I have pictures of the native dogbanes (Apocynaceae) that I’d like to share. Most people are familiar with at least one member of the family, albeit non-native: The different Plumerias. Fortunately, they don’t seem to escape from cultivation easily.
The native Apocynaceae are not a monophyletic group; there were several independent colonization events. The are native plants in the genera of Alyxia, Rauvolfia, Ochrosia as well as an endemic genus of Pteralyxia.
I haven’t really mentioned anything about the Manoa Cliff restoration efforts lately. I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t let my dear readers know about some of the progress being made.
Tackling large problems and solving them can be very satisfying; nothing like solving meta on meta issues to flex your intellectual muscle. But I also particularly enjoy the small victories at the restoration site.
Here, some of our Phyllostegia grandiflora have finally bloomed. This particular vine had been steadily growing for over a year before the infloresence developed. We have some other P. grandiflora at the site that are much bigger but have yet to flower. I’d like to think this bunch is merely the vanguard of the coming floral army…
I’ll end the short post with this: Small victories and pleasant surprises are always a great combination. This past workday we had access to a small portable propane burner. What better way to savor these native plants being invigorated than with a nice, freshly-brewed batch of in-situ Mamaki Tea.
Maybe I’m just fascinated by bird-pollinated plants. Here is another plant that I’ve been interested in seeing up close. Ohe Naupaka (Scaevola glabra) is quite different from the other naupakas native to Hawai’i. Instead of the characteristic half-flower of the other native species, Ohe Naupaka has evolved to a tubular flower, presumably to aid in bird pollination.
This species is only found in the wet forests of Kaua’i and O’ahu. A nice little population occurs on the Aiea Ridge trail if one doesn’t mind the long tough hike.
One nice thing about hiking on cool cloudy days is that it give you a better chance to see native snails. This little guy is an Auricullela minuta/perpusilla cruising around on a Cyrtandra grandiflora. There were even some on invasive cestrum as well.
While it’s no Achatinella, it is still nice to see some native tree snails have survived in the Manoa area.
I wonder if the Ko’olau mountains are sometimes taken for granted in the public’s eye. Thousands of people commute over and through the Ko’olaus every weekday for work or school. They are the prized “Mauka view” in real estate listings in Honolulu. Indeed, the Ko’olaus are the backyard for Honolulu and windward communities. Do people know what awesome wild things are still found in these mountains a stones throw away from most O’ahu residents?
There is a passion that I have which predates native Hawaiian plants. It’s one that I haven’t gotten a chance to talk about on this blog yet. Luckily this is Studia Mirabilium, the Study of Marvelous Things. With Pearlridge Mall having their Planet Ice event, I get a chance to talk about this other marvelous thing. The passion is for Cenozoic fauna, more specifically, extinct megafauna in this case.
A few hours before flying back to Honolulu, we decided to check out Volcanoes National Park. With such little time, we could only afford to rush Kipuka Puaulu.
Whew! New apartment, new computer… sometimes life jolts forward in well-demarcated iterations. Heck, it’s even a new day now that there isn’t a new Harry Potter movie to look forward to anymore. In the midst of all this upheaval, I did manage to sneak away to Big Island for a friend’s weekend wedding. Of course I crammed in as much nature sightseeing as I could…
Hi everybody, just letting you know that I won’t be able to update the blog for a while. I hope to be back up by mid-July.
Tetraplasandra in the clouds
Now I understand, Frodo. No wonder your Fellowship would rather risk the Mines of Moria than the extreme weather over the Misty Mountains. This prolonged stretch of heavy rain and thunderstorms has curtailed many a hiking excursion, but this weekend we decided to chance it anyway and hike to the misty summit of Konahuanui and check out the plant life. Will songs be sung throughout Middle-Earth about our adventures? Let’s find out…
