Category Archives: Botany

Snapshot: Iliahi outliers

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Here’s a picture of a strange sandalwood (Santalum freycinetianum) up in the northern Ko’olaus. Typically this species has dull, droopy leaves. As you can see in this individual has glossy leaves that do not looked wilted. The non-native Indian sandalwood … Continue reading →

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A wet day in a dry forest

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

We hiked into West Makaleha gulch to check out the neat dry forest found there. It did turned into a rain soaked adventure. Still, seeing some unique species made the soggy, slippery trek was worth it. In dry hindsight anyway…

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Snapshot: Alani

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Alani (Melicope spp.) are among the most speciose plants groups here in Hawai’i. I haven’t mentioned them much here at Studia Mirabilium because, frankly, I’m not that good keying them out yet. This one, however, stood out. The more common … Continue reading →

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Enigmatic Honolulu Palm Tree

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Tucked amongst the other massive palm trees at Foster Botanical Garden is this little unassuming guy. Yet, as you can see above, this palm has a fence built just for it. This native loulu (Pritchardia lowreyana) has an interesting backstory … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Kamakahala

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Here’s a shot of a rarer species of Kamakahala (Labordia spp.) This is Labordia fagraeoidea. Like L. hosakana, this species is typically found in wet summit forests. It differs by having big, dull leaves that are not as rugose.

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Kahoe’s smoke

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

On one hand, this stretch of dry weather has created some awesome conditions for summit hikes. But for the flora’s sake, I hope it breaks soon. In the meantime, I’ll take as much advantage as I can. Saturday, we chose … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #20: Cyanea arborea

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

  Cyanea arborea Conservation Status: Extinct Distribution: East Maui Date photographed: ?? (J.F. Rock) *Identification: Form– Palm-like trees 4-8 m tall. Leaves– oblanceolate; blades 65-90 cm long by 6-12 cm wide; margins minutely callose-denticulate; sessile. Flower– hypanthium obovoid, 8-12 mm long; calyx … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Cyrtandra flowers

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Here are shots of 2 different Ha’iwale (Cyrtandra spp.). Above are the flowers of Cyrtandra cordifolia. Notice how hairy the corollas are. The flowers of this species are not as curved as the flowers of Cyrtandra grandiflora shown below:  

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Snapshot: Myrsine inflorescence

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Here are the neat inflorescence of one of the Kolea (Myrsine spp.) native to O’ahu. This individual is on the summit of Konahuanui. The flowers are in fascicles arising from knobby structures on the stem; in large numbers like this … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #19: Clermontia persicifolia

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Sebastian Marquez

Clermontia persicifolia Hawaiian Name: Oha wai Conservation Status: Apparently Secure Distribution: O’ahu Date photographed: 12/31/2011 Ease of viewing: Medium *Identification: Form– Terrestrial or epiphytic shrubs 2-6 m tall. Leaves– elliptic to oblanceolate; 7-16 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide; petioles 2-7 … Continue reading →

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