Hawaiian Flowers - free ebook by Loraine E. Kuck

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Hawaiian Flowers

Loraine E. Kuck

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HAWAIIAN FLOWERS

HAWAIIAN FLOWERS

By LORAINE E. KUCK and RICHARD C. TONGG Illustrated by TED MUNDORFF TONGG PUBLISHING COMPANY, HONOLULU 1943 By the same authors THE TROPICAL GARDEN Its design, horticulture and plant materials. Copyright 1943 By Loraine E. Kuck and Richard C. Tongg All rights reserved. Printed in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A....

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Preface

Preface

The working title of this book during its preparation was that question so often on the lips of tourists in Hawaii, “What flower is that?” Had there still been tourists in Honolulu, it is likely that that name would have been used on the cover, for the book is designed to help answer it. Now that the islands are filled with visitors intent on more serious business than pleasure, it has seemed best to call it simply “Hawaiian Flowers.” It is published at this time in the hope that some of these v

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ROYAL HAWAIIAN HOTEL GARDEN

ROYAL HAWAIIAN HOTEL GARDEN

Few finer, tropical gardens can be found in the Islands than the one which forms a setting for the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at Waikiki. Not only does it contain a very large assortment of trees, shrubs and special tropical plants, many of them rare, but it has been laid out to make the very most of the charm inherent in the words “tropical garden.” There are cool, green, jungle depths, gorgeous blossoms and wide shady lawns, all beautifully maintained. To see these gardens it is best to start at the

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DRIVING FROM WAIKIKI TO TOWN

DRIVING FROM WAIKIKI TO TOWN

The ride from Waikiki to the center of Honolulu provides an opportunity to see many more trees and flowers. If you go by the Ala Moana, you pass by Moana Park bordering the shore. It holds a building, with a large inclosed court, where the Flower Shows usually take place, and where the Park Board has its office. If you go by way of Kalakaua avenue and King street, you will be interested in knowing that the line of trees growing in the parkway down the middle of Kalakaua for some blocks before re

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NUUANU AVENUE

NUUANU AVENUE

A ride out Nuuanu avenue, will reveal a wealth of trees and flowers. On the left hand side, shortly before reaching School street, you come to Foster Park. This old estate is now a public park, presented by Mrs. Mary Foster, but originally it was the garden of Dr. William Hillebrand. He was an early botanist and lover of flowers, who imported many new things into the islands and planted them here. The size of some of his old trees is now tremendously impressive. Besides this, the city has collec

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MANOA VALLEY

MANOA VALLEY

Another interesting ride is through Manoa Valley, where there are many more homes and gardens. This takes you past the campus of Punahou school which holds a large number of interesting trees. Along its lower wall is the famous hedge of Night Blooming Cereus. These flowers have their blossoming period in July, August, and September. If you follow Manoa Road, you will come to Waioli Tea Room, run by the Salvation Army Girls’ Home. In the garden there is a real Hawaiian grass house. Returning down

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DIAMOND HEAD AND KAHALA

DIAMOND HEAD AND KAHALA

Still another interesting drive is to go toward Diamond Head from Waikiki, passing through Kapiolani Park, with its row of Ironwood trees ( Casuarina equisetifolia ), like mainland evergreens. The road around Diamond Head passes many more fine gardens, and farther on you come to the residential area known as Kahala. Plate I HIBISCUS—CHAPTER 1 Plate II FLOWERING TREES—CHAPTER II Plate III FLOWERING TREES—CHAPTER II Plate IV FLOWERING TREES—CHAPTER II What is that flower seen everywhere, you may a

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COMMON RED HIBISCUS. CHINA ROSE Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linnaeus

COMMON RED HIBISCUS. CHINA ROSE Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linnaeus

The species of Hibiscus which seems to have the greatest number of variants is, botanically, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis , sometimes called the China Rose. The type flower is scarlet, usually with a deeper colored throat and about five inches in diameter. It is the one oftenest seen in hedges, since the shrub serves admirably for this purpose. These plants seem to have innumerable variations in color and shape, the former running in hue from yellow to crimson and appearing in both single and double f

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CORAL HIBISCUS Hibiscus schizopetalus Hooker

CORAL HIBISCUS Hibiscus schizopetalus Hooker

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

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HAWAIIAN INTEREST IN HIBISCUS

HAWAIIAN INTEREST IN HIBISCUS

While the Hawaiians had always loved their flower and the Common Red seems to have been brought in at an early date, probably direct from China, real interest in Hibiscus culture began about the turn of the century. Around 1902, Walter M. Giffard began crossing different strains and getting some of the spectacular results for which this plant is noted. Interest grew and as Island people traveled, they often sent or brought home new varieties. One of the persons who became interested in the plant

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HYBRIDS

HYBRIDS

Crossing is very easy. The pollen of one flower is dabbled on the pistil of another, after its own pollen has been removed. Precautions are taken to keep the bees from stepping into the experiment, by protecting the crossed flower with a bag. The seeds ripen in a month or so and when planted may be expected to blossom in about a year. The outcome is a grab bag of mixed and unexpected characteristics. By selection and care, some hybrids have been produced that are amazing. New shades and tints co

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WATERFALL OR BUTTERFLY HIBISCUS

WATERFALL OR BUTTERFLY HIBISCUS

One of the most conspicuous of the hybrids because of its prolific blooming is that sometimes called the Butterfly or Waterfall Hibiscus from its graceful form. This is believed to be a cross between the Native White and Coral. The plant often grows into a small tree and is usually a mass of pink flowers. As a rule, it is the only one of all the Hibiscus plants that carries enough color to be outstandingly conspicuous in the garden. On others, the flowers are scattered. ( Plate I )...

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YELLOW HIBISCUS

YELLOW HIBISCUS

Among the most beautiful and sought after Hibiscus are those with yellow or orange blossoms. The range of tone is wide, the colors appearing from palest lemon to rich yellow, gold and brilliant orange. The yellow flowering plants are usually rather small and carry only a few blossoms at a time. ( Plate I )...

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ROSE OF SHARON. ALTHEA Hibiscus syriacus, Linnaeus

ROSE OF SHARON. ALTHEA Hibiscus syriacus, Linnaeus

A close relative of the true Hibiscus is the lavender or white Althea or Rose of Sharon. The central column is white and the center of the flower usually dark red. It is a native of Syria and the Holy Land. ( Plate I )...

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TURK’S CAP Malvaviscus arboreus Cavanilles

TURK’S CAP Malvaviscus arboreus Cavanilles

Another close relative of the true Hibiscus is the little red Turk’s Cap. This looks like a small Hibiscus flower which has not opened. It never does open widely, but sometimes the number of the half furled flowers is so great the shrub appears quite red from them. ( Plate I ) Other relatives of the Hibiscus are the Hau tree ( Hibiscus tiliaceus ) and the changeable mallow, ( Hibiscus mutabilis ) not to mention the Okra and Roselle among edible plants. Hawaii’s most impressive floral displays ar

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GOLD TREE. SUNSHINE TREE Tabebuia donnell-smithi Rose

GOLD TREE. SUNSHINE TREE Tabebuia donnell-smithi Rose

One of the very special events in Honolulu’s floral calendar is the blooming of the Gold or Sunshine tree which grows on School Street, near Nuuanu. The time of year at which this takes place is highly uncertain, being sometimes in midwinter, again late in the spring. Certain other specimens of the tree are just as erratic, and none seems to have any relation to another, so that if the flowering period of one is missed, another may be found in bloom. When not in bloom the Gold tree is rather ung

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ROYAL POINCIANA. FLAMBOYANT Poinciana regia Bojer

ROYAL POINCIANA. FLAMBOYANT Poinciana regia Bojer

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. It suggests the massive regalia of some magnificent Oriental potentate. The color is most dramatic if viewed against a grey, valley raincloud in the late af

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POTATO TREE Solanum macrophyllum Dunal

POTATO TREE Solanum macrophyllum Dunal

The nightshade family, to which the potato belongs, is one of the most widespread of botanical groups. It contains however, but few trees. One of these is usually called the Potato tree, because its flower is similar in form to that of the common potato. It grows in Hawaii, but is not common although it grows in some gardens and in the Mid-Pacific Horticultural Establishment. While similar in form to the ordinary potato blossom, the flower of the Potato tree is comparatively large, being about t

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TIGER’S CLAW. CORAL TREE. INDIAN WILI-WILI Erythrina indica Lamarck

TIGER’S CLAW. CORAL TREE. INDIAN WILI-WILI Erythrina indica Lamarck

Tall trees, bursting into pointed red blossoms in midwinter and early spring, are appropriately called Tiger’s claw or Coral trees. The flowers are a deep, rich, red, very striking on the bare trees at this season. They grow in long clusters which radiate horizontally on woody stems from the ends of the branches. Individual flowers break out of the split side of a pointed calyx. Fundamentally of the pea-type, these flowers have one petal much larger than the others, the general effect being that

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PLUMERIA. GRAVEYARD FLOWER. FRANGIPANI Plumeria acutifolia Poiret

PLUMERIA. GRAVEYARD FLOWER. FRANGIPANI Plumeria acutifolia Poiret

One of the most popular of Hawaiian flower leis is made up of the thick, waxy flowers of the Plumeria. They are particularly successful for this purpose because they remain fresh for a long time and have a fine fragrance. The common name in Hawaii, Plumeria, or, as the lei-women say, Pumeli, is derived from that of Plumier the French botanist, but a mistake was made in spelling it so the genus is now properly designated as Plumeria , not Plumiera . Although this tree is a native of tropical Amer

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BE-STILL. YELLOW OLEANDER Thevetia nereifolia Jussieu

BE-STILL. YELLOW OLEANDER Thevetia nereifolia Jussieu

A small tree, holding a scattering of trumpet-shaped, yellow flowers and marked by shimmering, narrow, light green leaves, is popularly called the Be-still tree. There seems to be no reason for this name, unless it is that the slender leaves are never still and the name is a sort of invocation. 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

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AFRICAN TULIP TREE Spathodea campanulata Beauvois

AFRICAN TULIP TREE Spathodea campanulata Beauvois

Large, fiery red flowers, like cups of molten metal, crown the high branches of the African tulip tree. This tree differs from many of the flowering trees in Hawaii by producing its flowers all the year round. There is a season in midwinter when they seem to be brightest and most numerous, but this may be due merely to lack of competition. Individual flowers suggest a lopsided cup, with five irregular, frilled lobes. The edges of the corolla are a vivid yellow, and the inside of the cup is yello

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GOLDEN SHOWER TREE Cassia fistula Linnaeus

GOLDEN SHOWER TREE Cassia fistula Linnaeus

Immense pendant clusters of large, yellow blossoms, hanging in grapelike bunches among the leaves explain the popular name of the Golden Shower tree. Although the foliage does not fall, the yellow blooms sometimes cover the tree so completely they overwhelm the leaves and make it look as if this tree were the only thing in the landscape which is standing in sunshine, all else being shadowed. Leaves are very large and compound in structure, each leaflet being two to six inches long. The bright, g

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PINK AND WHITE SHOWER TREE Cassia javanica Linnaeus (Cassia nodosa Hamilton)[1]

PINK AND WHITE SHOWER TREE Cassia javanica Linnaeus (Cassia nodosa Hamilton)[1]

Great feathery masses of unevenly tinted, pink flowers cover this small tree, suggesting in their luxuriance and variable coloring the apple blossoms of the temperate zone. The flowers grow on short branchlets, in what seem to be tufts of reddish stems, the tufts growing out of the main branches so close together these branches are completely enwrapped. The splendid effect of such inflorescence makes the Pink and White Shower tree one of the most important in Hawaii’s annual procession of blosso

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ORCHID TREE Bauhinia variegata Linnaeus

ORCHID TREE Bauhinia variegata Linnaeus

Exquisite lavender or white orchids, as beautiful as Cattleyas, seem to grow on the small Orchid tree. It is not, however, related to the real orchids, but is a member of the legume family. 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 whit

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CORAL SHOWER TREE. PINK SHOWER Cassia grandis Linnaeus

CORAL SHOWER TREE. PINK SHOWER Cassia grandis Linnaeus

Earliest of the shower trees to bloom is the one which has come to be known in Honolulu as the Coral Shower, or sometimes as the Pink Shower. (But not to be confused with the later-blooming Pink and White Shower.) The Coral Shower flowers during March, April and May, its soft rose color and general appearance somehow suggesting pink coral. In effect this tree is strikingly like the blossoming cherries with loose upright limbs covered with pink flowers. The flower buds are particularly attractive

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RAINBOW SHOWER Cassia hybrida (Cassia javanica × Cassia fistula)

RAINBOW SHOWER Cassia hybrida (Cassia javanica × Cassia fistula)

It probably was inevitable that sooner or later someone should try to cross the Golden Shower with one or the other of the two pinks. Fortunately this first took place some years ago, so that today the many “Rainbow Showers” resulting from this cross may be seen in all their breathtaking loveliness. They are among the most beautiful of all the flowering island trees, and no two are alike, unless propagated by grafting. In general, the inflorescence of these hybrids seems more numerous than on ei

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YELLOW POINCIANA Peltophorum inerme Roxburgh

YELLOW POINCIANA Peltophorum inerme Roxburgh

A tree with many upright spikes of small, deep-yellow flowers, bright against the greenery of the fine-cut leaves is called the Yellow Poinciana, because it was once classed as a Poinciana. At the same time it is in bloom, it hangs full of reddish-brown pods which are one of its characteristic features. The flowers appear in the late summer and autumn, although there may be a second blooming period at some other time of year. The flower buds are round and covered with brown, velvety down. This s

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MONKEYPOD TREE Samanea saman (Bentham) Merrill

MONKEYPOD TREE Samanea saman (Bentham) Merrill

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

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BOTTLEBRUSH TREE Callistemon lanceolatus De Candolle

BOTTLEBRUSH TREE Callistemon lanceolatus De Candolle

Long, cylindrical spikes of red flowers, very like the round brushes used to clean test tubes or bottles, have given its common name to this tree. The effect is created by tufts of red stamens. In most varieties the flower spikes grow upright, but on some, as shown on Plate IV , they hang in swaying pendants. Their color is a fine, pinkish red, which contrasts strikingly with the greyish green of the foliage. The latter is narrow, pointed and fine. The tree belongs to the Myrtle family and is a

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JACARANDA Jacaranda ovalifolia R. Brown

JACARANDA Jacaranda ovalifolia R. Brown

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 sprin

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CHINESE RICE FLOWER. MAI SUI LAN Aglaia odorata Loureiro

CHINESE RICE FLOWER. MAI SUI LAN Aglaia odorata Loureiro

The tiny, round, yellow blossoms of the Chinese Rice flower tree probably suggest rice to the Chinese, although each floweret is considerably smaller than a grain of rice. They occur in clusters of hundreds, near the ends of the branches, each tiny flower a minute yellow ball which looks like a bud, but never opens wide. The blooming period is spring and summer. The tree is rather small, spreading, and very attractive, being covered closely with glossy leaves of compound form. It is a member of

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WONG LAN Michelia champaca Linnaeus

WONG LAN Michelia champaca Linnaeus

The intense fragrance and heavy, ivory-colored, waxen quality of the petals, indicates the relationship of the Michelia to the Magnolia family. Brought to Hawaii by the Chinese, it is still a great favorite with them. 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 “nig

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BOMBAX Bombax ellipticum Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth

BOMBAX Bombax ellipticum Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth

A Bombax tree growing in the Queen’s Hospital grounds presents such a striking appearance when blooming that it has become almost as well known as the Gold tree on School street. Unlike the latter, however, which blooms at erratic times, the Bombax can be depended on to put out its blossoms in March and April. They appear on the bare tree, a few at a time, suggesting a bunch of pink egret plumes. The bud, growing upright on the bare branch, is like a stubby cigar, rising from the calyx which is

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HAU Hibiscus tiliaceus Linneaus

HAU Hibiscus tiliaceus Linneaus

One of the strangest of the native trees is the Hau (pronounced “how”). 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 li

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HALA. LAUHALA. PUHALA. SCREWPINE Pandanus odoratissimus Linnaeus

HALA. LAUHALA. PUHALA. SCREWPINE Pandanus odoratissimus Linnaeus

Another plant of strange and curious appearance is the Hala, or Screwpine. It might be taken at first sight for a palm, since its leaves have the tough, fibrous quality of palm leaves. Actually it belongs to a family which takes its name from this genus, the Pandanaceae. It grows all over the South Seas and the East Indies, and India. The descriptive name of Screwpine comes from the way in which the long, narrow, spiny-edged leaves grow out of the branches, in winding whorls. On young specimens

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OHIA LEHUA Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudichaud

OHIA LEHUA Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudichaud

The favorite flower of old Hawaiian song and legend is the Ohia Lehua . It is not found commonly at the warm levels of Honolulu, and never becomes more than a shrub there, but it may be seen in upper Nuuanu valley and on Tantalus. This plant reaches its greatest perfection, as a magnificent tree, often a hundred feet high, at the cool level of the volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Lehua blossom is the special flower of that island. The flowers appear as bright red pompons of stamens; some

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KAMANI Calophyllum inophyllum Linnaeus

KAMANI Calophyllum inophyllum Linnaeus

A tree that grows wild along the seashore is given the name of Kamani by the Hawaiians. It has large, thick, leathery leaves, very smooth and shining, and clusters of waxy, white flowers. These flowers have four white petals and in the center is a mass of golden stamens surrounding a red pistil. They are fragrant. The flowers are followed by round, reddish fruits which contain an oily nut. In other parts of the tropics, especially Fiji and India, this oil has important uses, but it is not extrac

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KOA Acacia koa Gray

KOA Acacia koa Gray

Like the Ohia, the Koa tree does not grow well at lower altitudes, but at proper elevations, such as near the volcano, on the Island of Hawaii, it becomes Hawaii’s largest and finest tree. It is, perhaps best known to town dwellers by its wood, known as Hawaiian mahogany, which has been extensively used in furniture. In cooler sections of Honolulu, such as Tantalus, and upper Nuuanu, Koa trees may be found growing. They seldom attain much size, but are often of very picturesque form. The most ch

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MILO Thespesia populnea (L.) Correa

MILO Thespesia populnea (L.) Correa

A tree which has heart-shaped leaves, like those of the Hau, and Hibiscus-shaped flowers, but is of upright, normal form, is the Milo. The flower is a paler yellow than the Hau blossom, and has a red spot at the base of the petals. As it fades, it turns from yellow to a purplish pink. It is followed by a five-parted green capsule, which turns dark brown and hangs on the tree a long time. The Milo is a member of the Mallow family and closely related to the true Hibiscus. Like the Hau, it is at ho

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KOU Cordia sebestena Linnaeus

KOU Cordia sebestena Linnaeus

A native tree with bright orange colored blossoms is called Kou by the Hawaiians. Botanically it is Cordia subcordata . Though found on other South Sea islands, it is now rare in Hawaii, while a close relative, the Cordia sebestena , is generally called Kou. This foreign Kou, which has been introduced from tropical America, is quite similar in general appearance to the native species. Its flowers are a rich, orange-red, about an inch across. They are tubular, with six broad lobes, frilled and cr

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KUKUI. CANDLENUT TREE Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willdenow

KUKUI. CANDLENUT TREE Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willdenow

Conspicuous for its light colored foliage, groves of the Kukui tree are easily seen on the mountain side, from a long distance. The trees grow best in sheltered ravines and gullies, so that from a distance, the shadow of such ravines is usually lightened by the blotches of greyish green which mean Kukui trees. The trees grow down to sea level, however, and may be found at many places in Honolulu, among others in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel garden. Leaves of the Kukui tree vary greatly. One type has

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PAGODA FLOWER Clerodendron squamatum Vahl

PAGODA FLOWER Clerodendron squamatum Vahl

Brilliant scarlet flowers, in large, loose, upright heads, proclaim the Clerodendron. The blooming period is winter and spring. Individual flowers are slenderly tubular, widening into five narrow lobes which turn back against the tube. The stamens and pistil curve beyond the flower in a small red tuft. Stems of the flower head are also red and hold this color even when the green berries turn blue-black. The shrub grows about ten feet tall. Its large, heart-shaped leaves are thick and velvety, wi

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GOLDEN DEWDROP Duranta repens Linnaeus

GOLDEN DEWDROP Duranta repens Linnaeus

The popular name, Golden Dewdrop well describes the clusters of small, bright, yellow berries which hang on this shrub a large part of the year. They are so plentiful they usually cause the slender, grey-stemmed branches to droop gracefully. They lend themselves to interesting arrangements. The shrub may attain ten feet in height. Its small, light-green leaves are pointed at either end. The flowers are a delicate, lavender-blue, or white, very small and formed as minute tubes, with five lobes. T

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SHRIMP PLANT Beloperone guttata Brandegee (Beloperone nemorosa)

SHRIMP PLANT Beloperone guttata Brandegee (Beloperone nemorosa)

Rosy or yellowish bracts, overlapping with scale-like precision to form a curving tube, are highly suggestive of the curved tail of a shrimp and explain the popular name of this plant. The true flowers appear, one or two at a time, from beneath the colored bracts, near the tip. They are small, white, tubular, with purplish dots on the larger of the two lobes. The plant is herbaceous and sprawling, growing at most to five feet. Its leaves are slightly rough to the touch, opposite, and of medium s

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FLOWERING ERANTHEMUM Pseuderanthemum reticulatum Radlkofer

FLOWERING ERANTHEMUM Pseuderanthemum reticulatum Radlkofer

Conspicuous for its yellowish leaves and small white and purplish flowers is this Eranthemum. The yellow color appears extensively on the young leaves and survives on the older ones as yellow venations, making the plant appear very bright and sunny. The tubular flowers grow in small spikes, the tubes broadening into four lobes. These are spotted with purple dots where they begin to broaden. The plant grows about six feet high. It belongs to the Acanthus family and possibly comes from Indo-Malaya

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VINCA ROSEA. MADAGASCAR PERIWINKLE Lochnera rosea (L.) Reichenbach

VINCA ROSEA. MADAGASCAR PERIWINKLE Lochnera rosea (L.) Reichenbach

Rosy pink or pure white flowers, on a short, herbaceous plant which looks like a temperate zone annual, is the Periwinkle. It is a cousin of the blue myrtle, or periwinkle of the mainland, but resembles the latter only in the general form of the flowers. Known elsewhere as Madagascar periwinkle (although not a native of that island) it is called in Hawaii simply Periwinkle or Vinca. The flowers are flat, five-petalled and ever-blooming. Some of the white ones have a cerise eye in the center. The

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RONDELETIA Rondeletia odorata Jacquin

RONDELETIA Rondeletia odorata Jacquin

Small, round, heads of many bright, red and yellow flowers mark the Rondeletia. It is a shrub which is not common in Hawaii but may be found in the Royal Hawaiian and Foster gardens. The flowers are tubular, with a bright yellow throat and orange-red lobes. The leaves are opposite and sessile. The shrub grows to about six feet high. It is a native of Mexico and a member of the Coffee family. ( Plate VI )...

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STAR JASMINE Jasminum pubescens Willde (Jasminum multiflorum)

STAR JASMINE Jasminum pubescens Willde (Jasminum multiflorum)

The Star Jasmine takes its name from the starry, white flowers which cover the plant at all seasons. Each has from four to nine, pointed lobes, radiating from the mouth of the slender tube. Ordinarily, they are scentless, but a variety with faint fragrance is now becoming popular. When the flowers fall, they leave a group of coarsely hairy, green calyxes like small green pompons. The plant is at first a sprawling shrub, but later becomes a vine. Its leaves grow in opposite pairs along the length

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GALPHIMIA Thryallis glauca Kuntze (Galphimia glauca)

GALPHIMIA Thryallis glauca Kuntze (Galphimia glauca)

Small, terminal, clusters of bright, yellow, little flowers with red stamens, characterize the Galphimia shrub. It grows about five feet high and has small, glossy, opposite leaves. The yellow flowers bloom most of the year, making the plant popular in gardens. The word Galphimia, by which it is popularly known, is an anagram of Malpighia, the name of the Italian physician for which the family to which it belongs was named. It is a native of southern Mexico. ( Plate VI )...

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PLUMBAGO Plumbago capensis Thunberg

PLUMBAGO Plumbago capensis Thunberg

The pale blue flowers of the Plumbago are frequently seen especially in dry places where the plant thickly covers the ground or grows over walls and trellises, often with a heavy undergrowth of dead branches below. The flowers have a long tube and five lobes, and grow in short clusters. Their blue color varies from a soft azure to palest tints, and there is a pure white variety. The species with pink blossoms is Plumbago rosea . The blue flowering plant is a native of South Africa, near the Cape

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IXORA Ixora macrothyrsa Teijsmann and Binnendijk

IXORA Ixora macrothyrsa Teijsmann and Binnendijk

Large, round “snowball” heads of scarlet bloom make the Ixora a very conspicuous shrub. Sometimes it seems almost like a small tree for it can reach fifteen feet in height. The small individual flowers have four petals growing at the end of a slender tube that appears to be a red stem. These flowers are sometimes laboriously strung by the Hawaiians into leis, which become solid red cylinders, two to three inches in diameter. There are also plants with pale red or with white flowers, the latter s

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CANDLEBUSH. ACAPULCO Cassia alata Linnaeus

CANDLEBUSH. ACAPULCO Cassia alata Linnaeus

Upright stalks of bright yellow flowers, almost cylindrical in form, explain the popular name of this shrub. When first opening, the individual flowers are closer together on the stalk than shown on Plate VII , heightening the suggestion of golden candles growing over the shrub. The flowers are at their best in winter, although they may be found later. The individual flowers are pea shaped, as the plant is a member of this family. The leaves are luxuriant, each one from eighteen inches to two fe

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CORAL PLANT Russelia juncea Zuccarini

CORAL PLANT Russelia juncea Zuccarini

Tiny, tubular red flowers, growing loosely over the drooping sprays of a graceful bush have again suggested coral and given the name of Coral plant to this shrub. The sprays may grow to six feet, with stems and a few leaves of greyish green. Individual flowers are about an inch long, tubular, and hang loosely on slender angular stems. The plant is a native of Mexico and belongs to the Figwort family. ( Plate VII )...

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LIPSTICK PLANT Bixa orellana Linnaeus

LIPSTICK PLANT Bixa orellana Linnaeus

Seedpods of the lipstick plant are extremely ornamental and are often used as dried floral material. They are covered with heavy soft, dark hairs, deep red when fresh and turning to stiff brown as they dry. The pointed pod splits to reveal rows of seeds covered with a red powdery material. This red covering provides the annotto dye of commerce, used among other things for coloring oleomargarine, butter and cheese. It is not produced commercially in Hawaii, but the plants are grown for this purpo

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BRUNFELSIA Brunfelsia hopeana Bentham

BRUNFELSIA Brunfelsia hopeana Bentham

A shrub curiously covered in spring with both blue and white flowers, superficially suggesting pansies in form, is the Brunfelsia. The two colorings are due to the fact that the flowers are a soft lavender blue when they open but fade to almost pure white before they fall. They have five velvety petals, which are actually the lobes of a slender tube, and they give off a delicate fragrance. The shrub is woody, with light grey bark and sparse dark green leaves. This species is a native of Brazil.

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COTTON Gossypium barbadense Linnaeus

COTTON Gossypium barbadense Linnaeus

The cotton plant is a cousin of the Hibiscus and in Hawaii grows to be a tall shrub which is often used in gardens. The yellow flowers are formed like Hibiscus, but do not open widely. As they fade, they become tinged with purple, a color change which suggests the related Hau and Milo blossoms. The seed case is large, round and pointed and partly covered by three fringed bracts. When it opens the boll of white cotton, in which are the seeds, breaks out. This fluff of white fiber remains on the p

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ILIMA Sida fallax Walpers

ILIMA Sida fallax Walpers

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 p

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THUNBERGIA Thunbergia erecta T. Anderson

THUNBERGIA Thunbergia erecta T. Anderson

Rich purple-blue flowers with golden throats are Thunbergias, closely related to the white and blue flowering vines of the same name. The velvety purple petals are lobes expanding a tube that is whitish without and bright yellow within. The flowers grow singly in leaf axils, emerging from a pair of whitish bracts. The blossoms are thin and delicate and fade almost at once after being picked. There is a pure white flowering form with yellow throat. The plant is an open, rather straggling shrub, a

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MOCK ORANGE Murraya exotica Linnaeus

MOCK ORANGE Murraya exotica Linnaeus

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 Mock Orange is a true member of the Citrus family and has the delightful scent which they all possess. Individual flowers are five petaled, and waxy, like a very small orange blossom. When these petals fall they cover the ground with white. The fruit is a small red ball f

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JUSTICIA Odontonema strictum Kuntze (Justicia carnea)

JUSTICIA Odontonema strictum Kuntze (Justicia carnea)

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 na

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DWARF POINCIANA. PRIDE OF BARBADOES Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz

DWARF POINCIANA. PRIDE OF BARBADOES Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz

Bright clusters of fiery scarlet and yellow flowers growing on the higher branch tips of a tall shrub or small tree, announce the Dwarf Poinciana. While not a true Poinciana, it is a close relative, so that its common name is not far amiss. Individual flowers are smaller, but quite similar in form to those of Royal Poinciana, with five crepy spreading petals and a colored calyx. The petals are sometimes margined with yellow which gives added brilliance to the effect. Very long stamens and pistil

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CHENILLE PLANT Acalypha hispida Burmann

CHENILLE PLANT Acalypha hispida Burmann

One of the strangest looking of tropical shrubs bears long, thin velvety tails of dark red, which well deserve the common name of Chenille plant, or sometimes, Redhot Cat-tails. The shrub will attain eight feet and presents a striking appearance with these long, crimson, flower spikes hanging from among the large green leaves. The tails are made up of the staminate flowers, which have no petals; pistillate flowers are inconspicuous. A fine plant grows in front of Gumps at Waikiki. The shrub is a

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CAPE HONEYSUCKLE Tecomaria capensis (Lindley) Seemann

CAPE HONEYSUCKLE Tecomaria capensis (Lindley) Seemann

The orange red flowers of this shrub have the typical trumpet form of the Bignonias, to which family it belongs. The slightly curving tube broadens into five lobes, beyond which extend the yellow stamens. The flowers appear in small clusters at the branch ends. The shrub is sprawling and vinelike, often used as a ground cover. It may be seen at the University of Hawaii. It has small, compound leaves notably dark green in color, each leaflet having a serrated margin. Its specific name, capensis,

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CREPE MYRTLE Lagerstroemia indica Linnaeus

CREPE MYRTLE Lagerstroemia indica Linnaeus

In midsummer there is a sudden burst of bright, pink blossoms in Honolulu, due to the flowering of the Crepe Myrtle. Most of these plants are shrubs, but sometimes they attain the size of a small tree. The exceedingly frilled, fringed and crepy petals, five to a flower, occur in such fluffy masses that individual blossoms are often hard to distinguish. There is a white variety and some vary in color to lavender. Leaves are small, leathery, smooth above, but rough beneath. The stems are brown. Th

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CROWN FLOWER. GIANT INDIAN MILKWEED Calotropis gigantea R. Brown

CROWN FLOWER. GIANT INDIAN MILKWEED Calotropis gigantea R. Brown

The Crown Flower derives its name from its oddly shaped blossoms which rise in clusters at the branch ends. The flowers are a grayish lavender or a greenish white, the latter being more popular for lei making than the former. Above the five thick, starlike, greenish petals rises a miniature crown which looks as if it had been carved from white jade. It is tipped by the stamens and the five pointed style. These “crowns,” when stripped from the flower, are strung into leis which appear like carved

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BEACH NAUPAKA Scaevola frutescens (Miller) Krause

BEACH NAUPAKA Scaevola frutescens (Miller) Krause

A quaint little flower, which seems to have been torn in half, since the white petals radiate in only half of a circle, is called Naupaka-kai by the Hawaiians. It is a native plant, found wild on the beaches of these islands, and others in the South Seas. It has been adopted here for seashore planting, since it is resistant to wind and salt spray. There are other species of Scaevola growing in Hawaii, some of them preferring a mountain habitat, but all are characterized by the half blossom. The

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PURPLE, OR TRAILING LANTANA Lantana sellowiana Link and Otto

PURPLE, OR TRAILING LANTANA Lantana sellowiana Link and Otto

A low, covering plant, dotted with small clusters of rosy lavender flowers is the purple Lantana. The flower heads are an inch or so across, each made up of flowerets which are little tubes with five lobes. The foliage is small, stiff and rough, with prominent veins, each leaf minutely scalloped. The plant is woody and firm, by which it can be distinguished from an annual, herbaceous Verbena which is sometimes grown as a ground cover and has flowers of somewhat similar form and color. The Lantan

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PIKAKE Jasminum sambac Solander

PIKAKE Jasminum sambac Solander

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

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CROWN OF THORNS Euphorbia splendens Bojer

CROWN OF THORNS Euphorbia splendens Bojer

Quantities of very long, sharp thorns on a low shrub bearing small, red flowers is the Crown of Thorns. The little, rosy-scarlet flowers grow in small clusters on longish stems. What appear to be two red petals are really a pair of bracts. The leaves are few, bright green, and appear on the new growth. The plant, which is usually less than three feet high, forms a dense mass of thorns with its bare, brownish stems. It is sometimes planted in areas from which it is desired to keep people, as in t

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SINGAPORE HOLLY Malpighia coccigera Linnaeus

SINGAPORE HOLLY Malpighia coccigera Linnaeus

Miniature, holly-like leaves, crisp, shining and thorny, mark this charming little plant which is not a native of Singapore but of the West Indies. Nor is it a true holly, but a member of the Malpighia family. The plant is covered occasionally with dainty pink flowers, their five petals around the yellow stamens, very fringed and crepy and suggesting in form their cousins, the Orchid vine (Stigmaphyllon). They have a slight fragrance. The plant grows rather stiffly and is often seen in pots. ( P

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DOMBEYA Dombeya wallichii Bentham and Hooker

DOMBEYA Dombeya wallichii Bentham and Hooker

The Dombeya is a shrub or small tree with large leaves among which hang showy round, drooping heads of many pink flowers. The flower clusters grow at the end of long, downy pedicels and are so heavy that they hang far over. Individual flowers have five pink petals, and the stamens are united into a short tube in the center. Even when these flowers are brown and dried the cluster still hangs on the plant. The leaves are big and velvety, roundly heart shaped, with lobes. The plant is a native of M

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KALAMONA Cassia glauca Lamarck

KALAMONA Cassia glauca Lamarck

A very commonly seen shrub or small tree bearing numerous clusters of bright yellow flowers and, at the same time, bunches of brown pods, is the Kalamona. A native of tropical Asia, this plant has become naturalized in Hawaii and is often seen growing wild, especially in dry places. Its yellow flowers are similar in general form to those of its cousins, the Shower trees, and like them also, the foliage is compound. Each leaf is made up of many medium-sized leaflets. The flowers appear most of th

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HAOLE LEHUA Calliandra grandiflora Bentham

HAOLE LEHUA Calliandra grandiflora Bentham

Flowers which are pompons of pink or white stamens, blooming in winter and spring, announce the Haole Lehua. This name, meaning foreign Lehua, is applied also to a closely related species, Calliandra haematoma which has similar flowers of a bright pinkish red. Resemblance of these flowers to those of the native Ohia Lehua has resulted in this name being transferred. At the present time they are more commonly seen in leis than the true Lehua. Such leis are particularly beautiful suggesting a garl

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CUP AND SAUCER PLANT. CHINAMAN’S HAT Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz

CUP AND SAUCER PLANT. CHINAMAN’S HAT Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz

Tall sprays of the Holmskioldia are lined with quaintly shaped little flowers, of tawny orange or deep scarlet color. They are well described by the names of Cup and Saucer, or Chinaman’s hat. Each is made up of a saucer-shaped bract, which is the most conspicuous part, from the center of which rises a small tubular flower. They bloom the year round and may be found in many gardens. The shrub is sprawling or half climbing, with small opposite leaves, usually with irregular margins. It is a nativ

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KONA COFFEE. ARABIAN COFFEE Coffea arabica Linnaeus

KONA COFFEE. ARABIAN COFFEE Coffea arabica Linnaeus

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. These berries usually contain two seeds which are the coffee “b

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CORAL BUSH Jatropha multifida Linnaeus

CORAL BUSH Jatropha multifida Linnaeus

Again the similarity of a flower to coral has given the name of Coral Bush to a plant. In the case of the Jatropha, the likeness is not far-fetched, for the Jatropha flower head is very curious and strangely like a small bunch of red coral. Stems and rounded buds are red and glossy. A few flowers open at a time, showing five small petals and yellow stamens. The fruit which follows is a green capsule holding several seeds. The leaves of the plant are palmate, and deeply divided in seven to eleven

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LASIANDRA. PLEROMA. PRINCESS FLOWER Tibouchina semidecandra Cogniaux

LASIANDRA. PLEROMA. PRINCESS FLOWER Tibouchina semidecandra Cogniaux

Flowers of rich royal purple, a regal and exciting color, make the Lasiandra conspicuous wherever it blooms. It is not commonly seen in Honolulu, because it prefers slightly higher altitudes, but on the road to the Volcano on Hawaii, or at Kokee on Kauai, it has escaped and makes conspicuous purple masses of bloom. The flowers have five velvety petals, and in the center a group of pinkish stamens, which are peculiarly angled. The leaves are almost as attractive as the flowers being thickly piled

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NATAL PLUM Carissa grandiflora De Candolle

NATAL PLUM Carissa grandiflora De Candolle

The Natal plum, (a native of Natal, in South Africa) is characterized by its long sharp thorns, its fragrant white flowers and its bright red fruits which shine conspicuously among the leaves. The plant may attain almost the size of a small tree but is usually smaller and is often used as a hedge. Its thorns make it practically impenetrable. The flowers have five, waxy, white petals which always twist slightly to the right. They are very fragrant. The red fruits are edible but sub-acid in flavor

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SNOW BUSH Phyllanthus nivosus Bull Variety roseo-pictus

SNOW BUSH Phyllanthus nivosus Bull Variety roseo-pictus

A mass of small, delicate leaves, pale pink and light green in color, on a loose, graceful shrub, is the Snow bush. It is well named, the effect of the frosty coloring being as if a light fall of snow had touched the leaves. While some plants carry only the light and dark green leaves, others show a rosy coloring in the new growth. This variety is appropriately known as roseo-pictus. The color is strongest in the young parts, the leaves tending to turn to a more even green as they become older.

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CROTON Codiaeum variegatum Blume

CROTON Codiaeum variegatum Blume

Leading in interest among the colored foliage shrubs in Hawaii is a large group of plants commonly called the Crotons. This name, however, properly belongs to a quite different plant but is used generally by nursery men for this Codiaeum. Although these Crotons have an almost endless variety of leaf form and color, they all belong to a single species, the difference in appearance being only a matter of horticultural variation. The plants are natives of Malaysia and the Pacific islands, and are m

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ERANTHEMUM Pseuderanthemum atropurpureum (Bull) Radlkofer (Erantbemum purpureum)

ERANTHEMUM Pseuderanthemum atropurpureum (Bull) Radlkofer (Erantbemum purpureum)

A shrub which might be casually mistaken for one of the Crotons, because of the rich coloring of its leaves, is called Eranthemum. The leaf colors are, however, purplish, rose and pink, hues that do not occur in the Crotons. These plants vary greatly among themselves, some having leaves that are mottled in green and white, others with colors that range through the pinkish purples to dark maroon. There is a tendency for the young leaves to have the brightest colors and to turn green as they grow

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PANAX Polyscias guilfoylei Bailey (Nothopanax guilfoylei, Cogniaux and Merrill)

PANAX Polyscias guilfoylei Bailey (Nothopanax guilfoylei, Cogniaux and Merrill)

Visitors to Hawaii are always interested in knowing the name of the commonest hedge plant, a tall slender shrub with grey perpendicular stems and leaves that usually are edged in white or pale green. This is the Panax, a native of the Pacific Islands and a member of the Aralia family. This shrub is probably one of the most successful hedge plants in the world, since it has few branches and these tend to grow almost straight upward and the foliage is carried right down to the ground. There are se

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BEEFSTEAK PLANT Acalypha wilkesiana J. Mueller (of Aargau)

BEEFSTEAK PLANT Acalypha wilkesiana J. Mueller (of Aargau)

A plant with bright red foliage, which might easily be taken for one of the Crotons is really an Acalypha, a relative of the striking Chenille plant illustrated in Plate VIII . The leaves of this plant are large and tend to a triangular form. They are basically a bronzy green color, with spreading blotches of pink, red and brown, but the total effect of the plant is one of bright red. These shrubs grow ten feet high and are sometimes used for hedges, being always conspicuous objects on the stree

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CARICATURE PLANT. MORADO Graptophyllum pictum Griffiths

CARICATURE PLANT. MORADO Graptophyllum pictum Griffiths

People with good imaginations can see pictures in the yellow or white markings on the green leaves of the Caricature plant. No two leaves are ever quite alike but the “picture” appears always in the center of the leaf rather than along the margins. The leaves are a pointed oval in shape, smooth and rather leathery. They grow in opposite pairs. This plant, too, often is taken casually for one of the Crotons. The shrub will become six or eight feet high. The flowers are small, tubular and dark red

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OTHER COLORED FOLIAGE PLANTS

OTHER COLORED FOLIAGE PLANTS

In Chapter VIII will be found described a number of other plants with colored foliage which are not, however, shrubs. Vines sprawling over rocks and banks, or climbing high over walls and trees to hang out floral banners, make up one of Hawaii’s most colorful and interesting floral chapters. While some vines are ever-blooming, most have seasons when they suddenly put on a display of color or of rare beauty, that become, often, the most conspicuous sight of the town. The vines are rather easy to

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YELLOW ALLAMANDA Allamanda hendersonii Bulliard

YELLOW ALLAMANDA Allamanda hendersonii Bulliard

Sprawling green vines, often used as a ground cover, with big yellow flowers every day in the year, are the Allamandas. They are one of the most widely used plants in Hawaii. There are two yellow species commonly seen, the only essential difference being size. The one with large flowers, about five inches in diameter, is Allamanda hendersonii . Its leaves are smooth on both sides. The species with smaller blossoms, about three inches in diameter, is Allamanda cathartica . It may be identified, i

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PINK ALLAMANDA Allamanda blachetti A. De Candolle

PINK ALLAMANDA Allamanda blachetti A. De Candolle

The rose-colored member of the Allamanda group in Hawaii is not so often found as the yellow. The flowers are about the size of the large yellow and in color a deep rose, or almost maroon, with the throat a deeper shade. The leaves of this species, while they display the whorled growth of the yellow, are smaller and very rough and hairy on both sides. The vine comes from Brazil. ( Plate XI )...

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BABY MORNING GLORY Jacquemontia pentantha G. Don (Convolvulus mauritanicus)

BABY MORNING GLORY Jacquemontia pentantha G. Don (Convolvulus mauritanicus)

Flowers like miniature blue morning-glories, about an inch across, grow on this slender vine. It is charming because of its petite size, and for the beautiful color of the flowers. They have a lighter throat, and white stamens. The buds appear in clusters at the end of the flower stem and one or two flowers open each morning, closing in the afternoon. The leaves are slightly heart-shaped, ending in a sharp point. The stems are reddish. The Jacquemontia, which is a native of tropical America, was

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ORANGE TRUMPET VINE. FIRECRACKER VINE. HUAPALA Bignonia venusta Ker

ORANGE TRUMPET VINE. FIRECRACKER VINE. HUAPALA Bignonia venusta Ker

One of the most spectacular events in Hawaii’s colorful floral calendar, is the blooming of the Firecracker vine. In late winter, walls of green foliage turn suddenly into a sheet of flaming orange, the masses of flowers seeming like small tongues of fire blazing over the entire vine. 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 spli

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“MAUNA LOA”. PUA KAUHI Canavalia microcarpa De Candolle

“MAUNA LOA”. PUA KAUHI Canavalia microcarpa De Candolle

Anyone who has remained for long in Hawaii has seen and wondered at the Maunaloa leis, those strangely formal, almost sculptured floral bands which have scale-like, overlapping petals in the center, and are bordered on either edge by rounded projections. The flowers from which these leis are made are a typical pea blossom. Strung together and turned right and left alternately, the “banner” or large top petal is then bent back and held down by being pressed onto the surface of a narrow strip of a

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PINK BIGNONIA Pandorea jasminoides Schumann

PINK BIGNONIA Pandorea jasminoides Schumann

There are several kinds of vines growing in Honolulu which have clusters of pink or orchid colored trumpet shaped flowers, often with a dark red throat. These are usually called vaguely Pink Bignonia, for they are either members of the Bignonia family or closely related. Their botanical relationships are not easily straightened out for the layman, since all are rather similar in appearance. On Plate XI is shown Pandorea jasminoides , a vine from Australia. Others are Bignonia jasminoides and Big

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WOODEN ROSE Ipomoea tuberosa Linnaeus

WOODEN ROSE Ipomoea tuberosa Linnaeus

One of the strangest and most attractive of Hawaii’s plant novelties is the “Wooden Rose,” which looks indeed like some wonderful bit of carving, rubbed to an exquisite satiny brown finish. The “rose” however, is really the dried seed pod of a species of morning-glory, as anyone familiar with the ordinary morning-glory seed will at once recognize. The central ball holds the seeds while the enlarged, dried calyx which surrounds it, appears to be petals. In Hawaii, the vine is a perennial, grown f

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CAT’S CLAW VINE. HUG-ME-TIGHT Bignonia unguis-cati Linnaeus

CAT’S CLAW VINE. HUG-ME-TIGHT Bignonia unguis-cati Linnaeus

The three-pointed, claw-like tendrils by which this vine clings closely to trees, or walls, have given it the two names by which it is commonly known. But it will be readily recognized and remembered from the cloth of gold it flings several times a year over everything it covers. Individual flowers are trumpet shaped, with five spreading lobes, about two inches across. The color is a clear, canary yellow. ( Plate XII ) The leaves are compound, the paired leaflets being pointed and narrow. The pl

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GALPHIMIA VINE Tristellateia australis A. Richard

GALPHIMIA VINE Tristellateia australis A. Richard

This yellow flowering vine is rather rare as yet in Honolulu, but is bound to grow in popularity as its attractive flowers and leaves become known. The color of the leaves is a light yellow-green. They are opposite, smooth, thick and waxen, with a tendency to fold along the mid-rib. The flowers appear on pendant end-shoots, in long clusters. They have five, pale, yellow petals and in the center a group of short, red stamens. Probably this vine can be most readily identified by this touch of red

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GIANT POTATO VINE Solanum wendlandii Hooker

GIANT POTATO VINE Solanum wendlandii Hooker

Delicate, pale, periwinkle-blue flowers appear in large, loose, clusters in early summer and again in autumn on the Giant Potato vine. The petals of the flowers are not separate, but are connected, curving outward slightly, making the flower almost pentagonal in outline. The mid-rib of each petal is of slightly different texture and lighter color than the rest of the corolla. In the center of the flower is a group of thick stamens forming a low column. The leaves of this vine are not all of one

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PHANERA Bauhinia corymbosa Roxburgh

PHANERA Bauhinia corymbosa Roxburgh

The Phanera carries large, loose, corymbose clusters of small pale, pinkish flowers, during the summer months. The flowers are about an inch across and have five delicately fluted white petals. These may be flushed with pink. Several long bright red stamens project from the center and give the flower cluster a pinkish effect. The leaves seem to be paired, but are really deeply lobed, their outer edges rounded, the notch cut in deeply. The nerves are almost parallel. This peculiar leaf shows the

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SANDPAPER VINE. PURPLE WREATH Petrea volubilis Linnaeus

SANDPAPER VINE. PURPLE WREATH Petrea volubilis Linnaeus

One of the most exciting experiences in Hawaii is to come upon a plant of the Petrea in full bloom. The cascading racemes of lavender-blue flowers cover the plant completely, turning it into a tumbling fall of lacy blue. The calyx seems like a flower in itself, being starlike, five pointed and periwinkle blue. The true flower is a rich violet in color and looks something like a real violet growing in the center of the calyx. This true blossom falls off the plant in a day or so, leaving the calyx

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ORCHID VINE Stigmaphyllon littorale A. Jussieu

ORCHID VINE Stigmaphyllon littorale A. Jussieu

Clusters of delicate, yellow flowers, suggesting small yellow orchids have given the name of Orchid to the two Stigmaphyllons which grow in Hawaii. They are, however, in no way related to Orchids but belong to the Malpighia family. In recent years they have become very popular in Honolulu but cannot yet be found widespread in gardens. Individual blossoms have five unequal petals of a crepy, satiny, texture and a clear bright yellow color. The flower illustrated in Plate XII is Stigmaphyllon litt

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GARLIC VINE Cydista aequinoctialis Miers

GARLIC VINE Cydista aequinoctialis Miers

A vine with charming clusters of orchid-colored, bell-shaped flowers, radiates a most disagreeable odor of bad garlic, which gives it the inevitable name of Garlic Vine, or, since it is a species of the widespread Bignonia family, the name of garlic-scented Bignonia. The flowers appear most prolifically in autumn and spring, but a few may be found almost any time. The white-throated tube of the blossom is slightly flattened and then broadens into five lobes of a purplish-orchid color. At the bot

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MEXICAN CREEPER. CHAIN OF LOVE Antigonon leptopus Hooker and Arnott

MEXICAN CREEPER. CHAIN OF LOVE Antigonon leptopus Hooker and Arnott

Lace-like masses of small, bright-pink flowers clambering by curling tendrils over weeds, rocks or trees, announce the Mexican creeper. Sometimes the white variety is seen and there are also pale pink hybrids. In its native Latin America, this plant is called Cadena del Amor , or Chain of Love, since the flowers suggest a string of small pink hearts. The Mexicans have also given it other sentimental names such as Rosa de Montana , Corallita and San Miguelito . The flower chains branch in a rathe

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CUP OF GOLD Solandra guttata Don

CUP OF GOLD Solandra guttata Don

One of the most magnificent flowers in Hawaii is the great Cup of Gold blossom. It could be more appropriately called a golden chalice than a mere cup, for the blossom is nine inches long above its stem-like tube, and wide and curving in outline. It is the rich golden color of a ripe banana, and brownish streaks on the petals increase this suggestion. Its fragrance, however, is the deep, heady scent of ripe apricots. The huge buds, waxen in texture, when they once start to unfold, move so rapidl

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BLEEDING HEART. BAG FLOWER Clerodendron thomsonae Balfour

BLEEDING HEART. BAG FLOWER Clerodendron thomsonae Balfour

The quaint little red and white flowers of this vine appear in clusters during the winter and spring months. The vine is usually rather small and is often grown in pots. The crimson portion is the true flower, while the “heart” or “bag” is the white calyx. The red flower is composed of a slender tube extending beyond the calyx and spreading into five lobes. A group of fine stamens protrudes beyond the flower. The leaves are opposite, oblong-ovate, and slightly rough to the touch. This Clerodendr

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KUHIO VINE. PRINCE’S VINE Ipomoea horsfalliae Hooker

KUHIO VINE. PRINCE’S VINE Ipomoea horsfalliae Hooker

A close covering mass of magenta-crimson flowers in autumn, winter or spring, is almost sure to be the Kuhio Vine. (The Crimson Lake Bougainvillea, though of about the same color, hangs in long swaying sprays.) The Kuhio vine, one of the morning-glories, is a native of India and is found growing widely in the tropics. It was brought to Hawaii by Prince Kuhio when he was the Territory’s delegate in Washington. For years, a large vine grew over his house at Waikiki, on that portion of the beach no

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PORANA VINE Porana paniculata Roxburgh

PORANA VINE Porana paniculata Roxburgh

A mass of tiny white flowers, so small and so numerous they suggest a drift of smoke, or a light fall of snow, is the Porana vine in bloom. The flowering period is late summer and autumn. The rest of the year the plant carries its thick, grey, felt-like leaves along walls and trellises. The leaves are opposite, either heart-shaped or oval, and rather large. Individual flowers are shaped like minute white morning-glories, the Porana being a member of this family. The tiny white blossoms appear in

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CRIMSON LAKE BOUGAINVILLEA Bougainvillea glabra, var. Sanderiana Choisy

CRIMSON LAKE BOUGAINVILLEA Bougainvillea glabra, var. Sanderiana Choisy

Long, waving sprays of bright crimson flowers are a conspicuous feature of Honolulu gardens in winter, spring, and early summer. These sprays grow on the Crimson Lake Bougainvillea, a close cousin of the purple flowering species which is so familiar in California and other temperate areas. The purple forms grow in Hawaii, also. One of them, Bougainvillea spectabilis , is a mass of purple in the spring; its smaller, ever-blooming form is the variety parviflora . This same group includes, also, th

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WHITE THUNBERGIA Thunbergia grandiflora Roxburgh Var. alba.

WHITE THUNBERGIA Thunbergia grandiflora Roxburgh Var. alba.

One of the most conspicuous flowers in Hawaii carries starry white flowers about four inches across against its green wall of leaves, or dramatically drops these flowers in waving streamers sometimes two or three feet long. Rows of buds develop at the branch ends and the flowers begin to open at the top. As they open, the branch grows also until it nearly doubles its first length. The individual flowers are funnel-shaped with a pale yellow throat, the tube broadening to five lobes. Leaves are ro

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WAX VINE Hoya carnosa R. Brown

WAX VINE Hoya carnosa R. Brown

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

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BEAUMONTIA VINE. NEPAL TRUMPET FLOWER Beaumontia grandiflora Wallich

BEAUMONTIA VINE. NEPAL TRUMPET FLOWER Beaumontia grandiflora Wallich

Immense clusters of large, striking, white flowers seen on a strong rampant vine, mean that the Beaumontia is in bloom. The season is winter and spring. The flowers are about six inches across, papery in texture and a dead white in color, except for a pink flush on the back, and pale green in the center. They are cup shaped, with five wavy lobes. In the center of the flower rise the five stamens, white and pale green in color and joined at the tip into a point. The flower has a delicate fragranc

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BLUE BUTTERFLY PEA Clitoria ternatea Linnaeus

BLUE BUTTERFLY PEA Clitoria ternatea Linnaeus

Blossoms of a true cerulean blue are exceedingly rare in the flower world, but those of the Butterfly Pea are of this hue. Though small and scattered on the vine, these little flowers are delightful for their gorgeous color and unusual shape. As members of the pea family, they are shaped like a modified pea blossom, the “banner” or large back petal being oval, the wings very small. The banner usually has a white mark on the base. Sometimes the flowers occur double and there is also a white varie

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SHELL GINGER. PINK PORCELAIN GINGER Alpinia nutans Roxburgh

SHELL GINGER. PINK PORCELAIN GINGER Alpinia nutans Roxburgh

Like a strand of closely strung shells, the buds of the Shell Ginger droop gracefully from the ends of the stalks. Each bud is thin and porcelain-like, white, pointed and tipped with bright pink. These shell-like buds open, a few at a time, and the flower pushes out. It has thin, white petals while a larger, ruffled portion is yellow, marked with red vein-like lines. One of the stamens also has a petal-like development. The fruit is a yellow ball. The plant is made up of luxuriant stalks of long

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YELLOW GINGER Hedychium flavum Roxburgh

YELLOW GINGER Hedychium flavum Roxburgh

The Yellow Ginger has flowers like slender moths of pale, creamy, yellow. They rise at the end of narrow tubes above a green head composed of scaly bracts. 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

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CREPE GINGER. COSTUS Costus speciosus Smith (Costus spicatus[2])

CREPE GINGER. COSTUS Costus speciosus Smith (Costus spicatus[2])

Ruffled and fringed white flowers of odd form emerge, two or three at a time, from behind the scales of the large, brownish-red bracts of the costus. These form a dark head, often so large as to suggest a pineapple. The white flowers have a curious structure. The three, true petals are white and rather inconspicuous behind a large, crepy, white portion which seems to be the petal but is really a greatly modified stamen, called a staminoidium. This rolls into a bell form, with fringed and fluted

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RED GINGER. OSTRICH PLUME GINGER Alpinia purpurata (Vieillard) Schumann

RED GINGER. OSTRICH PLUME GINGER Alpinia purpurata (Vieillard) Schumann

Long rosy red heads among the green leaves are sufficiently suggestive of ostrich plumes to justify this name for the Red Flowering Ginger. The head is made up of large, thin, petal-like bracts and is the conspicuous portion. The true flowers are small and whitish and appear occasionally from behind the bracts. A curious characteristic of this plant is that adventitious plantlets form in the head. These grow easily when planted. Red Ginger is a native of Malaya. ( Plate XIV )...

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KAHILI GINGER Hedychium gardnerianum Roscoe

KAHILI GINGER Hedychium gardnerianum Roscoe

The local name for this ginger is derived from the kahili , an item that was part of the regalia of early Hawaiian chieftains. A kahili was made from a pole or wand, near the top of which, and at right angles to it, were affixed long wing or tail feathers from certain large birds, forming a cylindrical head. This was carried, like a banner, wherever the chief went, to announce his rank and presence. The blossoming head of the Ginger called after the kahili shows an obvious resemblance. The small

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WHITE GINGER. GINGER LILY Hedychium coronarium Koenig

WHITE GINGER. GINGER LILY Hedychium coronarium Koenig

Most romantic of all the Gingers, because of its white, etherial delicacy and enchanting fragrance, the White Ginger blossom is larger and fuller than the yellow, but has the same moth-like form. 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 m

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TORCH GINGER Phaeomeria magnifica (Roscoe) Schumann (Phaeomeria speciosa)

TORCH GINGER Phaeomeria magnifica (Roscoe) Schumann (Phaeomeria speciosa)

If the White Ginger is the most romantic of this group of plants, the Torch Ginger is the most magnificent and spectacular. The plant is a clump of tall bamboo-like stalks, fifteen feet high, carrying large leaf blades. 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 n

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SPIDER LILIES Crinum species

SPIDER LILIES Crinum species

In Hawaii the name of Spider Lily is given to a number of liliaceous plants which have similar flowers, that is, with six, thin, spidery petals and six stamens. By a stretch of the imagination these flowers might be thought of as giant white spiders. The botany of these lilies is much confused and the local ones have never been satisfactorily straightened out. But there are at least three groups covered by the popular name, the chief one being Crinum. Others are Hymenocallis and Pancratium. All

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THE BANANA FAMILY

THE BANANA FAMILY

Plants related to the Banana or Musa family, supply some of the most exotically shaped and colored flowers in Hawaii. The fruiting Banana does not have conspicuous flowers, but it grows as a graceful tree. The flowering stalk holds large dark red bracts under which are the small yellow tubular flowers. These point upward, as do the fruits into which they develop. The man in the fruit store hangs the bunch upside down. A relative of the Banana which often attracts attention is the Traveller’s Pal

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WHITE BIRD OF PARADISE Strelitzia nicolai Thunberg

WHITE BIRD OF PARADISE Strelitzia nicolai Thunberg

One of the most curious flowers in Hawaii is the White Bird of Paradise, so called, no doubt, because of its resemblance to its relative, the blue and orange colored Bird of Paradise. The resemblance, however, is not close enough for the white really to look like a bird, as does the orange. The white flowers grow out of a large boat-shaped sheath or keel, deep purplish grey in color, of which there are often two or three in a cluster. The flowers break out of the top of this sheath, one at a tim

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BIRD OF PARADISE Strelitzia reginae Banks

BIRD OF PARADISE Strelitzia reginae Banks

The long stalk of this flower looks like the neck of a bird holding a head with long beak and a gorgeous crest. The “head” is a pointed sheath, greyish in color, and the crest of the bird is made up of the flowers lifting out of this sheath. There are about six of them in the sheath and since one pushes out every day or so, the cluster becomes larger and more colorful as it becomes older. Each flower has three pointed petals, brilliantly orange in color, and a blue staminodium shaped like an arr

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GOLDEN HELICONIA Heliconia latispatha Bentham

GOLDEN HELICONIA Heliconia latispatha Bentham

Other relatives of the Banana are the Heliconias of which there are a number growing in Hawaii. The plant is made up of a clump of tall, paddle-shaped leaves, often ten feet high. The flowers of most species grow below the leaves, but the Golden Heliconia flower pushes above them. The inflorescence consists of a series of narrow, pointed keels, a deep golden yellow in color. The real flowers are inside these sheaths, inconspicuous and hardly noticeable. This plant is a native of tropical America

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LOBSTER CLAW Heliconia humilis Jacquin

LOBSTER CLAW Heliconia humilis Jacquin

Generally similar to the Golden Heliconia, the keels of the Lobster Claw are much thicker and closer together, and arranged on opposite sides of the stem, in one plane. They are the brilliant red of a boiled lobster and the general form of the keel suggests the claws of the creature. The inconspicuous flowers are inside. As the keels hold rain water, the flowers often start to decay while the sheaths are still bright and fresh, giving a sour, disagreeable smell to the stalk, until it has been th

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ANTHURIUM. FLAMINGO FLOWER Anthurium andraeanum Linden

ANTHURIUM. FLAMINGO FLOWER Anthurium andraeanum Linden

Among the most popular of Hawaii’s exotic flowers are the Anthuriums, for the very good reason that they will last as long as three weeks if they are cut in their prime. They are, besides, large and exquisitely waxen, ranging in color from pure white, through all shades of pink to deep, rich red. They belong to the Arum family, of which the Calla lily is also a member, and the Anthurium blossom is similar in general form to the Calla. That is, it possesses a large, heart-shaped bract, called the

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PINK OR PURPLE FLOWERING BANANA Musa rosacea Jacquin

PINK OR PURPLE FLOWERING BANANA Musa rosacea Jacquin

Hawaii has one species of Banana which is grown for its flowers alone, since the small fruits it bears are not edible. This is the Purple Flowering Banana which consists of a pointed head of rosy orchid-colored bracts. These bracts fall open two or three at a time to reveal the small, upstanding, tubular, yellow flowers which grow in “hands” part way around the stalk. As in the fruiting Banana, the flowers nearer the base are female, while those at the tip are male. The flower is one of the most

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SPATHIPHYLLUM Spathiphyllum species

SPATHIPHYLLUM Spathiphyllum species

A blossom like a small, white Anthurium, but more fragile and with a large, rough spadix, is the Spathiphyllum. The leaves of this plant grow about two feet high and are long, pointed, blade-like and a very rich, dark green. The plant is much used as a low-growing cover in shady tropical gardens, and in pots. Unfortunately the exquisite white flowers do not last long when cut, a day being about all that can be expected. The species commonly grown around Honolulu is called Spathiphyllum cleveland

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DIEFFENBACHIA Dieffenbachia seguine Schott

DIEFFENBACHIA Dieffenbachia seguine Schott

Frequently seen in collections of tropical plants, on porches or in greenhouses, and sometimes growing in the ground, are the large, green and white leaves of the Dieffenbachias. The species was named for J. F. Dieffenbach, a German botanist of the last century. There are a number of varieties, which differ as to the shape of the leaf blade and the pattern of white on them. One of these is shown on the plate, the one most frequently grown in Honolulu. The flowers are small and seldom seen. They

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GREEN TI Cordyline terminalis Kunth

GREEN TI Cordyline terminalis Kunth

A plant which grows wild and very abundantly in the lower, wet forests of Hawaii is called Ti by the Hawaiians, (pronounced tea). It is primarily a leaf plant, the leaf blades being two or three feet long and very glossy, thick, and strong in texture. They do not wilt easily and so are useful for many things. Shredded to the midrib and strung together, they form the green skirt of the modern hula dancer. At native feasts they are used to cover the table instead of a cloth and sections of the lea

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RED TI Cordyline terminalis

RED TI Cordyline terminalis

The Ti plant varies greatly, many forms having colored foliage, and variously shaped leaves. The colors are mostly tones of red and whitish green, the hues ranging from dark maroon to bright pink while there are some with bronze and golden tones. Usually the coloring appears as irregular strips along the line of the veins. Such red foliage plants usually have cerise flowers and red berries. ( Plate XVI )...

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POTHOS. TARO VINE. PHILODENDRON Scindapsus aureus Linden (Pothos aureus Linden)

POTHOS. TARO VINE. PHILODENDRON Scindapsus aureus Linden (Pothos aureus Linden)

The huge green and gold leaved creepers which envelop so many coconut and other trees are called Taro Vine or Pothos by the local people while they are often called Philodendron by newcomers. 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 h

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CALADIUM. VARIEGATED-LEAVED A’PES Caladium bicolor Ventonat

CALADIUM. VARIEGATED-LEAVED A’PES Caladium bicolor Ventonat

Shady tropical gardens often make use of the colored Caladiums to give color and they are also frequently seen growing in pots. The heart-shaped leaves of these plants are marked with red and light green in almost endless variations and designs, so that they become a specialist’s hobby. Some are blotched with red and white; others have designs that are as fine as lace. The plants grow from tubers, several leaves pushing up on long slender stems. During part of the year these leaves die back and

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MONSTERA VINE Monstera deliciosa Liebmann

MONSTERA VINE Monstera deliciosa Liebmann

Large curious leaves with many natural holes in them, characterize the Monstera vine which is often seen in Honolulu. On mature plants the leaves are very large, thick, green and glossy. They tend to a pinnate form, and holes in the leaves continue the openings between the veins. The plant grows slowly, clinging by aerial roots to a support. Some of these roots hang down string-like, toward the ground. Under favorable conditions the plant bears large, pinkish flowers, in general form like those

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RHOEO. TRADESCANTIA Rhoeo discolor Hance

RHOEO. TRADESCANTIA Rhoeo discolor Hance

Stiff rosettes about a foot and a half high, made up of pointed leaves which are purplish-red below and green above are the Rhoeo or Tradescantia. This little plant grows so easily it is seen in many gardens, adding color to shady corners. In the axils of the leaves appears a boat-shaped, spathe-like growth in which are the small white flowers. Each has three sepals and three petals. The Rhoeo is a native of Mexico and the West Indies. It is a relative of the Wandering Jew and belongs to the Com

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A’PE Alocasia macrorhiza Schott

A’PE Alocasia macrorhiza Schott

Very large, heart-shaped leaves, some of them on stems four or five feet high, grow up from the rootstalk of the A’pe plant. The name (pronounced Ah-pay) is a Hawaiian word first applied to a native species which has glossy, green leaves and greenish yellow flowers. Another A’pe (the one illustrated on Plate XVI ) has dull leaves and pinkish flowers. The strange flowers are a foot long and have an unpleasant odor. The A’pes are closely related to the Taros (Colocasias) which are the principle fo

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