Ferns abound on Mogmog and Fassarai. Especially attractive are the epiphytic ferns seen on large breadfruit, wild fig, and banyan trees. Decayed logs and stumps contain other varieties of terrestial ferns and mosses, while a deeply lobed fern commonly adorns the palm trees, with rhizomes or rootlike stems deeply imbedded in the bark crevices of the expanded trunk bases.
Of the seed bearers, the coconut palm is by far the most abundant tree on all the larger islands. It contains the largest plant seed imbedded in a substantial husk. These palms ascend to heights of more than 75 feet, and support a spreading crown on a flexible culm. The bark of the trunk encloses a coarsely fibrous bundle imbedded in a firm starchy mass, similiar to the structure of a corn stalk. Since palm logs are subject to swift decomposition under damp situations and the ravages of ants, they are used only as temporary building materials. Other uses of the coconut palm products are mentioned in previous discussions.
Another common tree is the pandanus, or screwpine. It has a pithy branched stalk, or trunk, equipped with numerous woody processes extending outward and downward which appear as braces. The linear leaves have a rich, green color, posessing spiny saw-like margins, and form a dense crown which rises spirally from the trunk. It grows on sandy plots, usually not far from the beach. This small tree bears large pineapple-shaped to spherical fruits, orange in color when ripe, rich in sugar, oils, and starches. The drupes which fall from the ripe fruit are very fragrant and edible, and also are used in making fermented drinks. This tree is heavily utilized by the natives throughout the Pacific.
Other trees found on the heavily vegetated islands of Fassarai, Mogmog, and Potangeras are the banana, breadfruit,
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