Lepinia taitensis Decne.

• Region

  Oceania

• Country

  French Polynesia

• State/Province

  Windward Islands

• County/Municipio

  Moorea-Maiao (Commune)

• Elevation

  Alt. 274 m. (899 ft.)

• Coordinates

  -17.5338, -149.9

• Coordinate Uncertainty (m)

  81078

• Georeferencing Method

  Georeferencing Quick Reference Guide (Zermoglio et. Georeference to the corrected center of Moorea-Maiao.

• Geodetic Datum

  WGS84

• Location Notes

  [Pacifica]

• Distribution

  Map all specimens of this taxon

Harrison W. Smith
Tahiti
Boston,12 June 1935.
Dr. E. D. Merrill
Director, N.Y. Botanical Garden
Dear Dr. Merrill:
You will perhaps recall that 2 or 3 years ago I wrote you from Tahiti
asking you to exclude my name from the directory of botanists because,
in spite of the opinion of father Rougier, whom I believed responsible
for sending my name, I was not a botanist - only an amateur arboriculturist,
in your reply you were so good as to offer to identify plant specimens.
I am now sending by parcel post, insured, a specimen from Moorea. It
was fumigated with cyanide, using Cyanogas dust, for more than an hour;
and was passed by the plant inspector at San Francisco.
The specimen is described, or rather the plant itself, by Mr. Medford
R. Kellum, who lives in Moorea, as follows:	H
"Found at Vaianahe valley, Moorea Island, at about 900 feet elevation m
"on southern exposure. Small tree about 18 feet high and whorls of horizontal H
"branches with leaves only at end of branches, there were no other stages	r
"of flowers or seed pods on the tree. This is a very wet valley and there
"are many fern trees and other varieties of fern there. May 7 1935"	|S|
No one,either native or white, was able to give any information about
the tree, or had ever heard of it or seen it. Years ago a man named	m
MacTavish lived in Moorea and introduced many plants: so it is possible,
indeed probable, that this may be one of them. Many of us will be glad to
know what it is, especially if it has any utility.
~”'Hlftien my durian trees flowered last November I was able to get a good
photograph of these curious flowers. Unfortunately in the hurry to avail
myself of favorable light and good weather on the one day of best blooming
I forgot to put anything in the picture to show the scale; but it is	HKi
fairly well indicated by the two bees: one above each arrow. These flowers Klpi
open about 4 p.m. but do not seem to be mature, that is, the pollen is not
very free, until dusk. Apparently they require moths to fertilize them.
This photograph was made about 7.45 a.m. and some petals had already	L
begun to fall. The white tipped buds are those due to open the afternoon	&ral
of the day the photograph was made. Not one of the flowers shown in the
larger scale photograph produced a fruit: the whole tree gave about 25.
The fruit from this particular tree are of excellent quality but a little
more dreadfully perfumed than any I have ever seen! or smelled!
Faithfully yours,	L0h
Address: c/o Boston Safe Deposit A Trust Company
100 Franklin Street, Boston, Mass.
HERBARIUM OF THE
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Plants of ~l
NEW YORK
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
04193716
04193716