Tag Archives: Native Hawaiian Plants

The myth. The legend. Wailupe

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Sebastian Marquez

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 Sebastian Marquez

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 #29: Cyanea grimesiana

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Sebastian Marquez

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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Reforesting Hakalau: The Back Office

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

For many people, birds are the stars of the Hawaiian forest. Rare creatures with distinct evolutionary history tend to get the lion’s share of people’s attention. There is a reason it’s called charismatic fauna. At Hakalau, thousands upon thousands of … Continue reading →

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Identifying native plant seedlings

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

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 Sebastian Marquez

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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More Southern Koolau Goodies

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

  Finally, a proper hiking post. I’d rather not turn this place into just a quarterly report. Anyway, I was able to slip away for an all day hike above Honolulu. And once again, the bounty of the mountains never … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Wao Ilima

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Here in Hawaii, it is said that the upland forest is called the wao akua: the realm of the gods. Few people entered the forests. Where people did live was called the wao kanaka: the realm of man. But I … Continue reading →

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Clermontia of O’ahu

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

    For me, seeing things side by side can really help clarify things. Here are the leaves of the different ‘Oha wai known with certainty from O’ahu. From left to right: Clermontia kakeana, Clermontia oblongifolia and Clermontia perscifolia. The leaves … Continue reading →

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Top 10 Sites and Sights seen on the Trails

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

The new year is always a good time for reflection. I have realized how much I’ve been hiking over the past few years. And I’ve been blessed to see really cool things on these excursions. Bottom line, even with close … Continue reading →

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