Tag Archives: Native Hawaiian Plants

Adventures over the Misty Mountains

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 … Continue reading

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My Favorite Gentian

The far Southeast of O’ahu is known for its surf. Whether it’s Hanauma Bay, Sandy’s, Makapu’u, there are plenty of places to get outside and enjoy the ocean-side of nature. But what of hillsides? Well, there is still a ghostly … Continue reading

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You say gaudichaudiana, I say gaudichaudii

Today’s short post is all about duality. The number two can up for a few plants we saw on today’s hike. Well duality and one pretty native vine.

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The treasures of Hidden Valley

I went with the O’ahu Plant Extinction Prevention folks to help with 2 very endangered plants found on the windward side of the island: Schidea kaalae and Cyanea truncata. We hiked up a ridgeline to Makaua Gulch, or also known colloquially as … Continue reading

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Snapshot: Pe’ahi

I really need to take some time from hiking and reading scientific literature to learn how to take better pictures.  Anyway, here is one of my better compositions. Pe’ahi (Microsorum spectrum) is a cute little fern with neat deltate fronds … Continue reading

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Glam shots of the Manoa Cliff Natives

We have been working hard at restoring the native forest at our site along the Manoa Cliff trail. While there has been great strides since the project started in 2005, the trail itself outside our area still has some great … Continue reading

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A brief look at Hawaiian Rutaceae

Major components of varied Hawaiian plant communities are the native members of the citrus family (Rutaceae). No tasty oranges here though. But the good thing, at least on O’ahu, is that they are an almost guaranteed sighting on most summit … Continue reading

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The hills have eyes… and really weird flowers

I like hiking Ko’olau range because I like the juxtaposition of rare native biota and dense urban environments. That whole sharing the planet thing again. However, I just can’t deny how amazing the native flora is in the Wai’anae range … Continue reading

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Trailside plants of the Hawai’i Loa Ridge

While it’s an obvious play off John Hall’s excellent book, my ambitions are much humbler than his. Highlighting native plants on one trail is enough for me. On a whim, I decided to do a short 3-4 hr hike up … Continue reading

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Gulch-hopping in Mokule’ia

We hiked several gulches in the Mokule’ia forest preserve to check out the native plants in the area. This part of the northern Wai’anaes has some nice native forest that are still fairly species rich. Let’s see how things have … Continue reading

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