Category Archives: Botany

The myth. The legend. Wailupe

Posted on July 13, 2014 by

How can I properly frame this? On O’ahu, few places have intrigued me as much as Wailupe. A lot of it has to do with its historical association with the scientific inquiry of Hawaiian biota. Some of it is because … Continue reading →

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Kuli’ou’ou plants

Posted on July 5, 2014 by

We went on a hike to check out the plant life of Kuli’ou’ou Valley. It was impressive to see the diversity still left in such a commonly hiked area.

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #30: Clermontia lindseyana

Posted on June 29, 2014 by

Clermontia lindseyana Hawaiian Name: ‘Oha wai Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: East Maui, Hawai’i (Windward Mauna Kea, Ka’u, South Kona) Date photographed: 8/23/2013 Ease of viewing: Outplanted *Identification: Form– Terrestrial shrubs or trees 2.5-6 m tall. Leaves– oblanceolate or elliptic; blades 13-24 cm long, 3.8-6.5 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Cyanea’s African Relatives

Posted on April 12, 2014 by

Africa. Where the Pleistocene Megafauna still lives. While it’s easy to focus on all the large animals, Africa holds a specific interest for the Hawaiian plant nerd in me. For research (Givnish, 2008) shows that some of the Hawaiian Lobeliads … Continue reading →

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Flowers of Ka’upulehu

Posted on March 28, 2014 by

I was finally able to visit the Ka’upulehu dryland forest near Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. After spending some quality time in that lava-strewn forest, I cannot say enough about that place. It was some of the most amazing, hopeful … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #29: Cyanea grimesiana

Posted on February 27, 2014 by

Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana Hawaiian Name: Kuenui? Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: O’ahu (Mt. Ka’ala, Ko’olau mountains), Moloka’i Date photographed: 2/26/2014 Ease of viewing: outplanted *Identification: Form– Sparingly branched or unbranched shrubs 1-3.2 m tall, muricate. Leaves– pinnately divided, blades 2758 cm … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #28: Clermontia pyrularia

Posted on December 31, 2013 by

Clermontia pyrularia Hawaiian Name: ‘Oha wai Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: Hawai’i (Windward Mauna Kea; Leeward Mauna Loa) Date photographed: 8/24/2013 Ease of viewing: Cultivation *Identification: Form– Terrestrial trees 3-4 m tall. Leaves– narrowly elliptic rarely oblanceolate; blades 15-28 cm long by 2.5-5 … Continue reading →

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Identifying native plant seedlings

Posted on September 28, 2013 by

It is difficult enough to try and identify the hundreds of different plant species native to Hawai’i. Keying out the different characteristics takes a lot of work and patience. Identifying native seedlings adds more challenges for many of them look … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #27: Cyanea lanceolata

Posted on July 27, 2013 by

Cyanea lanceolata Hawaiian Name: Haha Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau mountains) Date photographed: 7/20/2013 Ease of viewing: Difficult *Identification: Form– Stems woody, muricate in juveniles Leaves– elliptic to oblanceolate, blades 15-60 cm long, 5.5-14 cm wide Flower– calyx lobes triangular, 1-3 mm long; … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #26: Cyanea acuminata

Posted on July 1, 2013 by

Cyanea acuminata Hawaiian Name: Haha Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau mountains) Date photographed: 6/22/2013 Ease of viewing: Difficult *Identification: Form– Shrub, 0.3-2 m tall Leaves– oblanceolate to narrowly obovate or elliptic, blades 11-32 cm long, 3-9 cm wide, base attenuate to … Continue reading →

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