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Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

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PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN<br />

<strong>Chapter</strong> III. Background, 3. Terrestrial Resources<br />

Draft 1 March 2007<br />

Murphy et al (1954) reported that Loumala (1951) recorded an additional 40 species of plants<br />

on Abariringa (Canton). Most were introduced, and many no longer occurred. According to<br />

Murphy et al (1954), the most conspicuous native plant species included:<br />

1) Cordia subcordata,,<br />

2) Messerschmidea argentea,<br />

3) Scaevola frutescens,<br />

4) Sida fallax,<br />

5) Sesuvium portulacastrum,<br />

6) Boerhaavia diffusa,<br />

7) Triumfetta procumbens,<br />

8) Portulaca lutea, and<br />

9) Lepturus repens<br />

Pan American World Airways (1954) reported that the few coconut trees visible on<br />

Abariringa (Canton) were recent plantings, not the coconut trees planted in 1915 by Captain<br />

Allen and the Samoan Shipping & Trading Co.<br />

Johnson (1954) reported a dozen coconut palms on Abariringa (Canton). The original palms<br />

planted by Captain Allen and his sons (no date specified) all died out.<br />

Hatheway (1955) estimated plant community areas on Abariringa (Canton). Percent<br />

coverage is presented in Table III-3.6 below. Hatheway (1955) provided descriptions of each<br />

plant community listed in Table III-3.6 below.<br />

Table III-3.6. Plant communities on Abariringa (Canton)<br />

(source: Hatheway 1955)<br />

A serious enemy of Cordia was the caterpillar of the moth Achaea janata which defoliated<br />

two entire groves of Cordia (Hatheway 1955).<br />

Hatheway (1955) reported that most native forest and scrub was dying or dead. Hatheway<br />

(1955) speculated that this might be related the enormous numbers of birds that nest on native<br />

forests.<br />

Anon. (1955) reported that Otto Degener and Edwin Gillaspy were tasked with introducing a<br />

variety of plants to Abariringa (Canton) by the American Civil Aeronautics Administration.<br />

The justification for these plant introductions was to hold the shifting sand to minimize sand<br />

erosion, encourage afforestation, and reduce the almost unendurable glare. Success of the<br />

plant introductions would be dependent on the swarms of hermit crabs.<br />

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