Grasses of the Hawaiian Ranges
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HAWAIl AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION D. L. CRAWFORD, President, University of Hawaii ]. H. BEAUMONT, Ph.D., Director ADMINISTRATION L. A. Henke, M.S. __ Assistant Director H. K. Hee_-----.-_--.-._---- __ -----_- __ -- __ -_-_- __ -.-_-----._Junior Administrative Assistant AGRONOMY J. C. Ripperton, M.S. Agronomist E. Y. Hosaka, M.S. Collaborator M. Takahashi, M.S. Junior Agronomist R. A. Lyman, B.S. Assistant in Agronomy T. Togashi, B.S.. Assistant in Agronomy ANIMAL HUSBANDRY L. A. Henke, M.S.. .... .. .. .. Animal Husbandman S. H. Work, Ph.D.. Associate Animal Husbandman C. I. Maruyama, B.S.. _.. Assistant in Animal Husbandry CHEMISTRY AND SOILS L. A._ Dean, Ph.D.. __ . .. __ Chemist J. B. Bartlett, Ph.D.. __ .. .. .. .._Junior Chemist E. T. Fukunaga, M.S.. Assistant in Chemistry Ruth Yoshida, M.A.. __ .. .. .. .._.. Assistant in Chemistry ENTOMOLOGY F. G. Holdaway, Ph.D.. Entomologist Amy Suehiro, M.S.. __ .. .. .. .. Assistant in Entomology FOODS AND NUTRITION Carey D. Miller, M.S. .. __ Nutritionist Martha Potgieter, Ph.D.... .. Associate Nutritionist Lucille Louis, B.S.... ._Assistant in Nutrition HORTICULTURE J. H. Beaumont, Ph.D.. .. .. .. Horticulturist W. W. Jones, Ph.D.. .. Assistant Horticulturist J. E. Welch, M.S. .. Assistant Olericulturist lW. B. Storey, M.S.. Junior Pomologist H. D. Michener, Ph.D.. .. ..Research Assistant Marguerite E. Hartung, B.A. Assistant in Horticulture H. Kubota, M.S.... .. __ Assistant in Horticulture P. A. Guest, M.S.. .. Assistant in Horticulture IRRIGATION H. A. Wadsworth, B.S.. __ .._.... __ .. .. ._Irrigation Engineer PARASITOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY J. E. Alicata. Ph.D.. .. .. .. .. __ .. _.._.. __ Parasitologist C. J. Hamre, Ph.D...... .. .... Zoologist and Histologist PLANT PATHOLOGY G. K. Parris, Ph.D.._.. .. .. .. Plant Pathologist :K. Kikuta, B.S.. .. .. Assistant in Plant Pathology PLANT PHYSIOLOGY H. F. Clements, Ph.D.... __ ........ Plant Physiologist E. K. Akamine, B.S.. Assistant in Plant Physiology H. G. Heggeness, B.S.. Graduate Assistant POULTRY HUSBANDRY C. M. Bice, B.S.._.. __ .. .. .. Poultry Husbandman PUBLICATIONS Kathleen W. Pierson, B.A.. .. .. __ .. .. .... __ .._.. Editor BRANCHES AND FARMS F. T. Murphy, B.S.. Superintendent, Haleakala Branch Station R. K. Pahau, B.S.. .. Superintendent, Kona Branch Station F. R. Mercado__ .. Foreman, Pensacola Branch Station M. L. McDougaL .. Foreman, Poamoho Farm 1 Absent on leave. HAWAII AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION of the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII BULLETIN No. 82 GRASSES OF THE HAWAIIAN RANGES by L. D. WHITNEY, Assistant Agronomist E. Y. HOSAKA, Collaborator J. C. RIPPERTON, Agronomist HONOLULU, T. H. Issued May 1939 Second Printing, December 1964 The work reported herein was conducted jointly by the University of Hawaii and the United States Depart ment ofAgriculture at the Hawaii Agricultural Experi ment Station. Published with the approval of the Chief, Office of Experiment Stations, United States Department of Agriculture. We regret to record the death of the senior author of this publication, Mr. Leo D. Whitney, on Novem ber 7, 1937. CONTENTS PAGE Introduction 5 Key to the tribes.............................................................................................................. 7 Description of the tribes and keys to the genera.................................................. 9 Description of genera and species............................................................................ 13 Native countries and dates of introduction 125 Glossary of botanical terms 137 Index to grass species 143 INTRODUCTION The Hawaiian rancher is confronted with an ever-increasing num ber of grasses which have become established on the range. Some of them are relatively widespread and commonly known. Others are of recent introduction and are being propagated in newly plowed and planted fattening paddocks. Some are little-known native species which oftentimes occur in surprisingly localized areas. A few are serious pests. There are available a number of sources of information regarding range grasses. Of a purely taxonomic nature are Hitchcock's "The Grasses of Hawaii,"a "Manual of the Grasses of the West Indies,'" and "Manual of the Grasses of the United States."11 Two bulletins6• 7 have been issued by the Hawaii Experiment Station, which discuss grasses from the standpoint of their occurrence and value on the range. As part of a vegetative survey of the local ranches made by Mr. Hosaka (1936-37), collections were made of many grasses now estab lished on the range which are not described in previous publications from Hawaii. The present bulletin describes and illustrates 103 of the most important grasses in Hawaii. Very few of the native species are common on the range, the introduced species being of far greater importance' both in point of number and of forage value. There are many grasses, either recently introduced or slow to be come acclimatized, that have not yet established themselves on the ranges; these are not here included. Species that are found' outside the general range areas, as in summit bogs, forest reserves~ and national parks, are also omitted. Keys to the tribes and genera are based on the publications men tioned above. The genera are arranged in alphabetic order. The de scriptions of the grasses are two-fold: first, a technical description • HITCHCOCK, A. S., THE GRASSES OF' HAWAII, Memoirs Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 8 :101-230, ilIus. 1922. • HITCHCOCK, A. S., MANUAl, OF' THJ;: GRASSES OF' THE WEST INDIES, U. S. Dept. of Agr. Misc. Pub. 243, 439 pp., ilIus. 1936. • HITCHCOCK, A. S., MANUAl, OF' THJ;: GRASSES oF' THE UNITED STATES, U. S. Dept. Agr. Misc. Pub. 200, 1,040 pp., illus. 1935. "MCCLELLAND, C. K., GRASSES AND F'ORAGJ;: PLANTS OF' HAWAII, Hawaii Agr. Expt. Sta. But. 36, 42 pp., ilIus. 1915. • RrPPERTON, ]. C., GO:i'"F', R. A., EDWARDS, D. W., and DAVIS, W. C., RANGi GRASSES OF' HAWAII, Hawaii Agr. Expt. Sta. But. 65,38 pp., ilIus. 1933. 6 Bulletin 82, Hawaii Experiment Station given in fine print which is of use only to the botanist in identifying the species; and second, a popular description of the grass to which is added its origin, value in its native land, occurrence in Hawaii, nature of growth, and value on the range. The technical descriptions were, in the main, made from living plants and herbarium specimens. The information regarding the local value of the different species is the consensus of the various ranchers. To facilitate the use of the bulletin, each grass has been cross indexed according to its scientific name, its common name, and any synonyms for either. Technical terms have been eliminated as far as possible from the popular descriptions. A glossary is included which defines all technical terms used (page 135). On pages 126 to 134 is given all information available as to native countries and dates of introduction. The illustrations were drawn to show the growth habits of the plant as well as the enlarged flower parts. Some of these line drawings were copied, with slight modifications from reproductions in other publications, largely from the U. S. Department of Agriculture bulle tins. Others were made from living plants. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The writers take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Agnes Chase, Senior Botanist of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C., for going over the paper and making helpful suggestions; Dr. St~ John, Botanist, University of Hawaii, for reading the manuscript; and the ranchers of the Territory for their generous help with maps, guides, and other facilities. KEY TO THE TRIBES Spikelets 1- to many-flowered, the reduced florets, if any, above the perfect florets (except in Phalarideae) ; articulation usually above the glumes; spikelets usually more or less laterally compressed. Spikelets with 2 staminate, neuter, or rudimentary lemmas unlike and below the fertile lemma; no sterile or rudimentary florets above the terminal perfect floret PHALARIDEAE 7 Spikelets without sterile lemmas below the perfect floret. Spikelets I-flowered in groups, the groups racemose along a main axis, falling entire; lemma and palea thinner than the glumes ZOYSIEAE 5 Spikelets not as above. Spikelets sessile on a usually continuous rachis (disarticulating in Hordeum). Spikelets on opposite sides of the rachis; spike terminal, solitary.... ........................................................................................................ HORDEAE 2 Spikelets on one side of the rachis; spikes usually more than I, digitate or nearly so CHLORIDEAE 6 Spikelets pedicellate in open or contracted, sometimes spikelike panicles. Spike1ets I-flowered AGROSTIDEAE 4 Spikelets 2- to many-flowered. Glumes as long as the lowest floret, usually as long as the spike let; lemmas awned from the back (lemmas longer than the glumes and awnless in Sphenopholis) AVENEAE 3 Glumes shorter than the first floret; lemmas awnless or awned from the tip or from a bifid apex FESTuCEAE Spikelets with I perfect terminal floret (disregarding the staminate and neuter spikelets) and a sterile or staminate floret below, commonly represented by a sterile lemma only; first glume sometimes wanting; articulation below the spikelets, either in the pedicel, in the rachis, or at the base of a cluster of spikelets, the spikelets falling entire, singly, in groups, or together with joints of the rachis; spikelets, or at least the fruits, more or less dorsally compressed. Glumes membranaceous, the sterile lemma like the glumes in texture. Fertile lemma and palea thinner than the glumes, sterile lemma awned