Author Archives: Sebastian Marquez

It’s a White Christmas from the Hawaiian Forest

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

The holiday season is full of magic and warmth and giving, no matter where in the world you happen to be. But growing up in the Midwest, I’ve grown to miss the Christmas of my youth. This past hike into … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #16: Lobelia niihauensis

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Lobelia niihauensis Conservation Status: Rare Distribution: Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu (Northern Wai’anae Mts) Date photographed: 8/10/2011 *Identification: Form– Stems woody, prostrate, 2-4 dm long. Leaves– Leaves narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate; 7-15 cm long, 0.7-1.8 cm wide; sessile or subsessile. Flower– hypanthium obconical to … Continue reading →

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Pupukea Redux

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

I had mentioned in my last article about plants that I had seen previously in Pupukea. Only after posting that did I realize that I never uploaded the other half of the Kaunala excursion. Which is a shame because there … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Niu Valley’s Papala

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Papala (Charpentiera ovata) is still found scattered in many valleys and gulches of Moloka’i, Maui, and Hawai’i. On O’ahu its range is limited to the Southern Ko’olaus. C. ovata is split into 2 different varieties. The more common var. ovata … Continue reading →

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Loulu of La’ie

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of attending Don Hodel’s talk on the native Loulu palms (Pritchardia spp.) found here in Hawai’i. It was highly informative. Mostly, Dr. Hodel focused on the key distinctions between various species. The … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Gahnia vs. Gahnia

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Sedges are a key component of the forest understory. Here, I just wanted to highlight the big difference between 2 native species of Gahnia is Hawai’i. The infloresence for the 2 is quite different. Pictured above is Gahnia beecheyi. It … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Olona fruit

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

One of the best feelings when doing restoration work is seeing your efforts paying off. Here, one of the Olona (Touchardia latifolia) has finally come into full infructescence. The Manoa population seems to exhibit some morphological diversity. These mature fruits … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #15: Brighamia insignis

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Brighamia insignis Hawaiian Name: Alula Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: Kaua’i (Napali Coast) Date photographed: 9/30/2011 Ease of viewing: Cultivated *Identification: Form– Unbranched stem succulents 1-5 m tall; stems stout, fleshy, thickened toward base. Leaves– Leaves obovate, arranged in a dense … Continue reading →

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Book Review- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

If there was a silver lining to the demise of the Border’s bookstores, it’s the new books that I was introduced to during their liquidation sales. One of those books was The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood, by … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #14: Cyanea superba

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea superba   Hawaiian Name: Haha Distribution: O’ahu (Northern Wai’anae Mountains) Date photographed: 2/5/2011 Ease of viewing: Moderate *Identification: Form– Palm-like trees 4-6 m tall. Leaves– oblanceolate, blades 50-100 cm long, 10-20 cm wide; margins callose-crenulate; petioles 5-8 cm long. Flower– hypanthium obconical, 10-16 … Continue reading →

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