NATIVE PLANTS AND CULTURE

Plants, plants, native plantsJune 1, 2013

Native Plant Society at National Tropical Botanical Garden

            We didn’t have a huge turnout to weed the native plants at NTBG but it was fun, good people, very good people.  Weeding was interspersed with a very intimate and private tour of micro sections of the huge garden that lies between Poipu (public entrance) and Kalaheo (administrative entrance).

            We weeded a hillside, slightly steep just up from this shot.  Below us is a section of pili grass and native palms.  The palms (pritchardia) are each verified as to original location – mostly extremely remote from high valleys, cliff faces, and uninhabited islands

These pritchardia palms at NTBG are the largest collection of the rare Hawaiian trees

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive

           

            We were working uphill from here, a little steep!  Finished working, we walked and drove to sights Mike De Motta wanted to share.  Just for fun I thought I’d show some of the native hibiscus family.  One of the first things newbies about native plants in Hawaii is that none of the associated tropical flowers are native – plumeria, birds of paradise, gingers, most orchids, and even anthuriums were all imported.  And just when you think the hibiscus were too, you discover there are many hibiscus that are native, but they are far different than the ornamental landscape varieties.

            I’ve shown others in the past but just for today, these hibiscus caught my eye.

 Kokia kauaiensis, first collected in Kalalau Valley

The leaves are beautiful, and the flowers strangely wonderful: 

This is the kind of detailed documentation each plant has

Hau (how) is the Hawaiian name for hibiscus, 

They were excellent botanists who recognized related plants

The unopened flower bud is almost luminescent 

this was the only flower that had opened already, pretty high up in the tree

Hibiscus: St. Johnnyensis

 These are very sweet little 2" blossoms, very rich orange

Not as common this St. Johhnyensis is goldenrod

The two plants are near each other at the garden

           Back at my car I got some shots of the wiliwili I had parked under – so grateful there are a few left.  Some years ago, an unwanted gull-wasp was introduced among imported plants and they have devastated nearly all the wiliwili trees on the islands.  Lihue’s harbor was once lined with them, the name Na Wiliwili Harbor, na meaning plural.  Even ten years ago, they were city landscaping.  They stood along the street all along the Walmart parking lot.  No more, but this proud tree stands, so far.  Cross your fingers.

 Wiliwili tree

Usually pronounced like willy willy, it should really be veely-veely

Wiliwili blossoms up close

       

            Driving on, Mike led us to a new cultural section at the garden.  They have built a hula platform (mound in front will have grass) and a hale built in the ancient Hawaiian method.  With all of the pritchardia palms, they have an abundance of leaves for the roof.

 Following Mike DeMotta through the garden

 Hale (hall-eh) behind the hula mound not yet grassed

Thatched with loulu or pritchardia palm leaves

I look forward to whatever performances they hold here - beautiful location

Mike on left, then Amanda, her Mom and husband Craig, then Kim, and Keren

all major players in Native Plant Society 

  Kahaleo        

             After lunch with the plant guys, I met a friend who has returned to Kauai and is now living in Kalaheo; we went for a walk at Kukuiolono Park; the name means Light of Lono, one of the major Hawaiian gods.  The park is high above the panoramic ocean below and in addition to the small golf course, there is a Japanese Garden and several “legend stones.”  The stones were all collected from the surrounding area that were once the Wahiawa Ahupua’a land division and were later owned by the McBryde family who grew sugar cane.

While the others speak for themselves, this flat stone was not marked

Marion laid down and said it was like a hot stone massage, warm from the sun

We took turns

            In a small space history goes back to the large sugar plantation culture now giving way to housing developments, before that to the Hawaiian culture, and before to a time when lava was still freshly pouring new land that would become Kauai.

 

What an amazing place we live where we can just walk around and observe such spans of time,

at least this historian is impressed and grateful to be here

A hui ho!