Tag Archives: Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden

Osmoxylon lineare

Osmoxylon Lineare

Osmoxylon Lineare plantOsmoxylon lineare is also commonly known as miagos bush. It hails from the Philippines and grows to about six feet high. This plant is interesting for its spiky foliage and because the distinctive creamy-white flowers and dark fruits can be seen on the same plant at the same time.

I saw this one at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. I visit there a few times a year, but this was the first time I’d seen this plant blooming, which is why I like going at different times. There’s always something new to see.

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

Guzmania ‘Limones’

Guzmania 'Limones'

Guzmania ‘Limones’ is a colorful bromeliad with an interesting form. It’s native to Central and South America. Guzmanias only flower once and then die, but the bloom lasts a long time, and before they die, they usually produce pups.

This one was at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Guzmania 'Limones' flower

Billbergia nutans

Billbergia nutans

Billbergia nutans detailI took these photos on a recent visit to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. The plant looked somewhat familiar to me, but I couldn’t put a name to it. After rummaging through the garden’s plant database, I finally identified it as billbergia nutans. That name sounded even more familiar and a quick check revealed it was a plant I grew in my (tropical) garden in Washington State. There, it was an annual or one to be overwintered indoors. Here, it grows year-round.

Billbergia nutans is native to South America. It’s commonly known as queens tears or friendship plant, the latter because it is an easy plant to split and share. It’s an epiphytic bromeliad, meaning it is shallow rooted and gets most of its moisture and nutrients from the air and from rainfall through the leaves and flowers.

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

Vireya rhododendron

Vireya Rhododendron

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Thankful.’ (See more responses here.) I mulled a few options but decided to plump for this photo. It’s a vireya rhododendron at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden and I chose this for two reasons. First is that I’m thankful to be able to visit the gardens on a regular basis. There’s always something new to see there. I can happily spend an hour or two wandering around, peering into flowers, and snapping photos of geckos clambering over this, that, and the other.

The second reason is that I feel fortunate to see gorgeous flowers, such as this vireya rhododendron, on a frequent basis. Some I find in a garden setting and some are just blooming roadside. There’s so much variety on the Big Island that a drive of just a few miles can take me to a different climate zone and a whole new world of plants and animals.

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

Phalaenopsis orchid hybrid

Phalaenopsis Orchid blooms

Phalaenopsis Orchid hybridPhalaenopsis orchids are also known as moth orchids because the flower shape resembles a moth in flight. They’re very popular with growers because they’re relatively easy to care for and bloom for a long time. This popularity has also resulted in growers producing numerous hybrids of this orchid.

These blooms were at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, near Hilo. For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Orange

Dendrobium secundum flowers

Dendrobium secundum orchidThis week’s Sunday Stills theme is ‘Orange.’ (See more responses here.) Usually I pick one subject for these challenges, but I had two recent subjects that fit the bill and I couldn’t make up my mind, so I’m including both.

The flower photos are of a dendrobium secundum orchid, which is also known as a toothbrush orchid. The flower color can vary from pale pink to purple with an orange labellum at the tip. These flowers were soft and delicate looking, yet so lush.

The bottom photo is from the recent Ironman race on the island. I liked the pop of this cyclist’s outfit and how his water bottle matched his orange helmet.

Ironman cyclist and old shed