The collection of the flora of Niue began in 1774 with the visit of Captain James Cook. However, only four specimens were obtained (Sykes 1970). Another collection was made in 1876 by amateur botanist F. Jensen, but these collections , which are stored at the British Museum, were only noted in recent times (St. John 1976) and it is likely that many of the specimens attributed to Niue were actually collected elsewhere (Whistler 1984). The next significant collection was made in about 1899 by H. F. Moore, but these specimens, which are stored at the US. National Herbarium (Smithsonian) have apparently not been studied. A year or two later (1901), another collection was made by S. P. Smith, and is stored at the Auckland Museum herbarium. It was not until 1940 that a large and comprehensive collection ofthe flora of Niue was made. This was by T. G. Yuncker, who, on the basis of these collections, published The I’lora 0f Niue Island in 1943. Another larger collection was made by W. R. Sykes in 1965, and is the basis for his Contributions to the Flora ofNiue (1970). Several years later Sykes did further collecting on Niue, but these specimens have not been documented in the literature. The author (Whistler) made a small collection on Niue during two trips in the mid-19805, but these too have not been documented in the literature.
