c l a r g e , a lmost oblong seeds . Another specimen of S o robo lus i s i n t h e Bishop Museum w i t h a n o t a t i o n on t h e l a b e l w h i c h h u l d b e from Palmyra accord ing t o Bryan". P - Daw, Lng. *St enotaphrum secundatum (Walt. ) 0. Kuntze P lan ted as a lawn around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning bu t i s s p r e a d i n g somewhat i n t o was te a r e a s . Included i n S t . John (1972) l i s t a s B r a c h i a r i a p lan tag inea . . F - R&T, Wes. CYPERACEAE *Cyperus compressus L. A few i n d i v i d u a l s found i n waste a r e a n e a r a i r p o r t t e r m i n a l . Perhaps a new i n t r o d u c t i o n . C - Wes. j avan icus Houtt . A conspicuous bu t uncommon sedge on Washington found mainly n e a r wie r and i n d i s t u r b e d a r e a s . Also l i s t e d a s - C. p e n n a t u s Lamarck. P - Daw. W - Ber, Sdg(K), Wes. *C. - kyllingia Endl. A small colony found in grassy area of village on Washington. Perhaps a new introduction. W - Wes. C. polystachyos Rottb. - A commom sedge in standing water at fringes of bog and on elevated mounds in bogs of Washington. P - HIM, Daw, Lng. W - Ber, Lng, Sdg(K), Wes. *C. rotundus L. - An uncommon sedge found near habitat ions. F - R&T, Wes. C - SFC, F&M, Sdg(K). Fimbristylis atollensis St.John A common sedge found extensively in dry open natural sites and in waste areas around human habitations. Often combined with - F. cymosa R. Br. This is the species which Christophersen listed as F. spathacea Roth. - P - HIM, Daw, Lng. W - Ber, Lng, Wes. F - Bal, Cht, Wil, H&K(UC), R&T, Wes. C - Ham, Lng, Wes. Scirpus littoralis Schrader The dominant species over most of the bog on Washington. Also determined as S. riparius Presl by Streets and Christophersen. W - Ber, sdg(~7, Wes. ARECACEAE *Cocos nucifera L. Reported in earliest accounts of all the islands but it may have been an aboriginal- introduction. Not represented in herbarium collections. P - observed W - observed F - observed C - observed *Phoenix dactylifera L. A few individuals grown in cultivation on Fanning. F - observed by Wes. *Livistona chinensis (Jacq. ) Mart. A single specimen by main building of Cable Station on Fanning. F - observed by Wes. ARACEAE *Colocasia esculenta (L. ) Schot t Anonymous, 1940, Keyte (1861) and Bryan (1942) reported seeing it in cultivation on Fanning. F - observed *Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Schott. ) Merr. Cultivated on Fanning and Washington for food but also naturalized or persisting in bog on Washington. This could also be the "ape1' reported by Judd (1859). W - Ber, Wes. F - observed *Scindapsus aureus (Linden e x Andrd) Engl. = Epipremnum aureum i in den e x ~ n d r ; ) Bunting. I t was in t roduced a s a n ornamental t o Palmyra bu t h a s become l o c a l l y n a t u r a l i z e d . P - Daw. BROMELIACEAE *Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. ~ r ~ a w ) r e p o r t e d s e e i n g i t i n c u l t i v a t i o n on Fanning. F - observed. COMMELINACEAE *Rhoeo s p a t h a c e a (Sw.) S t e a r n A c u l t i v a t e d ornamental on Fanning. F - R&T, Wes. LILIACEAE *Cordyline f r u t i c o s a (L.) Chev. A c u l t i v a t e d s p e c i e s a l s o l i s t e d a s - C. t e r m i n a l i s (L.) Knuth. W - Wes. *Glor iosa superba L. A c u l t i v a t e d ornamental which p e r s i s t s i n waste p l a c e s around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning and on Washington. W - Wes. F - R&T, Wes. AMARYLLIDACEAE *Agave s i s a l a n a P e r r i n e ex. Engelm. A few i n d i v i d u a l s were observed on Fanning by wharf a t C a r t w r i g h t P o i n t on n o r t h s i d e o f main pass . F - observed *Crinum amabi le Donn C u l t i v a t e d around Cable S t a t i o n . Also known a s C. augustum Roxb. and C. procerum Herber t and Carey. More m a t e r i a l i s n e e d e d o f t h i s p l a n t - f o r s tudy . F - Wes. *C. a s i a t i c u m L. - A r o b u s t s p e c i e s found i n c u l t i v a t i o n on Washington, Fanning and Christmas. W - Wes. F - observed C - observed *C. - bulbispermum (Burm. f . ) M i lne-R. & Schw. C u l t i v a t e d around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning. F - Wes. *Hymenocallis l i t t o r a l i s (Jacq. ) S a l i s b . C u l t i v a t e d s p e c i e s s e e n around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning. Also known a s Pancratium l i t t o r a l e Jacq. F - Wes. *Zephyranthes g r a n d i f l o r a Lindl . C u l t i v a t e d s p e c i e s on Fanning and Washington which a p p e a r s t o have escaped i n t o was te a r e a s on Washington. W - Wes. F - Lng, Wes. TACCACEAE *Tacca leontopeta lo ides (L.) Ktze. This c u l t i v a t e d spec i e s which was observed by Hussey (1841-45), Luce t t , (1851), a h Bryan (1942) on ~ a n n i n ~ . . It grows wild on many a t o l l s and could be a n abor ig ina l i n t roduc t ion o r may have been brought by t h e e a r l y s e t t l e r s . It p e r s i s t s i n abandoned gardens near Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning. F - Wes. MUSACEAE *Musa -p a r a d i s i a c a L. This c u l t i v a t e d spec ies was recorded on Washington a t l e a s t from 1854 (Holley, 1853-57). W - observed by Wes. F - observed by Wes. C - observed by Wes. CANNACEAE *Canna glauca L. Cul t iva ted i n garden of p l an ta t ion manager on Fanning i n 1983. F - observed by Wes. CASUARINACEAE *Casuarina e q u i s e t i f o l i a L. Cul t iva ted t r e e s recorded from a l l i s l ands . P - Daw. W - Wes. F - R&T, Wes. C - Lng, Wes. MORACEAE *Artocarpus a l t i l i s (Parkins .) Fosb. I n c u l t i v a t i o n on Fanning, Washington and Christmas but groves were observed on Washington i n remote a reas which seemed t o be reproducing n a t u r a l l y . W - observed by Wes. F - R&T, Lng. C - observed by Wes. *Ficus c a r i c a L. A c u l t i v a t e d t r e e on Washington and Fanning. W - Wes. F - Adl(K). *F. p r o l i x a Fors t f . - Large, mature t r e e s found along roads and a t s i t e s of former camps on washington. W - Wes. F - ~ d l ( K ) , Wes. *F. - t i n c t o r i a Forst. f . I n c u l t i v a t i o n around se t t lements . F - Wes. C - Wes. URTICACEAE * P i l e a mic rophyl la (L.) Liebm. A widespread n a t u r a l i z e d s p e c i e s on Palmyra P - H i M , Daw, Lng. Lapor tea r u d e r a l i s ( F o r s t . f . ) Chew Rock (1916) r e p o r t e d i t t o b e abundant on Palmyra a t t h e t ime of h i s v i s i t . Common on Fanning and Washington u s u a l l y i n open a r e a s o f t e n f a r from h a b i t a t i o n s . Also recorded a s F l e u r y a r u d e r a l i s ( F o r s t . f . ) Gaud. e x Wedd. P - RCC, Bry, J & M , Lng. W - Ber, Lng, Sdg(K), Wes. F - Adl, Bal , Cht, H&K(UC), S&F, Lng, R&T, Lee, Wes. P i p t u r u s a r g e n t e u s ( F o r s t . f . ) Wedd. An u n d e r s t o r y shrub where canopy i s open and a c o l o n i s t i n c l e a r e d a r e a s . W - Lng, Sdg(K), Wes. POLYGONACEAE *Antigonon lep topus H.& A. C u l t i v a t e d i n garden around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning. F - Wes. *Coccoloba u v i f e r a (L.) L. A c u l t i v a t e d t r e e observed by Dawson (1959) on Menge, Marine Engineer and Cooper i s l e t s of Palmyra where i t a p p e a r s t o b e n a t u r a l i z e d o r p e r s i s t i n g . P - H i M , Daw. A MARANTHACEAE *Achyranthes a s e r a L. = A. i n d i c a -4 L.) M i l l . presumed t o b e a n a t u r a l i z e d s p e c i e s c o l l e c t e d by Arundel b u t h a s n o t been recorded s i n c e . There a p p e a r s t o b e some confus ion between t h i s s p e c i e s and - A. i n d i c a (L.) M i l l . F - Adl(K). *Amaranthus v i r i d i s L. An uncommon n a t u r a l i z e d herb. W - Ber, Wes. NYCTAGINACEAE Boerhavia t e t r a n d r a F o r s t . f . Very common on Chris tmas b u t p r e s e n t i n open a r e a s and d i s t u r b e d s i t es o n a l l i s l a n d s . The taxinomy o f t h i s s p e c i e s o r group of s p e c i e s needs a t t e n t i o n . B. repens L. sensu l a t o may a l s o b e p r e s e n t and t h e name B. d i f f u s a L, h a s been misapp l ied t o some specimens from t h e s e islands, P - RCC, Bry,J&M(K), Daw, Lng. W - Ber, Lng, Wes. F - Bal , W i l , H&K(UC), Lng, R&T, Wes. C - Ber(K), Lng, Cur(K), Gri (K) , Jen(K), Sdg(K), Wes. *Bougainvi l lea sp . C u l t i v a t e d and p e r s i s t i n g i n abandoned gardens . It i s u n c l e a r t o me which s p e c i e s i s p r e s e n t . W - Wes. F - Wes. C - observed * M i r a b i l i s j a l a p a L. Found c u l t i v a t e d and a s a n escape i n was te a r e a s n e a r s e t t l e m e n t s . W - Wes. F - R&T, C - Lng. P i s o n i a g r a n d i s R. B r . Forms spendid f o r e s t s on Fanning, Washington and Palmyra and a few s m a l l g roves on Chris tmas. P - RCC, Cop, Bry, Daw, Lng. W - Ber, Wes. F - W i l , H&K(UC), S&F, Lng, Wes. C - Wes. A IZOACEAE Sesuvium p o r t u l a c a s t r u m (L.) L. v a r . gr iseum Deg. and Fosb. Mat forming s p e c i e s found i n a r e a s s u b j e c t t o f l o o d i n g and h igh s p e c i e s . Geesink (1969) reduced b o t h P. f o s b e r g i i and P. j o h n i i t o synonyms. Rock (1916) no ted a s i n g l e p l a n t of what h e c a l l e d P. s a l i n i t y . F - ~ d l ( ~ ) , H&K(uC), R&T, Wes. C - S t r ( u S ) , SFC, Gal, Ham, Lng, Wes. PORTULACACEAE j o h n i i v. Poe l ln . A specimen c o l l e c t e d by S t . John and Cooke from a s m a l l i s l a n d i n t h e lagoon of Christams I s l a n d was among t h e specimens c o n s u l t e d by von P o e l l n i t z when h e d e s c r i b e d t h e s p e c i e s (v. P o e l l n i t z , 1936) C - SFC l u t e a Soland. ex F o r s t . f . Very common on Chris tmas and i n open a r e a s on Fanning. F - Cht, H&K(UC), R&T, Lee, Sdg(K), Wes. C - Ber, W i l , SFC, F&M, Gal , Ham, Lng, Wes. o l e r a c e a L. A cosmopol i tan s p e c i e s which, i n t h e L i n e I s l a n d s as e l sewhere , i s commonly found a l o n g r o a d s i d e s and w a s t e a r e a s . Von P o e l l n i t z (1936) recognized two c l o s e l y r e l a t e d s p e c i e s , P. f o s b e r g i i v. P o e l l n . and ' o h n i i v. P o e l l n . , which co lon ized n a t u r a l h a b i t a t s . Fosberg s p e c u l a t e d t h a t P. f o s b e r g i i was i n t e r m e d i a t e between P. ; i ~ ~ o l e r a c e a and P. l u t e a b y t thought t h a t f u r t h e r s t u d y o f l i v i n g - - m a t e r i a l was needed t o e s t a b l i s h t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p betweem t h e s e o l e r a c e a on Holei I s l a n d of Palmyra a t o l l b u t appears n o t t o have c o l l e c t e d it. Dawson (1959) found P. o l e r a c e a (which h e l i s t e d a s P. f o s b e r i i ) which i s probably t h e same s p e c i e s a s Rock saw. P - Daw. W - Wes. F - ~ d l ( K ) , R&T, Wes. C - F&M, Gal, Ham, Lng, Wes. ANNONACEAE *Annona squamosa L. A c u l t i v a t e d s p e c i e s on Fanning c o l l e c t e d by Bergman and a l s o no ted by Bryan (1942). F - Ber. LAURACEAE Cassytha f i l i f o r m i s L. Very common on Chris tmas and found i n a few open h a b i t a t s on Fanning and Washington. W - Ber, Wes F - H&K(UC), R&T. C - Ber, F&M,Gal, Ham, Wes. HERNANDIACEAE *Hernandia sonora L. = H. nymphaeifol ia ( P r e s l ) Kub. his p r o v i s i o n a l d e t e r m i n a t i o n i s based o n s t e r i l e m a t e r i a l . A few i n d i v i d u a l s found c u l t i v a t e d on Washington. W - Wes. CRUCIFERAE *Brass ica o l e r a c e a L . C u l t i v a t e d i n ga rdens on Fanning from a n e a r l y d a t e (Keyte , 1861) and a l s o s e e n on Washington and Christmas. W - Wes. F - observed by Wes. C - observed by Wes. Lepidium bidentatum Mont. L o c a l l v common i n o w n h a b i t a t s and i n some a r t i f i c a l c l e a r i n g s . Also recorded a s L. owaihiense C. & S. and - L. p i s c i d i u m F o r s t . P - Str(US), ~ C C , J & M , Bry. W - Ber, Lng, Wes. F - Adl(K), Cht , H&K(UC), S&F, Lng, R&T, Wes. C - Cht, Lng. CRASSULACEAE *Kalanchoe p i n n a t a (Lam.) Pers . A c u l t i v a t e d s p e c i e s which p e r s i s t s i n abandoned gardens . F - Long, R&T, Wes. FABACEAE *Bauhinia monandra Kurz S t . JO-) r e p o r t e d t h a t t h i s s p e c i e s was c o l l e c t e d by Long b u t t h e specimen c a n n o t be l o c a t e d . F - observed *Caesa lp in ia pu lcher r ima (L.) Sw. A c u l t i v a t e d shrub observed by R u s s e l l and Tsuda on Fanning ( S t . John, 1972) . F - observed Canavalia c a r t h a r t i c a Thouars Common s t r and spec i e s on Washington. This i s t h e C. microcarpa (DC.) P iper of Christophersen (1927) and probably the - CT g r a n d i f l o r a recorded by S t r e e t s (1877). W - [ S t r ] , Ber, H&K(uC), Lng, ~ d g ( ~ ) , Wes. *Cassia o c c i d e n t a l i s L. A vo lunteer i n open a reas around se t t l emen t s . F - ~ d l ( K ) , H&K(uC), Wes. *Crota la r ia incana L. Local ly na tu ra l i zed on Palmyra. P - Daw, Lng. *C. r e t u s a L. - Local ly na tu ra l i zed around F - Wes. *Crota la r ia sp. One s t e r i l e specimen found W - Wes. Napari on Fanning. i n waste a r e a on Washington. *Delonix r e g i a (Bo j. ) Raf. Ornamental i n v i l l a g e on Washington. W - Wes. *Desmodium t r i f l o r u m (L.) DC. Reported t o grow along paths i n coconut groves by Chris tophersen (1927). F - H&K(UC). *Erythrina va r i ega t a L. var . o r i e n t a l i s (L. ) Merr. Christophersen (1927) repor ted E. i n d i c a was grown a s an ornamental on Christmas and Bryan (1942) a i s o observed an Ery thr ina on t h a t i s l a n d growing around se t t l emen t s . C - observed *Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De W i t Occasionally na tu ra l i zed i n and around se t t lements . Also repor ted a s L. g lauca sensu Hawn. bot . non ( L . ) Benth. - P - Daw. W - Lng, Sdg(K), Wes. F - R&T, Wes. C - SFC, F&M, HiF. * ~ e l t o ~ h o r u m pterocarpum (DC. ) Backer e x K. Heyne Large ornamental t r e e near Cable S t a t i o n . S t e r i l e specimen mis iden t i f i ed a s Jacaranda a c u t i f o l i a Humb. & Bonpl. (S t . John, 1972). F - R&T, Wes. *Phaseolus l a thy ro ides L. One record from P a r i s on Christmas I s land . Wr i fo l ium sp. S t e r i l e p l an t found i n lawn of p l a n t a t i o n manager's house on Fanning. F - Wes. *Vigna l u t e o l a Benth. i n Mart. This p l a n t , which i s r a r e i n t h e P a c i f i c , was found n a t u r a l i z e d around Napia v i l l a g e of Fanning I s l and and was determined by Fosberg. F - Wes. ZYGOPHYLLACEAE Tr ibulus c i s t o i d e s L. Common creeping herb on Christmas. C - Cht, HiF, Gal, Ham, Wes. RUTACEAE *Ci t rus a u r a n t i i f o l i a (Christm.) Swingle Cul t iva ted i n on Washington and Fanning. W - Wes. F - observed S IMAROUBACEAE Suriana maritima L. Common shrub on s a l i n e s o i l s on Christmas. S t r e e t s (1877a) i n d i c a t e s specimens were c o l l e c t e d from Christmas and Palmyra and t h e p l a n t was "common on a l l t h e i s l a n d s of t h e Fanning Group" although t h i s i s doubt fu l . One smal l colony was noted on Fanning i n 1982. Small populat ions may have been missed by r e c e n t c o l l e c t o r s on Washington and Palmyra o r i t may b e t h a t t h e spec i e s i s pe r iod ica l ly exterminated but i s a b l e t o recolonize these two i s lands. P - [ S t r ] . F - Wes. C - Str(US), Ber, W i l , SFC, F&M, Ham, Lng, Sdg, Wes. EUPHORBIACEAE *Acalypha wilkesiana Muell. -Arg. i n A.DC. A c u l t i v a t e d shrub i n se t t lements . P - Lng. W - Wes. F - R&T, Wes. *Breynia d i s t i c h a Forst . f . Cul t iva ted shrub on Fanning. F - Wes. *Codiaeum variegatum (L.) B 1 . var . ~ i c t u m (Lodd.) Muell.-Arg. Cul t iva ted shrub i n v i l l a g e s . W - Wes. F - R&T, Wes. *Euphorbia qlomerif e r a (Mi l l s p . ) L.C .Wheeler Introduced weed on Palmyra (Dawson, 1959). One p lan t seen i n waste a r e a around v i l l a g e on Christmas. The spec i e s i d e n t i f i e d a s E. - - a t o t o Forst . f . which appears on t h e H i l l l i s t (Dawson, 1959) i s a l s o bel ieved t o be - E. glomerifera . P - HiF, Daw. C - Wes. *E. - heterophyl la L. var. cyathophora (Murr.) Griseb. Common around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning and i n d is turbed a r e a s on o t h e r i s l ands . Also known a s - E. cyathophora Murr. P - H I M , Daw. W - Wes. F - R&T, Wes. C - Wes. h i r t a L. Common weed i n was te a r e a s and a long r o a d s i d e s . P - [HiM]. W - Ber, H&K(UC), Wes. F - Bal, H&K(UC), R&T, Wes. C - Ber, F&M, Sdg(K), Pry(K), Wes. p r o s t r a t a A i t . Common weed i n waste a r e a s and h e a v i l y d i s t u r b e d s i t e s . W - Ber, Sdg(K), Wes. F - H&K(uc), Lee. C - Wes. *Manihot e s c u l e n t a Cran tz C u l t i v a t e d i n v i l l a g e s . W - Wes. F - R&T. *Phyl lanthus amarus Schum. Common weed m i s i d e n t i f i e d a s P. n i r u r i L. ( C h r i s t o p h e r s e n , 1927) and a s - P. d e b i l i s Kle in e x ~ i 1 l d . - ( ~ a w s o n , 1959). P - Daw. W - Ber, H&K(UC), Wes. F - Bal , Cht, H&K(UC), R&T, Wes. C - Ber, F&M. ANACARDIACEAE *Mangifera i n d i c a L. C u l t i v a t e d i n s e t t l e m e n t s on Fanning and Washington. W - Wes. F - observed by Wes. TILIACEAE T r i u m f e t t a procumbens F o r s t . f . Nat ive t o Po lynes ia , Micronesia and Malaya (Neal 1965) and used f o r f i b e r , ornament, magic and medicine (Luomala, 1953) . Probably n a t i v e t o t h e Northern L ine I s l a n d s b u t conce ivab ly a human i n t r o d u c t i o n . P - Daw, Lng. W - Lng. F - ~ d l ( K ) , Ba l , H&K(UC), R&T, Lee, Wes. MALVACEA E *Abut i lon a l b e s c e n s Miq. Loca l ly abundant on Christmas. Wrongly i d e n t i f i e d a s - A . indicum Sweet ( Fosberg , 1943) . C - F&M. *Hibiscus r o s a - s i n e n s i s L. C u l t i v a t e d and p e r s i s t i n g around s e t t l e m e n t s on Washington, Fanning and Christmas. W - Wes. F - Wes. C - observed by Wes. *Hibiscus t i l i a c e u s L. C u l t i v a t e d and escaped around s e t t l e m e n t s . P - H i M , Daw. W - Wes. C - Ber, F&M, Ham, Wes. *Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke. N a t u r a l i z e d i n was te a r e a s . W - Ber, Wes. F - H&K(UC), Wes. S i d a f a l l a x Walp. One of t h e most common s h r u b s on Chris tmas. S t r e e t s (1877a) recorded i t a s S. d i e l l i Gray, which i s probably t h e same, and Chr i s tophersen (1927)-misidentif i e d i t a s S. c o r d i f o l i a . F - Adl(K), Bal(K), H&K(UC), R&T. C - St r (US) , HiF, Wes. *S. rhombi fo l i a L. - I n d i s t u r b e d h a b i t a t s around s e t t l e m e n t s . W - Ber, Wes. C - Ber. S TERCULI ACEAE *Walther ia i n d i c a Also known as perhaps a new F - Wes. L. W . arnericana L. One colony found n e a r Cable S t a t i o n , - a r r i v a l . GUTTIFERAE *Calophyllurn inophyllum L. C u l t i v a t e d t r e e s around v i l l a g e s . P - Daw. W - Wes. F - Cht, Wes. PASSIFLORACEAE * P a s s i f l o r a f o e t i d a L. Weed around Cable S t a t i o n on Fanning. F - R&T, Wes. CARICACEAE *Carica papaya L. C u l t i v a t e d i n s e t t l e m e n t s o f Washington, Fanning and Chris tmas and mos t ly used f o r p i g food. W - Wes. F - Wes. C - observed by Wes. COMBRETACEAE *Terminal ia ca tappa L. C u l t i v a t e d around s e t t l e m e n t s . P - Daw. W - Wes. F - Wes. C - observed by Wes. MYRTACEAE *Psidium gua java L. C u l t i v a t e d around s e t t l e m e n t s . W - Ber, Wes. F - Wes. ONAGRACEAE Ludwigia o c t o v a l v i s ( J a c q . ) Raven Found i n f looded s u b s t r a t e n e a r l a k e on Washington. P - H i m , Daw. W - Lng, Wes. ARALIACEAE *Polysc ias f r u t i c o s a (L .) Harms C u l t i v a t e d i n gardens . W - Wes. *P. - g u i l f o y l e i ( ~ u l l ) Ba i ley C u l t i v a t e d i n gardens . F - S&F, R&T, Wes. *P. - s c u t e l l a r i a ( ~ u r m . f . ) Fosberg C u l t i v a t e d i n gardens . W - Wes. F - R&T, Wes. OLEACEAE *Ligustrum sp. The specimen c o l l e c t e d by R u s s e l l and Tsuda ( S t . John, 1972 ) c a n n o t be l o c a t e d i n t h e Bishop Museum. It may have been redetermined o r l o s t . F - [R&T] APOCYNACEAE *Nerium o l e a n d e r L. C u l t i v a t e d and p e r s i s t i n g i n abandoned gardens . F - R&T, Wes. C - observed by Wes. Ochrosia o p p o s i t i f o l i a (Lam. ) K. Schum. = Neisosperma o p p o s i t i f o l i a (Lam.) Fosb. and Sachet . Found o n l y n e a r west end o t Hole i i s l e t o f Palmyra. P - H i m , Daw. *Plumeria o b t u s a L. C u l t i v a t e d a s ornamental and used i n l e i s . Observed on Washington, Fanning and Christmas. W - Wes. F - observed by Wes. C - observed by Wes. *P. r u b r a L. forma r u b r a - - C u l t i v a t e d a s ornamental and used i n l e i s . W - Wes. F - observed by Wes. C - observed by Wes. -- forma a c u t i f o l i a ( P o i r . ) Woodson C u l t i v a t e d a s ornamental and used i n l e i s . Probably a l s o on Christmas. W - Wes. F - Wes. ASCLEPIADACEAE *Asclepias c u r a s s a v i c a L, An in t roduced weed which was c o l l e c t e d by Arundel las t c e n t u r y b u t n o t r ecorded s i n c e . F - ~ d l ( ~ ) . CONVOLVULACEAE Cuscuta c a m p e s t r i s Yuncker Common a t South E a s t P o i n t o f Chris tmas I s l a n d and o c c a s i o n a l l y between s m a l l ponds (Garnet t , 1981 ) . C - Lng, Wes. *Ipomoea b a t a t a s (L.) P o i r . C u l t i v a t e d i n v i l l a g e on Washington i n 1854 (Hol ley , 1853-57). NOW found c u l t i v a t e d and growing a long nearby r o a d s i d e s . W - Wes. I. pes-caprae ssp . b r a s i l i e n s i s (L.) v. O o s t s t r . - A p ioneer on beaches and i n open s i t e s . P - Daw, Lng. W - Ber, H&K(UC), Wes. F - R&T, Wes. I . macrantha R. & S. - Recorded a l s o a s I. - t u b a ( S c h l e c h t . ) G. Don, I. g r a n d i f l o r a (Choisy) H a l l f . and I. gl