This is a view of the base of the petioles (leaf stems) of a traveler’s palm (Ravenala madagascariensis). It’s not a true palm but a member of the family Strelitzia with flowers similar to some bird of paradise flowers.
Category Archives: Trees
Abstracts: Trees from above
These dense trees can be found in the vicinity of Kilauea Volcano and show that nature thrives if it is spared by the lava flows. This view reminds me of broccoli.
Kou tree
Kou (Cordia subcordata) is an indigenous tree that was also brought over by Polynesian settlers. It was highly prized for its wood, which was used to make bowls and other containers.
The flowers are beautiful, too. Less than two inches across, they grow in clumps, which are sometimes hidden by the shiny green leaves. The flowers are followed by small, round green fruits (seen in the photos to the left and below) which harden to a dark brown and contain white seeds.
The flowers on this tree were popular with a variety of insects including a honey bee, above, and a paper wasp (Polistes exclamans), below.
Long-tailed blue butterfly
I think this is a long-tailed blue butterfly, otherwise known as the bean butterfly. It’s a pest on beans and peas and also wild legumes. My only question about the identification is that the tail, normally seen where the black spots are, is not visible here. But it’s possible that this butterfly has suffered a bit of damage in that area. Some butterflies look so beaten up that it’s a wonder that they’re able to fly at all.
It’s resting on the flowers of a mamane tree.
Royal poinciana
Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) is also known as the flame tree. As well as producing a stunning array of crimson flowers, it has lacy-looking leaves and produces long, distinctive seed pods.
I noticed this tree, tucked away at the end of a small commercial area in Kawaihae. The top photo shows an array of flowers. The flowers consist of four red petals with a fifth upright petal which is more yellow and white, as in the photo to the right. The photo below shows three of the seed pods which start out green before turning brown. At the bottom is the full tree. It can do well close to the ocean, as this one is, because it’s salt tolerant.
Abstracts: Tall trees
I think these are Cook pines, but what I liked was that there was a long line of extremely tall trees that formed this abstract kind of wall.
Cannonball tree flowers
I’ve posted a photo of a cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) before, here. That one focused on the cannonballs that give the tree its name. On this occasion I was taken by the flowers which can vary in color from pink to deep red. These flowers were on the pink end of the scale. The flowers are also fragrant, especially in the early morning and evening.
The flowers grow directly off the tree trunk and all the way up, but it takes a closer look to really appreciate how beautiful they are.
Abstracts: Rainbow Falls banyans
The main attraction of Wailuku River State Park, in Hilo, is Rainbow Falls. But at the top of the hill are these huge banyan trees.
Banyans are not just a huge sprawl of branches, but a sprawl of roots, too. As epiphytes they begin life growing on other trees, from seeds dispersed there by birds. Over time, they send roots down to the ground, known as prop roots, which help support the mass of branches.
Banyan trees are also known as strangler figs because their roots and branches will ultimately overwhelm the host tree and kill it. Eventually, the dead host will decay and leave a hollow center to the banyan tree that’s left.
By continuing to send down prop roots, banyans grow out as well as up. Very old trees can cover a huge area. For example, the Great Banyan Tree in Kolkata, India is more than 250 years old. Its covers around four acres and has more than 3,500 prop roots. Here in Hawaii, the largest banyan grows in Lahaina on Maui. Planted in 1873, it now has 16 main trunks and covers two thirds of an acre.
The Rainbow Falls trees aren’t that large, but they’re coming along nicely.
Graham's Island 