Category Archives: Flowers

Sausage tree

A sausage tree (Kigelia Africana) on the Big Island of HawaiiThe fruits of a sausage tree (Kigelia Africana) on the Big Island of Hawaii

The sausage tree (Kigelia Africana), as its botanical name suggests, is an import from Africa. It’s also one of the easiest trees to identify. Long stems hanging from the branches bear first the flowers, then the large, sausage-shaped fruits. These fruits can be as much as 2 feet long and weigh up to 15 pounds, though usually they’re somewhat smaller. Not the place for a picnic though.

The bottom photo shows stages in the transition from a flower beginning to bloom, to shedding petals, to fruit forming.

Flowers form and become fruit on a sausage tree (Kigelia Africana) on the Big Island of Hawaii

Hawai‘i ‘amakihi

A Hawaii Amakihi about to feed on mamane flowers.A Hawaii Amakihi about to feed on mamane flowers.

‘Amakihi are endemic honeycreepers and the different islands have slightly different versions of the bird. The Hawai‘i ‘amakihi is very similar to the Maui ‘amakihi, but the O‘ahu and Kaua‘i birds have more noticeable differences. They’re one native bird that has adapted relatively well to changing habitat and introduced diseases including avian malaria.

This one was feeding from bright yellow māmane flowers at the Palila Forest Discovery Trail on the southwest slope of Mauna Kea.

 

Rose grape

A rose grape blooms in Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
This week’s posts are in response to the WordPress photo challenge on the theme of ‘evanescent.’

A few times a year, I like to visit Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, which is just north of Hilo on the east side of the Big Island. It’s a wonderful garden, set in a fairly deep gully, with a wide array of plants.

In tropical Hawaii, plants do well year round, but there are still seasons. Different plants flower at different times, so each visit is different. The nice thing about this is there’s always something new to see, such as this rose grape (Medinilla magnifica). The downside is that when I get home and look at my photos, I realize I don’t know what half of the plants are. So I figure I’ll see if I can find a tag next time I visit. But next time, the plant’s not flowering so I have trouble locating exactly what I was looking at.

Ultimately it boils down to me making a mental note to come back, same time next year, when it will be flowering again. Unfortunately, my mental notes have no chance of surviving that long, so the next year I see the flower again, take a new photo, and it’s not until I get home that I realize I already have a photo, still don’t know what it is, and will need to return next year etc., etc., etc.

But the thing is, I don’t really mind this. I just enjoy being at the garden, and appreciating the moments while I’m there.

For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Doritaenopsis hybrid orchid

A Doritaenopsis hybrid orchid at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
As with most of my orchid photos, I include the words ‘I think’ when it comes to talking about what it is. I think this is a Doritaenopsis hybrid. Doritaenopsis orchids are a cross of Phaleanopsis and Doritis orchids, in this case Champion Lightning and Chianxen Magpie. This one was at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Chocolate ball ginger

Chocolate ball ginger (Zingiber macradenium) is a beehive ginger, so-called because of their shape and composition.
Chocolate ball ginger (Zingiber macradenium) is a beehive ginger, so-called because of their shape and composition. Their form means the many little cups are great collectors of water. They probably make great drinking spots for geckos, birds and other small creatures. Probably also a great environment for breeding mosquitoes.

For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.