HV> of the Volume III Nimber 4 November 1964 c/o DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII HONOLULU 14, HAWAII ZUNGI in HAWAII by Gladys E. BakerJ:/ The assemblage of organisms known as the fungi and popularly equated to the yeasts, molds, and mushrooms, represents a group little investigated in Hawaii. Fungi live as saprobes; in symbiotic relationship with other organisms; or as parasites on plants and animals including man. Their total number in the world has been estim- ated in the range of 200,000 species (Emmons, 1963). They are known from pole to pole in virtually every environmental situation: arid to wet areas; hot climates to cold; from sea level to the summits of mountain peaks; on dung as coprophilous species; in water whether fresh, marine or polluted, from the surface to depths of several thousand meters (Potter and Baker, 1960; Cooke, 1963; Roth, 1964); and from the surfaces of plants and animals (Ruinen, 1960, 1963; Potter and Baker, 1961)* It seems unrealistic that this cosmopolitan group would not be well represented here. The lack of representation indicated by the paucity of literature on Hawaiian fungi is perhaps better explained by rarity of investigation rather than rarity of occurrence A few publications concerning Hawaiian fungi do exist. None is a comprehensive treat- ment for the total population in either a qualitative or quantitative sense. One paper (Stevens, 1925) is devoted to parastici fungi. Another (Burt, 1923) covers a limited group, the H)rmenomycetes , and is based on limited material. A third paper is only a list and its reliability in part has been questioned. Other references are sporadic and often discuss a few, very specialized forms (Halde, 1953; Anastasiou, 1964). None of the Investigations is concerned with marine or soil fungi. The soil is an important habitat for fungi and the ocean may be. A third habitat is that of the phyllosphere recently recognized as an important ecological milieu for tropical microorganisms (Ruinen, i.£.). None of these fungus habitats has been studied sys- tematically in Hawaii. Any one of them, therefore, is a logical point of departure for a comprehensive survey. It is now nearly 50 years since Selman A. Waksman posed his then startling, now clas- sical, question, "Is there any fungus flora of the soil?" (Waksman, 1917). That fungi do occur in soil as natural inhabitants has long been accepted although aspects of their active roles continue to be elucidated. Fungi are important components of the microbial complex in the soil playing primary roles in the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Being "versatile opportunists" (Emmons, 1962) they perform many biochemical reactions ranging from the breakdown of complex compounds to the building of others. Many of these activities lend themselves to industrial exploitation. Before one can determine the role of fungi in a given habitat, the population present needs to be surveyed. Hawker al (1960) called this the first phase of soil microbiology. Professor of Botany, University of Hawaii. Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 24 November 1964 In 1962 a survey of fungi in Hawaiian soils was begun with the collection of samples On Maui from sea level to the top of Mt. Haleakala, at approximately 10,000 feet elevation. Subsequently other collections have been made on Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii. The samples cover a diversity of conditions: rain forests; arid zones; beach areas; a salt pool at Kaena Point; steaming vents on the Chain of Craters road In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; lava flows of different ages; and samples from the layers in three soil profiles dug by Dr. Dieter Hueller-Dombois in Kipuka Puaulu and Kipuka Ki of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A total of 103 samples has been subjected to-date to preliminary study of their fungus populations. There are many methods for the isolation of fungi from a given sample. The quantitative plate dilution method is an accepted standard one although it is recognized that it has definite disadvantages. Any single method in itself imposes limits upon results but this method is valuable for comparative purposes. The use of sodium caseinate agar (Fred and Waksman, 1928) has proved its value over the years as one consistently yielding a maxi- mum number of colonies of bacteria, Actinomycetes and fungi. Its low carbohydrate con- tent coupled with the slow utilization of the casein encburages the growth of fungi as discrete colonies without objectionable overgrowth. Often fungi sporulate freely on this medium thereby facilitating their identification. Other media have been used in addition to sodium caseinate but none gives comparable quantitative results. Some media by the addition of antibiotics or other antagonistic substances, reduce the bacterial count. Others by the inclusion of growth factors encourage particular fungi. Two media espec- ially useful for these reasons are Martin's rose bengal agar (1950) and Roth's medium (1964, A valuable adjunct to the agar plate method is a modification of Warcup's method for the isolation of fungi (1950). The surface of an agar plate is flooded with a few ml of a low dilution of the sample (usually 2.5 ml of the 1:10 dilution). This is covered by a piece of sterile filter paper. In particular cellulose digesting species are found this way. Many species of Ascomycetes, members of the Acrasiales, Act inop lanes sp., and cellulolytic Fungi Imperfecti have been isolated by this means. By such procedures an estimate of the numbers of fungi per gram of soil may be determined and the kinds identified. Numbers obtained may be too low to be satistically significant but all species isolated are significant for the qualitative analysis of the population. On a gravimetric basis there may be several hundred thousand fungi per gram of fertile soil (Hawker al, 1960). Calculated on a live weight basis it has been estimated that an acre of such land would contain 500 pounds of fungus tissue (Alexander, 1961). Quantitative counts for Hawaiian soils gave numbers from 1,000 to 860,000 per gram of soil. For all plates, including those not countable by statistical standards, the species per sample were enumerated and the number accruing from all samples totaled. The number of fungus species recovered from a given sample ranged from 1 to 39. In all, 235 species representing 125 genera have been isolated so far. In an exhaustive study of 31 tropical soils from Panama and Costa Rica, Farrow (1954) used two basic methods and 17 kinds of agars making possible quite astronomical combin- ations. By these means he recovered 135 species representing 73 genera of fungi. Con- sidering the fact that many of the Hawaiian sources of samples would not be expected to have high populations, it appears that Hawaiian soils are not lacking in fungi. Some characteristic figures (Table 1) for selected samples will serve to illustrate both quantitative and qualitative aspects of soil populations. From these examples it is obvious that even the most barren areas (the top of Haleakala, cinder cones, the beaches, e._g.) are well endowed with residual fungi. Some of the iso- lates from the Haleakala sample (62,1) are coprophilous fungi, not astonishing actually Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 25 November 1964 Table 1 Sample number Source, characteristics Number of fungi /gm Number genera Number species 62.1 Maui, 10,000’ , lava Not countable 20 22 62.4 Maui, 3,000', grazed pasture 3,000 18 22 62.7 i* Maui, cane field 280,000 13 18 63.9 Hawaii, Kipuka Puaulu soil profile, 0-5 cm 1,000 3 3 63.15 Ibid, 30-50 cm, with abundant root systems 1,340 2 2 63.13 Ibid, 50-65 cm, organically enriched 22,000 2 2 63.16 Ibid, 70-90 cm, with roots 1,200 3 3 63.53 Hawaii, 1955 lava flow sedges and grass 24,000 3 3 63.54 Ibid, ferns established 50,000 5 5 63.55 Ibid, lichens 32,000 5 5 63.60 Hawaii, cinder cone Not countable 3 3 63.24 Hawaii, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, scenic drive, el. 5500' Not countable 5 5 63.6 Oahu , Kaena Point , under Scaevola bush 5,000 8 12 63.7 Ibid, under Sesbania 10,000 10 12 63.58 Hawaii, Kalapana, Black Sand Beach 3,000 5 6 64.25 Kauai, windward shore at water line Not countable 4 5 64.26 Ibid, above tide mark 4,200 5 8 64.27 Ibid, under Ipomoea 4,800 7 10 64.71 Kaena Point, salt pool Not countable 3 3 62.11 Oahu, top of Mt. Kaala, rain forest 860,000 12 18 Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 26 November 1964 for many birds visit there. The figures from the Maui cane field (62.7) correspond to known high counts for fertile soils although the number of different individuals is not so great. From the soil profiles there is confirmation for the occurrence of the largest populations in organically rich situations. In this case the zone so determined by Dr. Mueller-Dombois (personal communication) was at the 50-65 cm depth. The high number per gram and low number of species represented means that the inci- dent members sporulated well under the pertinent conditions. This illustrates one of the disadvantages of the dilution plate method as freely sporulating species may pro- duce unrealistic counts. The majority of fungi isolated represent species of the Fungi Imperfecti. Other groups were found less frequently. In summary the isolates included: Gr oup Number of genera Number of species Acrasiales 3 3 Myxomycetes 1 1 Phycomycetes 8 12 Ascomycetes 11 19 Basidiomycetes 1 1 Fungi Imperfecti 101 199 Total 125 235 The low number of Basidiomycetes is not uncommon for this group rarely lends itself to plating methods for as yet unexplained reasons. Many of the individual species are worthy of note. A coprophilous Ascomycete from the top of Haleakala is a species originally isolated from soil in Switzerland. A new species of the Fungi Imperfect! described very recently from Canadian soil (Barron, 1964), appeared in a Kauai shore sample at the water's edge and from the Kaena Point sample taken under a legume. Penici Ilium rotundum was described in 1948 from a wood sample taken in the mountains of Chiriqui Province, Panama. This species produces as- cocarps and ascospores. It was isolated from a Maui sample at approximately 2000 feet. Curiously Farrow (JL.jC.) did not recover it among his isolates from Panama, Aspergillus unguis is a good example of an "opportunistic" fungus. It may be pathogenic to man but occurs occasionally in soil or in decaying organic matter. Our Hawaiian isolate came from one of the steaming vents of Alol Crater Steam Flat, which had a temperature of 90®C (194®F), thereby handsomely extending its potential for opportunism. An appar- ently undescribed species of Tritirachium was isolated from sand on the windward side of Kauai. The same fungus has been isolated from the sea by Mrs. Carol Steele, a graduate student investigating fungi in marine habitats. More unique isolates could be cited but their chief value is in pointing out the ubiq- uitous distribution of fungi in the world. It is their cosmopolitan distribution that makes it impossible to ascribe fungi to broad ecological zones (Hawker ^ Jl.c.). One reason for this possibly is the ease with which fungi travel. Many are well known as air borne. Currently another source of dispersal and distribution is recognized. t Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 27 November 1964 It is inadvertent but effective. From the analysis of 14 swabs of shoes taken from the soles of passengers prior to deplaning upon arrival in Hawaii Or from soles of shoes in luggage and not yet worn here, 53 species of fungi representing 34 genera have been isolated this year. Of these 53 species, 10 were new listings for Hawaii. One fungus is a species described from Japan and apparently not knovm elsewhere. It was isolated from shoes which had been in Japan this past summer (courtesy Dr. C. H. Lamoureux) . An isolate of Candida albicans , the major human pathogenic species of this genus, was also introduced this way. This pathogen though is al- ready well established in Hawaii. In summary, these preliminary studies representing random sampling of soils and shores of the Hawaiian Islands give an initial picture of a diversified fungus population present in a wide range of habitats in significant numbers. The tech- niques employed for the initial sampling now need to be extended to special methods for the isolation of particular groups of fungi. Then should follow the next phase of mycological investigation of the soil which Hawker al (JL.c.) describe as "the elucidation of the actual activities of such organisms when in the soil." It is safe to predict that these will be as diversified as their kinds. Literature Cited Alexander, M. 1961. Introduction to soil microbiology. New York and London; John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Anastasiou, C. J. 1964. Some aquatic Fungi Imperfect from Hawaii. Pacif. Sci. 1^(2): 202-206. Barron, G. L. 1964. A new genus of the Hyphomycetes from soil. Mycol. 56(4) ; 514-518. Burt, E. A. 1923. Higher fungi of the Hawaiian Islands. Ann. Mo. Bot. Card. 20: 179-189. Cooke, Wm. B. 1963. A laboratory guide to fungi in polluted waters, sewage, and sewage treatment systems; their identification and culture. PHS Publ. no. 999-WP-l. Cincinnati, Ohio; Div. Water Supply and Pollution Control. I Emmons, C. W. 1962. Natural occurrence of opportunistic fungi. Laboratory Inves- tigation, Part II. Baltimore; Williams and Wilkins Co. Emmons, C. W., C. H. Binford and J. P. Utz . 1963. Medical mycology. Philadelphia; Lea and Febiger. Farrow, W. M. 1954. Tropical soil fungi. Mycol. 46; 632-646. Fred, E. B. and S, A. Waksman. 1928. Laboratory manual of general microbiology. New York; McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. Halde, C. 1953. A note on the fungus flora of the Hawaiian atmosphere. Hawaii Med. J. Ut 370-371. Hawker, L. E. , A. H. Linton, B. F. Folkes and M. J. Carlile. 1960. An introduction to the biology of micro-organisms. London; Edward Arnold (Publ.) Ltd. Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 28 November 1964 Martin, J. P. 1950. Use of acid, rose bengal, and streptomycin in the plate method for estimating soil fungi. Soil Sci, 215-232. Potter, L. F. , and G. E. Baker. 1961. The microbiology of Flathead and Rogers Lakes, Montana II. Vertical distribution of the microbial populations and chemical analyses of their environments. Ecol. ^(2): 339-348. . 1961. The role of fish as conveyors of micro- organisms in aquatic environments. Can. J. Microbiol ._7: 595-605. Roth, F. J., Jr., P. A. Orput, and D. G. Ahearn, 1964, Occurrence and distri- bution of fungi in a subtropical marine environment. Can. J. Bot. 42 ; 375-383. Ruinen, J. 1961. The phyllosphere . I. An ecologically neglected milieu. Plant and Soil J^(2) : 81-109. . 1963, II. Yeasts from the phyllosphere of tropical foliage. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek ^(4): 425-438. , Stevens, Frank L. 1925. Hawaiian fungi. B. P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 1-189. Waksman, S. A. 1917. Is there any fungus flora of the soil? Soil Sci. 3: 565-589. Warcup, J. H. 1950. The soil-plate method for isolation of fungi from the soil. Nature 166: 117-118, RECENT pacific PUBLICATIONS ANASTASIOU, C. J. 1964. Some aquatic fungi imperfect from Hawaii. Pacific Science XVIII(2): 202-206. BRIGGS, BARBARA G. 1964. The control of interspecific hybridization in Darwinia . Evolution 18: 292-303. CARLQUIST, SHERWIN. 1964, Morphology and relationships of Lactoridaceae. Aliso 5(4): 421-435. . 1964. Wood anatomy of Vernonieae (Compositae) . Ibid. 5(4): 451-467. CARROLL, GEORGE C. 1964. Pyrenomycetes , mainly Xylariaceae, from some South Pacific islands. Botanisk Tidsskrift 59: 301-310. FOSBERG, F. R. 1964. Studies in Pacific Rubiaceae: V. The Hawaiian species of Psychotria L. Brittonia 16(3): 255-271. GREEN, P. S. 1963. The genus Nestegis from New Zealand. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 44: 377-389. . 1963. A revision of the New Caledonian species of Osmanthus . Ibid. 44: 268-283. Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 29 November 1964 HINEs R- B., AND L. V. LUNA. 1963. A technique for isolating Pythium aphanid- ermatum from soil. Phytopathology 53: 727-728. (HAES technical paper 619). HOLLENBERG, GEORGE J. 1963. A new species of Malaconema (Rhodophyta) from the Marshall Islands. Phycology 2: 169-172. KAMEMOTO, H., K. SHINDO, AND K. KOSAKI. 1964. Chromosome homology in the Ceratobium, Phalaenanthe , and Latourea sections of the genus Dendro- bium. Pacific Science 'XVIII(l) : 104-115. KAMEMOTO, H. , AND K. SHINDO. 1964. Meiosis in interspecific and intergeneric hybrids of Vanda . Botanical Gazette. 125: 132-138. LOCKHART, J. A. 1963. Photomorphogenesis in plants. Advancing Frontiers in Plant Science 7: 1-44. (HAES miscellaneous paper no. 151.) MENEZ, ERNANI G. 1964. The taxonomy of Polys iphonia in Hawaii, Pacific Science XVIII(2): 207-222. PENFOLD, A. R. , AND J. L. WILLIS, 1961. The Eucalypts: botany, cultivation, chemistry, and utilization. 551 pp. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York. SAUER, JONATHAN. 1964. Revision of Canavalia . Brittonia 16(2): 106-181. SCHEUER, PAUL J. , MILDRED Y. CHANG, AND HIROSHI FUKAMI. 1963. Hawaiian plant studies. X. The structure of Mauiesine. Journal of Organic Chem- istry 28: 2641-2643. SMITH, ALBERT C. , AND EDWARD S. AYENSU. 1964. The identity of the genus Calyptosepalum S. Moore. Brittonia 16(2): 220-227. STEPHENS, S. G. 1963. Polynesian cottons. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. L(l-4): 1-22. TAYLOR, A. 0. 1964. A biochemical approach to some taxonomic problems in the genus Coprosma. The New Phytologist 63: 135-139. WAGNER, W. H. , JR., AND K. L. CHEN. 1964. J[n lOPB Chromosome number reports. I. Taxon XIII (3) : 100-101. WILBUR, ROBERT L. 1963. A prior name for the Hawaiian Gouldia terminalis (Rubiaceae) . Pacific Science XVII(4): 421-423, (It is Gouldia af finis (DC) Wilbur.) . 1964. The correct name for the Hawaiian Gossypium. Ibid. XVIII (1): 101-103. (It is Gossypium sandvicense Pari.) Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 30 November 1964 organization notes NEW MEMBERS Members elected June 1, 1964 Mr. Alex L. MacGregor 441 Launiu Street Hono lu lu , Hawa i i Mr . N . Mohanakurmaran Box 1236, E-W Center University of Hawaii Mr. George A. Miura Biological Laboratories Harvard University Cambridge, Mass. Members elected October 5, 1964 Mr. Edmund R. Bnrmettler Dept, of Ag. Economics University of Hawaii Mr. Carrol Jones Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Hono lu lu , Hawaii Mr. Shinya Namiki Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Hono lu lu , Hawa i i Mr. Su-En Chao 2528 Olopua Street Hono lu lu , Hawa i i Mr. Norman Y. Kitazaki Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Honolulu, Hawaii* Mr. Robert Osgood 2033 Makiki Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Mr. Joseph A. Crozier, Jr. Kauai Branch Exp. Station Kapaa, Kauai Mr. Robert Kunishi Box 90^7 (PQD, USDA) Hono lu lu , Hawa i i Mr. Sterling P, Park Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Hono lu lu , Hawa i i Mr. Sam C. Dunn Box 9067 (PQD, USDA)^ Honolulu, Hawaii Mr. Ray W. Lauchis 2170 Kuhio Ave., Apt. 404 Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 Mr. David M. Spar go Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Honolulu, Hawaii Mr. Dave Girard Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Hono lu lu , Hawa i i Mr. Russell K. LeBarron Division of Forestry 400 South Beretania Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Mrs. Delle S. Swindale 2910 Nanihale Place Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Mr. Ray, H. Greenfield Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Honolulu, Hawaii Dr. Sam E. McF*adden, Jr. 2955 Oahu Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Mr. James S. Toba Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) Honolulu, Hawaii ^ Mr. Harrison E. Tenney Mr. Gary J. Wilfret Box 9067 (PQD, USDA) 1641 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 Members elected November 5, 1964 Mr. H. Shirley Bush Dr. Mahesh D. Upadhya 435 Seaside Ave., Apt. 1205 Dept, of Horticulture Honolulu, Hawaii University of Hawaii DECEMBER MEETING; The December meeting will convene on Monday, December 7, at 7:30 PM in Agee Hall, H.S.P.A. Experiment Station, Keeaumoku Street. The program will be given Sherwin Car Iquist of the Claremont Graduate School and the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California. Dr. Car Iquist will present an illustrated talk entitled "The Alpine Flora of New Guinea,” based on his recent explorations in New Guinea and adjacent areas. The November meeting was held on Monday evening, Nov. 2. The program was given by Professor G. Led yard Stebbins of the University of California who spoke on "The Natural History of Polyploid Complexes." Mr. Alan L. Young 908 University Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 31 November 1964 The October meeting was held on Monday evening, October 5. The program was pre- sented by Sam E. McFadden, Jr . , ornamental horticulturist and visiting pro- fessor in Horticulture at the University of Hawaii. Dr. McFadden gave an excellent talk on the subject: "Roses in the Subtropics." UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY: Mr . Henry 0. Whittier , formerly Instructor in Botany at the University of Hawaii, is currently engaged in bryo logical field work in Tahiti. His work is supported by a grant from the Society of the Sigma Xi. He will re- turn to the mainland in December, at which time he will move to the New York Botanical Garden where he will be employed while working for his Ph.D. at Colum- bia University. Professor George Hollenberg of the University of Redlands has joined the staff of the Botany Department at the llniversity of Hawaii as a replacement for Professor Maxwell S. Doty who is on sabbatical leave. Charles H. Lamoureux was recently promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. Recent visitors to the Department of Botany include A. Sharp , Univer- sity of Tennessee, G. Ledyard Stebbins , who presented a seminar on October 30, and Professor C. W. Ward law. University of Manchester, England, who gave a seminar on November 6. Earlier visitors included and Mr s . Ernst Abbe who stopped en route to Minneapolis from Malaysia, New Guinea and New Caledonia; also Professor Antero Vaarama , University of Turku, Finland; H. B. Womersley and Miss E. S. Wollaston of the University of Adelaide, Australia; P. A. Munz of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden; and Professor W. R. Philipson, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Field studies were carried out in Hawaii this summer by Richard White, Mr . William Anderson and to. Marshall Crosby, all working from the Department of Botany at Duke University. Mr. Anderson completed field work on the genus Elapho- glossum (Aspidiaceae) in Hawaii. Dr. Charles H. Lamoureux is directing a field study of the vascular plants of the low islands of the Central Pacific under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, to. Char les Long and to. Alan Young are field collectors for this project . DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE; to. Richard A. Hamilton will spend sabbatical leave in Costa Rica. Yoneo Sagawa , specialist in cytogenetics and meristem tissue culture of orchids is a new staff member in the department, to. Sagawa was form- erly in the Department of Botany at the University of Florida, Gainsville. to . Yozo Iwanami has taken a post-doctoral appointment in the laboratory of to . Brew- baker . to. Iwanami comes from Yokohama Municipal University. Drs. James Lockhart , Robert Warner and James Brewbaker presented papers at the recent A.I.B.S. meetings at Boulder, Colorado. Others from Hawaii who were in attendance at the meetings included to . Jimmie B. Smith , to . Bruce Rogers and to. George Gillett. Hawaii representatives at the International Botanical Congress, Edinburgh, included Professor Maxwe 1 1 Doty and Dieter Mueller-Dombols , both of the Department of Botany, and Drs. Beatrice Krauss and Wallace Sanford of the Pineapple Research Institute. Hawaiian Botanical Society Nevrsletter “ page 32 November 1964 Recent promotions at the University of Hawaii include; Dr. James Brewbaker from Associate Horticulturist to Horticulturist, to. Richard Hine from Assistant to Assoc- iate Plant Pathologist, Henry Nakasone from Assistant to Associate Horticultur- ist, and Warren Yee from Assistant Specialist to Associate Specialist in Horti- culture. DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS; Dr. Jimmie Bob Smith has accepted the position of Head, Variety Improvement Section, Pineapple Research Institute. Dr. Smith was formerly with the Department of Genetics at the University of Hawaii. botanical NOTES PACIFIC TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN; On August 20, 1964, President Johnson signed into law Senate Bill 1991 as amended. This Bill charters, by Act of Congress, the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. The Hawaiian Botanical Society has long supported this Bill and is a sponsor member of the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens Foundation, the organ- ization which led the fight for its passage. Senate Bill 1991 was introduced by Senators Daniel Inouye and Hiram Fong who worked diligently for its passage, as did Representative Spark Matsunaga, who had introduced an identical bill in the House and was instrumental in obtaining House approval of the Senate Bill. Special recognition and gratitude are extended to tfr . W. W. G. Moir , President of the Foundation, who carefully executed the groundwork necessary to secure passage of the Bill. The Bill creates a corporation, the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, authorized to "establish, develop, operate, and maintain. ... an educational and scientific center in the form of a tropical botanical garden or gardens." The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held in Washington late in October, at which Mrs . A. Lester Marks and' Mr . W. W. G. Moir were elected to the Board. On October 31 Professors G. Ledyard Stebbins and A. J. Sharp , past and current presidents of the Botanical Society of America, respectively, examined possible sites for the Pacific Tropical Botanic Garden, accompanied by Professor A. C. Smith, Uni- versity of Hawaii, and to. W. W. G. Moir . ALLERTON MAKES GIFT TO PACIFIC TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN; to. Robert Allerton of Lawai, Kauai, has made a gift of $1,000,000 to the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Mr. Allerton has long been interested in the development of this garden an<^ made sig- nificant contributions to the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens Foundation which enabled the Foundation to work for passage of the Bill, He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, The Society extends its deepest t appreciation to Mr. Allerton for his generous and timely support of the Garden. FOSTER GARDEN; On June 1, 1964, the deed to Parcel C-5, Queen Emma Project, was pre- sented to Mayor Blaisdell by the Honolulu Redevelopment Agency. This two-acre parcel at Nuuanu and Vineyard will be added to Foster Botanical Garden. The Hawaiian Botan- ical Society was active in the long struggle which has ended favorably, OSCAR KIRSCH HONORED; On April 27 to. Oscar Kirsch, past Vice-President and current Director of the Society, received another international award for his outstanding orchids. He was presented a gold medallion and certificate from the International Garden Show of Hamburg, Germany. The award was for orchid sprays entered by to. Kirsch in the Hamburg show held in October, 1963. The award was presented by the Honorary German Consul in Honolulu, to. Herbert M. Richards . • « % Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter - page 33 November 1964 demonstration plants A most enjoyable high- light of each meeting Is the presentation of outstand- ing orchids thoughtfully exhibited by . Oscar Klrsch, All members are grate- ful to Mr. Klrsch for sharing his outstanding materials with us. It Is hoped that additional members might complement Mr. Klrsch' s orchids with Interesting and unusual plants from their research or ornamental collections. Your contri- butions are anticipated with enthusiasm. DUES Members who are delinquent for 1964 dues are urged to, make prompt payment to the treasurer, Mr. William M. Bush, Castle and Cooke, Inc., Box 2990, Hono- lulu 2, Hawaii. The 1964 dues are $2.00. ) / HAWAIIAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY c/o Department of Botany, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 OFFICERS PRESIDENT^ ——Alvin K. Chock (Plant Quarantine Div., ARS, USDA; Dept, of Botany, Univ. of Hawaii; B. P. Bishop Museum) VICE-PRESIDENT Robert Warner (Dept. Horticulture, Univ. Hawaii) SECRETARY Gladys E. Baker (Dept. Botany, Univ. Hawaii) TREASURER --William M. Bush 'Csctic L Cooks, Inc., Box 2990, Hon, 2) DIRECTORS- — - — - Dr. Maxwell S. Doty Mr. Oscar M. Kirsch MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: Dr. James L. Brewbaker (Chairman), Dept. Horticulture, Univ. Hawaii. Dr. Gerald G. Dull, Pineapple Research Institute, Box 3166, Honolulu. Robert E. Fraker, Plant Quarantine Div. ARS, USDA, Box 9067, Hon. 96820. THE HAWAIIAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY was founded in 1924 to "advance the science of Botany in all its applications, encourage research in Botany in all its phases," and "promote the welfare of its members and to develop the spirit of good fellowship and cooperation among them," "Any person interested in the plant life of the Hawaiian Islands is eligible for membership in this Society." EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-- --—George W. Gillett PRODUCTION MANAGER— Mrs. Edith Hazelwood (Expt. Sta., HSPA) REPORTERS: Charles H. Lamoureux (Dept. Botany, Univ. Hawaii) Richard W. Hartmann (Dept, Horti- culture, Univ. Hawaii) Robert W. Leeper (Pineapple Res. Inst.) Louis G, Nlckell (HSPA Expt. Sta.) Paul Weissich (Honolulu Botanical Garden) The 'Hawaiian Botanical Society Newsletter is published in February, April, June, October, and December. It is distrib- uted to all Society members and other interested individuals and institutions r with the purpose of informing them abcnsfc botanical news and progress in Hawaii and the Pacific. News contributions and articles are welcomed. The deadline for submission of news items is the 20th of each month prior to publication. Produced at the University of Hawaii and at the Experiment Station, HSPA. Membership dues are $2.00 per calendar year and include receipt of the Newsletter. HAWAIIAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY c/o Department of Botany University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Please post