Category Archives: Botany

The Wonders of Rediscovery

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

I thought Christmas was over. I had just finished a post about the wonderful gift of being able to see rare Achatinella snails in the Ko’olaus. I’ll have to happily revise my Christmas gift. On a whim, Mashuri and I … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #18: Cyanea humboldtiana

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea humboldtiana Hawaiian Name: Haha Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau range) Date photographed: December 10, 2011 *Identification: Form– Stems woody, 1-2m long. Leaves– obovate to broadly elliptic; blades 18-45 cm long, 7-16 cm wide; upper surface glabrous, lower surface pubescent; petioles 3-4 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Papala kepau

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Time for another comparison. The larger leaf on the left is the common species of Papala kepau (Pisona umbellifera) in the Ko’olaus. The one on the right is the rarer Pisona sandwicensis. As you can see, the leaf bases are much … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #17: Cyanea pohaku

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea pohaku Conservation Status: Extinct Distribution: East Maui (Pu’unianiau) Date photographed: October 11, 1910? (J.F. Rock) *Identification: Form– Sparingly branched trees 6-7 m tall. Leaves– oblanceolate; blades 16-30 cm long by 1.5-4 cm wide; margins callose-crenulate; winged petioles 0.8-2 cm long. Flower– … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Los del Rio’s Machaerina

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Don’t everybody start dancing all at once now. Of the 2 native Machaerina found in Hawai’i, Uki (Machaerina angustifolia) is more easily differentiated from M. mariscoides by being a typically larger plant and a deeper shade of green. I’ve usually … 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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