Loraine E. Kuck

“ The shrub or small tree that produces the coffee bean of commerce is sometimes grown in Hawaii as an ornamental plant. It is conspicuous for its rich, dark, shining, leaves, strongly veined and for its bright red berries and the fragrance of its small, white flowers. The flowers are starlike, and grow rather inconspicuously in the leaf axils, a few in a cluster. They are followed by the green berries which turn bright red when ripe. ”

“ The petals, however, hold a shimmering, almost crystalline moon-whiteness which seems unearthly. The slender filament rises in the center like an insect antenna. The flowers are lifted in snowy clusters above the lush green of their long leaves, each flower head centered by a smooth, waxen, green bulb made up of the scale-like bracts. Behind each bract a flower bud pushes out. Just before they open these buds are strung into leis which are one of the favorites in the Islands.
The plant will grow to eight feet if the soil is moist. It is a native of tropical Asia. ”

“ Of all Hawaii’s flowering trees, the Royal Poinciana is easily the most stunning and conspicuous for sheer color and brightness. A solid mass of red, it is, nevertheless, not merely gaudy, but one of the most graceful and picturesque of trees, a flat umbrella of color in small specimens, or composing into long sweeping curves in larger ones. ”

“ Since blue is the rarest color in the flower world, a tree which is a mass of blue is something that will hardly be overlooked. Yet the rarity of the blue coloring in the Jacaranda is but little more important than the beauty of the tree as a whole. It becomes a large tree, with light grey bark, and is covered with foliage, each leaf of which is almost as attractive as a fern. These bipinnate leaves are symmetrical in form with many tiny leaflets. They usually fall in late winter and early spring, and the tree is bare for a short time. ”

“ Older women wear a blossom in their hair, like a bit of carved ivory, and men may slip a few buds into their shirt pocket where the fragrance can be enjoyed.
The pointed buds, about two inches long, grow upright in leaf axils near the ends of the branches. Each is encased in a “nightcap” type of calyx, which slips off as the flower opens. The narrow waxen petals are numerous and grow around the greenish pistil. The flowers are rather inconspicuous but easily found by the scent, which is heavy, sweet and rather musky.
The tree grows upright and never attains great size. ”

“ One blossom emerges from behind each scale and the buds of those above it peep out like yellow quills. The flower has three petals, two paired and wing-like, the third large and looking like a second pair of wings, folded together. There are three slender sepals and a long filament of deeper color, holding the pistil and stamen. Yellow Ginger blossoms have a delicate fragrance, delightful when perfectly fresh, 89 a little rank when the least bit wilted. Leis made before the buds open, have the smooth quality of old ivory carvings. ”

“ When covered with pure white flowers the tree is a splendid sight, but the lavender variety, which blooms more sparsely, shows more beauty when the individual flowers are examined. They resemble strikingly the real orchid, with a large main petal marked with purple, and four crepy side-petals. A bunch of white stamens grows from the center. The flowers appear in the cooler months, with spring as the finest season. They are scentless.
The leaves of this Bauhinia, as of others, are peculiarly shaped being deeply cleft into two rounded lobes, so that they suggest the wings of a green moth. ”

“ There are two varieties red and pink, the one with red flowers having bronzy leaves, while the pink has bright green leaves. Under this clump, in spring, seeming almost like an independent plant, pushes up the large flower stalk. It grows from three to six feet tall and carries no leaves, but at the end develops the head which is one of the most showy things in the flower world. ”

“ In spite of what we know of the way in which such isolated bits of land as Hawaii became covered with plants, it remains a constant wonder that so many different ones arrived here without the help of men. For Hawaii has a very rich native flora that has been of great interest to botanists. Many of the plants found growing here are common to all the South Sea islands. Others have so changed, through mutation and self-selection, that totally new species have been created, unique to Hawaii. Trees are among the finest of these native plants, some of them attaining huge size. ”

“ A species which stands out as markedly different from the usual Hibiscus is H. schizopetalus which has been given the name in Hawaii of Coral Hibiscus. This is doubtless because its deeply cut, turned-back petals suggest branches of red coral. The flower stem is very slender, so the weight of the head causes it to fall over and hang down, bell-like. And since the central column of this flower is extremely long and slender it sways far beneath the flower, giving an effect of peculiar grace. This plant has leaves that are small and fine. ”

“ The blossoms grow in end racemes. Each individual flower is a long, slender tube spreading into four or five lobes which curl back against the tube. They often form the outline of a cross, with the fourth lobe split, curiously, into two parts to make the five-part flower. The style and four stamens extend beyond the tube. When the flower begins to fade, the tube slips loose from the calyx; but it is often caught in its fall by the enlarged tip of the style, so that the flower hangs on the vine, to add its color to the mass, for a while longer. ”

“ The flowers appear as bright red pompons of stamens; sometimes however, they are white, pink or yellow, for the plant is extremely varied. The leaves are small and often reddish when young.
The Hawaiian people believe that this beautiful red flower is sacred to Pele, the goddess of the volcano. If a flower is picked she may show her anger by sending rain, but if an offering of a flower is first made to her, then others may be taken safely. The flowers are made into leis—the Sweet Lei-Lehua of the song—which are highly regarded. ”

“ Land which first rose above the surface of the ocean as hot lava, or as coral, slowly deposited on undersea volcanic rocks, gradually became covered with plant life. It was brought ashore by ocean currents, by birds and by the wind. Among the first plants, doubtless, was the coconut. The huge nuts of this tree, covered with their tough, thick husks, can float on the ocean for months, and after finally washing ashore will take root and grow. The roots are tolerant of brackish water so that they can become established near salt water lagoons. ”

“ Noticeable for its thick, shining, oval leaves is the Wax Vine. Hidden among the leaves are the clusters of fragrant, waxy, white flowers. They grow in umbels, the flower stems radiating from a single point on the main stem. The small blossoms are shaped like creamy-white stars, and each flower contains a smaller star in its center. This is white against a pink flush at the base of the petals. In another variety, the flower is brownish. They give off a strong fragrance, especially in the evening. ”

“ Another close relative of the Hibiscus is the Ilima, a native plant which has orange flowers about an inch across, looking like miniature Hibiscus blooms. The color ranges in tone from light yellow through orange and buff, to brownish red, but the orange color is the most popular. Leaves and stems are covered with whitish hairs creating a velvety effect. The plant grows as a small shrub, rather straggling in appearance. It is seldom cultivated except by the lei makers, but is found wild in dry places. It also grows on other South Sea islands. ”

“ Those huge, wide-spreading trees—the largest trees in Honolulu—which in spring and summer are often covered with a thin film of pink flowers, are Monkeypod trees. Stately and massive, with rough, dark bark, the branches of these trees support a rounded canopy of leaves. It is a single layer thick and casts a light shade over an immense area of ground. There is a giant specimen in Moanalua Gardens; others grow in front of the Library of Hawaii, and traffic passes around another great tree in the middle of Vineyard street, near Nuuanu. ”

“ The flowers are a clear, satiny, yellow, with a delightful fragrance. They grow here and there all over the tree, and at all times of the year. A less common variety has pale, orange-colored flowers. The fruit is a nut which is poisonous. Green at first it turns brown, then black.
The tree never becomes very large, twenty feet being about its maximum height. It always has a fresh look, even when growing in dry places, due to the light color of the leaves. ”

“ The Pikake flower is seldom seen growing, for the shrub is rather ungainly, with large stiff paired leaves, and the blossoms make little show. It is when these flowers are strung into leis, however, that they become universally recognized, through their magnificent fragrance. It is regarded by many people as the most enchanting flower scent in the world. The individual flowers are small, waxy, white, usually double. One lei strand is enough to scent a room, but several are usually worn in order to make an attractive showing. ”

“ Turning again to the left you enter the real tropical garden, a cool, green, jungle under the second coconut grove. Some of the trunks of these palms are enwrapped in the great green and gold leaves of the Pothos or Philodendron vine. Growing under the tall palms are lesser ones, along with bamboos and tree ferns. The latter have soft, fibrous, brown trunks with three or four very large, typical, fern-leaves growing out of the top. The paths hereabouts are bordered with more of the Lauae fern and with Begonias and Anthuriums, while green and red Ti plants and A’pes fill in the background. ”

“ Leaves are compound in structure, made up of opposite pairs of pointed leaflets which fold together in the late afternoon. The leaves fall in spring, and, together with the drift of falling flowers, which comes a little later, and the hail of old seed pods, give the Monkeypod the name of being the dirtiest of Hawaii’s trees. Owners who never finish sweeping up under them always remark, however, that the beauty of the giant tree is worth the trouble. ”

“ The real Philodendron and Pothos are closely related and once were botanically mixed. Probably the name Taro Vine was applied because the large leaves suggest those of the Taro, which is also a relative. Pothos clings to its support with strong, woody roots which, however, do not draw nourishment from the host plant, since it is not a parasite. In the sun, under normal conditions the leaves are marked with gold, but when the vine grows in the dark they remain green and small, seeming almost a different plant. In this form it is often grown in water indoors. ”

“ The Hau is a true Hibiscus, its flowers having the typical form with a central column rising from the center of the five petals. When the petals unfold they are a bright yellow color, usually with a dark spot at the base. As they grow older during the day they turn to an apricot color and when they finally fall, they are a deep red. The leaves are heart-shaped, green and leathery above, whitish and silky with hairs, beneath. ”

“ The Mock Orange bears flowers several times a year in sporadic outbursts which cover the plant with clusters of small snowy blossoms. At such times the fragrance nearby is so intense that no one in the vicinity can miss it. ”

“ The Justicia bears stiff, upright spikes of red flowers, each one a waxy little cornucopia with five small lobes. The flower stalk is a mass of buds, of which only a few, up and down its length, develop at a time giving it a rather ragged and irregular appearance, but prolonging its blooming season almost indefinitely. The open flowers fall quickly.
The plant is herbaceous and grows about five feet high. Its leaves are bright green and glossy, large, pointed, and with prominent veins. It is a native of tropical America and belongs to the Acanthus family. ”

“ It is found on all the South Sea islands and is, indeed, cosmopolitan in the tropics everywhere. This tree is often grown on Hawaiian beaches to cast shade on the sand by training it over an arbor. It is normally a creeping or procumbent tree, spreading along the ground. Its long, sinuous branches interlock, if not trained, and eventually form jungles too thick to penetrate except by cutting. When this mass of branches is lifted off the ground, by being trained over some strong support, they form a thick green roof which keeps out light showers. These arbors are called Hau lanais in Hawaii. ”