Author Archives: Sebastian Marquez

Snapshot: Korean Swallows

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

One nice thing for me when I travel is seeing how local fauna have adapted to the human condition. While this is a common sight in many parts of the world, Hirundinidae (Swallows, Martins) aren’t found in Hawai’i. Many species … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Toothbrush Fern

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

This dainty little endemic fern is ‘oali’i makali’i (Schizaea robusta). I came across it near the summit of Konahuanui. Interestingly, the frond is mostly made up of just the stipe; the blades are only found the very distal portion. This … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Psychotria longissima

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

So here are some seedlings from a plant with uncertain affiliations. Currently it is part of Psychotria kaduana. But it was originally described as Psychotria longissima and has a much longer, droopy inflorescence. There is much work to be done … Continue reading →

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Mt. Ka’ala: A walk to remember

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Sebastian? You’re comparing a hike into some of the most intact native forest on O’ahu to a sappy Nicholas Sparks book?! There are relictual native species in the area that the general public rarely gets to see … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #35: Trematolobelia macrostachys

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

Trematolobelia macrostachys Conservation Status: Apparently secure Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau), Moloka’i, Maui Date photographed: 11/15/2012 Ease of viewing: Difficult *Identification: Form– Treelets 1-4 m tall Leaves– linear to oblanceolate, blades 15-36 cm long, 0.8-3.1 cm wide. Flower– calyx lobes triangular, 3-17 mm long, 1-3 mm wide; … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Lazarus, the Clermontia

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

Clermontia kakeana is still a fairly common lobeliad. Except on O’ahu; it is  not easy to see  on pretty much any trail here. Tantalus has a fairly healthy population of it. I’d like to think we at the Manoa Cliff … Continue reading →

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Spot the different Rollandia species of Konahuanui!

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

So, this new species Cyanea konahuanuiensis (Haha mili’ohu), how does it look different from other Cyanea spp? There are actually a few species of Cyanea spp. that live in the same general area as haha mili’ohu. Let’s take a look. The … Continue reading →

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The Wonder of Discovery: # 34 Cyanea konahuanuiensis

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

So I changed up the format for my next post in the lobelia series. For how can it be normal; Cyanea konahuanuiensis is a species brand new to science that I helped describe! I’m not going to rehash everything, that … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Patagonian Mara

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

We tend to look at islands like Hawai’i or New Zealand or Madagascar for extreme examples of adaptive radiation. But of course, they are not the only places to see this. Take, for example, this picture I took at the … Continue reading →

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A whole new world, a brave new world

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Sebastian Marquez

So, I’ve been blogging here at Studia Mirabilium for almost a 1/4 of a score now. And hiking almost every weekend since I started. We’re talking a couple hundred of hikes now. But in that time, there were still major … Continue reading →

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