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the relatively undisturbed places, the dominant species are Syzygium samarangense, Calophyllum neo-ehudicum (tamanu), Syzygium samoense (fena vao), and Myristicafatua ('atone); the two Syzy- gium species are typical montane forest trees, the other two are lowland forest species. Also present are f)ysoxylum huntii and Garcinia myrtifolia, which are typical montane forest species, and several other tree species characteristic of lowland forest. One tree found here, Celtis harperi, was a new record for Ofu-Olosega. In disturbed places, the dominant tree was Hibi- scus liliaceus, which often forms dense thickets. These thickets are similar to those on Alava Ridge east of the TV transmitter on Tutuila. Also common is another secondary forest tree, Trichospermum richii. The ground cover is dense here, and is dominated by Christella harveyi, Lomagramma cordipinna, and Davallia solida, all of them ferns. As the ridge extends east from the microwave station, it decreases in elevation and the vegetation probably goes from ridge lowland forest to coastal lowland forest before it meets the road just west of Sunitao. The ridge at this point is very narrow, and the vegetation is sparse, somewhat like that found on the steep slopes leading from the summit down to the park area. One tree noted on this ridge was Drypetes vitiensis, which is a new record for Manu'a.
APPENDIX E. PLANTS AS INDICATORS OF PAST LAND USE Prior to the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers, most of the surface area of the Samoan archipelago was covered with native rainforest vegetation. The only areas with vegetation not classified as rain- I'orcst were littoral communities, summit vegetation (montane scrub and summit scrub communities), recent lava flows and ash deposits, and disturbed vegetation. Nowadays over half of the vegetation of the islands is classified as disturbed or secondary (as opposed to primary), a figure that has been rising in recent years because of the expansion of agriculture to meet the needs of an expanding population and because of a forestry industry that has devastated the lowlands of the archipelago (particularly in Western Samoa). Prior to human settlement, all the disturbed vegetation was natural, caused mostly by hurricanes and landslips, and possibly by occasional forest fires. Nowadays, however, most of the disturbed vegetation is the result of human activities such as agriculture and the development of villages. The disturbed communities recognized in the present report are managed land vegetation, secondary scrub, and secondary forest. It is sometimes useful to know the past uses of an area of land. In order to set lease prices within the park, there is a need to determine which areas are currently or were historically used for agriculture. This was done mainly by the use of aerial photo- graphs and the maps of Cole et al. (1988). More accurate studies involve the structure and floristic composition of the vegetation. Native Samoan plant species require certain environmental conditions for germination and growth, and it is often possible to determine the recent historic uses of the area by analyzing the species composition, community structure, and population dynamics of an area of vegetation. This is most easily done by looking for indicator species, plants that are indicative of a certain type of human activity or climatic event. The most obvious sign of recent disturbance is the dominance of herbaceous vegetation. The only kind of natural vegetation in Samoa that is herbaceous is in littoral areas (herbaceous strand) and montane scrub (which is characterized by ferns and climbers dominating the ground between scattered trees and shrubs). The most common species in the recently 129 disturbed areas, most of which are abandoned taro or banana plantations, are Mikania micrantha (mile-a-minute vine, fue saina), Bidens alba (beggar's-tick), Paspalum conjugatum (T-grass, vao ha), and Nephrolepis hirsutula (sword fern, vao tuaniu), but over 250 species that fit into this category (weeds) have been recorded from Tutuila (see Appendix A). Several other species planted as ornamentals sometimes remain significant long after cultivation has ended. One such species, the mint Pogostemon cablin (patchouli, patiale), sometimes forms dense patches by vegetative means; it has not been recorded from the Tutuila park, however. Other weedy species are typical of forest trails. Axonopus fissifolius and Eleusine indica (ta'ata'a) are often found in lowland plantations and along trails in lowland forest. Two other grasses, Oplismenus compositus and Oplismenus hirtellus, are often found in secondary forest and thus can be indicative of past disturbance. Another two grasses, Cento- steca lappacea (sefa) and Cyrtococcum oxyphyllum, occur in primary vegetation, and are thus less valuable as indicator species. One species of fern, Dicranopteris linearis (false staghorn fern, asaua), is a natural dominant species in montane scrub (which is usually on trachyte soil), but its presence in other places, such as ridges, is an indication of past disturbance. There are only a few areas (outside of montane scrub) on Tutuila that are reported to be dominated by this fern. These are probably areas of former plantations or villages on ridges, from a period when the bulk of the Samoan population lived inland (for protection from marauders and enemies). The soil has been so over-utilized and the soil minerals so depleted that the native vegetation (mostly ridge lowland forest) has never been able to recover. Similar vegetation is found on 'Upolu, and is attributed to the same cause (Wright 1963). When managed land is left alone for long enough, the herbaceous vegetation is shaded out by a number of characteristic woody shrubs and trees. The most typical of these are Pipturus argenteus (soga), Omalanthus nutans (fogamamala), Macaranga
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COOPERATIVE NATIONAL PARK RESOURCES
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TABLE OF CONTENTS I . INTRODUCTION
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LEGEND B \ PROPOSED PARK AREA OFU I
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Figure 3 VEGETATION TYPE MAP Tutuil
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Figure 4. Pago Pago Bay, with Mt. M
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'IJpolu, and 'Ta'u as well). The on
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nu pucijicuJ; an Eurya? [Eurya pick
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category recognized in the report o
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Figure 10. Tuafanua Beach west of V
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Figure 12. Littoral shrubland veget
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Figure 14. Littoral shrubland veget
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Figure 16. Littoral forest north of
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Soils differ in origin and age of t
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example on Tutuila is the climbing
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When undisturbed, the floor of the
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incrme (aloalo tai) may also be com
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coastal ridges, decreases in import
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Scvcral other trees are characteris
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poIvon/l~os, Dtrvulliu solidu (whic
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Although Mauga-o-Tula lacks some of
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introduced weeds, many of the Polyn
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even mature secondary forest, it le
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there). No increased access should
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Whistler, W. A. 1976. Wetlands of A
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Acrostichum aureum L. [swamp fern]
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Uncommon in montane to cloud forest
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171 ; Setchell 393; Christophersen
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of the costa. Uncommon in montane t
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liom China to I'itcairn Island. USE
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lamina deeply cut into 1-10 lobes,
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Antrophyum alatum Bracken. VITTARIA
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weed in villages and along roadside
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650 111 clevi~tion. A modern introd
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Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. [ironwe
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Uncomnion in secondary forest, prob
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from near sea level to 400 m elevat
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*Charnaesyce prostrata (Ait.) Small
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elevation. A modern introduction, n
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Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb.
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Cyrtandra samoensis A. Gray momolea
Page 82 and 83: 'Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Co
Page 84 and 85: Ficus prolixa Forst. f. [banyan] ao
Page 86 and 87: found in Tonga, Futuna, and Fiji. S
Page 88 and 89: Peperomia pellucida (L,.) Kunth POL
Page 90 and 91: *Gardenia taitensis DC. "Hedyotis c
Page 92 and 93: elevation. This species should be t
Page 94 and 95: "Physalis angulata L. 1 wild cape g
Page 96 and 97: *Etatosterna scabriusculum Setchell
Page 98 and 99: Epipremnum pinnaturn (L.) Engl. Ili
Page 100 and 101: Mariscus secmannianus (Boeck.) Pall
Page 102 and 103: *Bulbophyllurn samoanum Schlechter
Page 104 and 105: Malaxis resupinata (Forst. f.) Kunt
Page 106 and 107: F. homhronii Mart.; it differs from
Page 108 and 109: this in D. ciliaris, but the two ha
Page 110 and 111: Paspalurn orbiculare Forst. f. Mcdi
Page 112 and 113: APPENDIX B: PLOT DATA (Basal area i
Page 114 and 115: PLOT 4: MULIULU LOWLAND RIDGE FORES
Page 116 and 117: PLOT 6: TIATAUALA LOWLAND RIDGE FOR
Page 118 and 119: PLOT 8: OLO LOWLAND RIDGE FOREST (2
Page 120 and 121: PLOT 10: AMALAU LOWLAND VALLEY FORE
Page 122 and 123: PLOT 12: ALAVA MONTANE FOREST* (400
Page 124 and 125: APPENDIX C: SEASONALITY OF IMPORTAN
Page 126 and 127: MORACEAE Ikus godcfl'royi 1;icus ob
Page 128 and 129: SPECIES FAMILY FLOWERING DATES FRUI
Page 130 and 131: 2. Littoral Shrubland Two types of
Page 134 and 135: harvcyana (laupata), Morinda citrif
Page 136 and 137: APPENDIX F. SUMMARY OF THE VASCULAR
Page 138 and 139: VIlTAKIACEAE Amrophyurn alaturn Ant
Page 140 and 141: Species FAMILY Status* E I P M ....
Page 142 and 143: MYRSINACEAE Embelia vaupelii Maesa
Page 144 and 145: Species FAMILY Status* E I P M VEKB
Page 146: ...................................
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