Well, worked on some behind the scenes stuff today.

  • Added Joel Lau’s flickr page to the links. There aren’t too many places out there to get better up-to-date information on native flora than his page.
  • Added Hawai’i Loa Ridge to the Trailside plants page
  • Added Maile to various trails (Can’t believe I missed that one!)
  • Added Lobelia niihauensis to the Lobelia page
  • Finally, updated my blog header. Hope you guys enjoy it

By the way, is Carr’s UH botany page gone? That’s a lot of links I’ll have to go back and fix if it’s not there anymore.

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez | Leave a comment

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 seen M. angustifolia in wetter habitats than mariscoides but there is a lot of overlap.

Considering that I work with sedges that will give you thousands of cuts you painfully feel later (e.g. Cyperus javanicus & Carex wahuensis), it’s really nice to come across this pretty plant with such smooth edges. It’s the little thing in life I enjoy. And one hit wonders from the mid-90’s apparently.

Posted in Botany | Tagged | Leave a comment

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 the Ko’olau range, the forest in its own unique way, let me relive some of that joyful past.

Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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 hemispherical, 2-5 mm long; calyx lobes linear to triangular, 1-5 mm long; corolla magenta, 22-36 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, lobe spirally revolute.
  • Phylogenetic comments: Lobelia niihauensis is thought to be closely related to Lobelia monostachya of the Southern Ko’olau Mts.
  • Links: Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Lobelia
*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i
Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pupukea Redux

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Looking like a lizard...

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 are some neat plants there that are easy to see. So, after about a 9 month interstitial, here are more plants from the Pupukea area.

Continue reading →

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 has leaves with the widest point near the base of the leaf.

The other variety, the aptly named niuensis, is only found in Niu and Wailupe Valley. I came across this individual off a side spur of Niu. This population of C. ovata has the widest point near the middle of the leaf lengthwise, giving it a more elliptic overall appearance.

Posted in Botany | Tagged | Leave a comment

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 very next week, as if on cue, the L.I.C.H. Native Plant Initiative was having their Pritchardia hike. Armed with this new found knowledge, I joined them on a hike for Loulus above La’ie.

Continue reading →

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | 4 Comments

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 is still a common plant on many trails  on O’ahu. Pictured below is it’s congener, Gahnia aspera.

This was the plant from the Kaunala trail. Notice how much more robust the infloresence is on G. aspera. I don’t believe they are sympatric: G. aspera is typically found in drier areas than G. beecheyi. Keep an eye out for both.

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 are a much paler color than usual orange. There are several plants with these lighter colored fruits. Whether there is any genetic correlation for this remains to be seen.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 apical rosette; 12-20 cm long, 6.5-11 cm wide; sessile to subsessile. Flower– salverform; hypanthium 10-12 mm long, 4.5-7 mm wide; calyx lobes deltate to ovate, 0.2-1 mm long; corolla yellow, tube 7-14 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide, lobes elliptic, 1.3-2.2 cm long, 0.7-1.1 cm wide
  • Phylogenetic comments: The 2 Brighamia species have traits unique among Hawaiian Lobeliads; for a long time they were thought to be a separate colonization. However, studies have shown the genus to be nested normally within the Hawaiian Lobeliad clade; Brighamia and Delissea form a subclade within the group.
  • My notes: The wild populations of B. insignis are highly endangered. Problems such has ungulate browsing, over collection, landslides and hurricanes have reduced the wild populations down to perhaps 1 in the wild. B. insignis does well in cultivation. The individual above is one such cultivated plant.
  • Links: Brighamia insignis SGCN (pdf), Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Brighamia, Brighamia insignis 5- year review (pdf)
*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i
Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment