Hawaiian Flowers

by Loraine E. Kuck; Richard C. Tongg

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])

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])

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.

Chapter II
THE BLOSSOMING TREES

Hawaii’s most impressive floral displays are the flowering trees which line the streets and fill the gardens. They rival, in the masses of their flowers, the fruit trees of the mainland, but they possess colorings of tropical brilliance which have no rivals outside of warm countries. Moreover, instead of blooming for a few brief days, or at most, weeks, these trees continue in bloom for months at a time. Some of them never cease. About the middle of June, there is a period when the display is at its best. This is when all the shower trees are out, the early ones still lingering, the later ones coming on, and when the red of the Poinciana, and the blue of the Jacaranda, add their hues to the galaxy of yellows and pinks. At this time, too, the Plumerias bring white and rose to the scene. Midwinter finds most of these gone, but the African Tulip flowers are then a fiery crown on many trees and some trees, like the canary colored Be-still, continue their flowering all the year round.

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 ungainly in appearance, its smooth, slender, light grey trunk lifting the branches high in the air far beyond reach. But when the flowers suddenly appear on the bare branches, it seems like the touch of Midas, for they are shining masses of the purest gold, or like crystallized sunshine. The breathtaking color is intensified by the necessity of looking up at them against the vivid blue of a spring sky.

The tree is a member of the Bignonia family, and individual flowers are of typical Bignonia form, a slightly irregular tube with five lobes, irregularly margined. The leaves which appear after the flowers fall are, on older specimens, of compound form made up of opposite leaflets. On young trees the leaflets radiate from a common center.

The chief specimen of this tree grows in the Foster Gardens, now a public park, but originally the home of Dr. William Hillebrand, who must have planted it along with the many other novelties which he introduced. A second tree now grows across School street in a small nursery garden and a fine specimen is found in Moanalua gardens. Still another grows in the school grounds across from the Nuuanu YMCA.

It is a native of tropical America. ([Plate II])

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 afternoon, touched by the level yellow rays of the declining sun.

The tree may become forty feet high, if growing under favorable conditions, but if the roots are cramped it remains quaintly dwarfed. Although bare for a short season in winter, the general flowering season of the Poinciana is long, for some trees begin to bloom early in spring, while others wait until late summer to open. June is the month when most of them are in bloom and the streets are consequently most gorgeous.

Individual Poinciana flowers, which have to be looked for closely to be distinguished in the masses of bloom at the end of the branches, have five petals. One of these is white, on the flag-red trees, or yellow on those tending toward scarlet coloring. These light touches give a piquant effect to the mass of color. Long, curved, brown pods hang on the tree for months after flowers and leaves have gone, and show that this tree is a member of the legume family.

The flowers usually appear on the bare tree before the new foliage comes out, but in a short time the leaves appear and for some weeks the green and red colorings remain together. The leaves are fernlike, bipinnate in form, with very small leaflets. Even when the flowers have fallen to form a carpet of red underneath the green tree, it is graceful and attractive.

It is a native of the island of Madagascar and was named for de Poinci, a governor of the Antilles in the 17th century. The French have given it another name, Flamboyant, by which it is widely known all over the tropical world and one which is particularly appropriate.

No visitor to Hawaii can miss the Poinciana, but the row that grows along Wilder avenue is perhaps the most effective, although individual large trees elsewhere may be more impressive for size and form. ([Plate II])

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 two inches across. It has five joined segments which give it almost a pentagonal outline. The color is a rich purple-blue when it first opens, but this fades to a pale blue and then almost white. In the center is a golden yellow column made of the thick anthers.

The tree grows very rapidly. Its leaves are large, about a foot long, and irregularly lobed. They carry a few sharp thorns along the back of the midrib. The plant is a native of Mexico. ([Plate II])

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 of a pointed claw or feline toe-nail.

The leaves, which appear soon after the flowers, are made up of three triangular leaflets. The pod is black and contains dark red seeds. The branches are thorny.

This tree is a native of tropical Asia and a member of the legume family. There is a fine specimen growing in the grounds of Iolani Palace which blooms in January or February. Others grow on Punchbowl street near Beretania, and in the grounds of the Central Intermediate School.

A closely related tree, which is native to the Hawaiian islands, is called the Wili-wili by the native people. Botanically it is Erythrina monosperma. It grows in dry places on the islands where it is conspicuous for its pale red, orange or yellowish flowers, similar in form to the Indian Tiger’s claw. The bright red seeds of this Wili-wili were made into leis by the Hawaiians, but nowadays most of the red seed-leis are made from the Adenanthera pavonina, known as false Wili-wili. Adenanthera trees, which have unusual, curling pods filled with the bright red seeds, grow in Thomas Square where the seeds may be picked up in the Spring.

The wood of the Hawaiian Wili-wili is very light, and so was used for making the outrigger log of canoes. ([Plate II])

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 America, it grows in India and in the temple gardens of Ceylon, where it is known by the romantic name of Frangipani. In Honolulu it is extensively planted in cemeteries, from which it is known as the Graveyard flower.

The flower varies from almost white to yellow, with yellow centers. Another species with rich, cerise, colored flowers is the Plumeria rubra. These two have crossed and produced a wide range of flowers with pink or peach colorings. One hybrid, of particularly striking apricot color was produced by Gerrit Wilder. A specimen may be seen on Manoa Road near the top of Punahou hill.

The Plumeria tree has a few stiff, blunt branches. At their tips, the clusters of flowers appear in early spring, when the tree is still bare, creating a highly picturesque effect. A little later the foliage appears and the tree continues to bloom the rest of the year. The flowers have five, waxy petals joining in a short tube. The leaves, which also cluster toward the tips of the branches, are very long and pointed at each end, hence the name acutifolia. When cut, the stems exude a milky juice.

This tree is a member of the Periwinkle family.

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 fruit is a nut which is poisonous. Green at first it turns brown, then black.

The tree never becomes very large, twenty feet being about its maximum height. It always has a fresh look, even when growing in dry places, due to the light color of the leaves. The slender foliage suggests that of the Oleander (Nerium), accounting for its specific name of nereifolia, and this association also accounts for the common name of Yellow Oleander, which, however, is entirely wrong.

The tree is a member of the Periwinkle family and a native of tropical America. ([Plate II])

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 yellowish also, with red streaks. The flowers grow in circular masses of closely crowded buds, a few developing at a time, so that the tree seems to be ever-blooming. The flowers grow out of a spathe-like calyx from which is derived the generic name of Spathodea. They are followed by boat-shaped pods, some two feet long, which split open and spill out masses of shining, flaky, winged seeds.

The leaves are large and compound in structure, made up of three or four pairs, and an end leaflet. The leaves are dark green in color, leathery and with conspicuous veining.

The tree is a member of the Bignonia family and a native of tropical Africa. Specimens grow in Kamanele Park, Manoa. ([Plate II])

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, golden, yellow flowers have five petals, clearly veined. Like all the shower trees, which belong to the Pea family, the yellow flowers are built on the general plan of a pea blossom, but the five petals are very nearly of the same size and shape. From the center of the flower project the long curving pistil and some stamens. This pistil develops into a straight, cylindrical, black pod, sometimes three feet in length. It has given the name of Pudding-pipe to the tree in India. This long “pipe” is the Cassia pod of commerce, a cathartic being made out of its sticky brown pulp. The tree is a native of tropical Asia.

Golden Shower trees line both sides of Pensacola street between Lunalilo and Wilder avenues. They are at their best in June and July. ([Plate III])

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 blossoms. The tree is deciduous and flowers often precede the leaves, but these shortly appear, adding contrast to the total effect, with their fresh green. The leaves are of feather form with many pairs of rounded, medium sized, leaflets.

Each flower is made up of five petals, from the center of which grows a tuft of stamens. The calyx and stem is dark red. Each petal is palest pink or white, with deeper pink veinings, giving the name of Pink and White shower. Eventually, too, the pale pink fades adding to the variegated effect. The tree remains in bloom for months, with June as its peak. It never becomes very large and is often quaintly irregular in form. Long, cylindrical, brown, seed pods hang on when flowers and leaves have fallen. It is a native of tropical Asia.

This tree is grown widely as a street tree in Honolulu, Piikoi street between Wilder and Lunalilo being a good place to see it. There are, also, some fine specimens along Nuuanu avenue. ([Plate III])

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 white stamens grows from the center. The flowers appear in the cooler months, with spring as the finest season. They are scentless.

The leaves of this Bauhinia, as of others, are peculiarly shaped being deeply cleft into two rounded lobes, so that they suggest the wings of a green moth. Insects find the leaves very succulent, so they are usually full of holes, or completely eaten.

The tree is a native of India where its bark is used for tanning and dyeing, while its leaves and flower buds are used as a vegetable. ([Plate III])

A pink-flowering member of the Bauhinia family is called the St. Thomas tree and is Bauhinia monandra. This has similar lobed leaves and pink flowers, both being smaller than on the Orchid tree. The main pink petal is dotted with crimson and the tree is very gay when in bloom. After the flowers fall it hangs full of pods.

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 being rounded, velvety balls of delicate, pinkish lavender. The flowers hang in short racemes from the branches completely covering them in good specimens. Like the pink and white they have five petals, but are smaller and more evenly colored. Stamens and pistils project from the center. The leaves follow the first blossoms closely, the new foliage being pinkish. Leaves are pinnate, with the leaflets rather large. The pods are cylindrical and dark brown.

Unlike the other showers, which come from Asia, this tree is a native of tropical America.

Liholiho street, between Wilder and Lunalilo is bordered with these trees and a fine specimen stands on Punahou campus. ([Plate III])

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 either of the parents, a result, no doubt, of combining the numerous flowers of the Pink and White with the spreading growth of the Golden Shower. At the height of their bloom, some of these trees appear to be almost solid with great fluffy masses of color.

Hues vary from palest cream and lemon yellow through all manner of peach and apricot tints to some that are a rosy orange. Flowers of individual trees often hold two tones, resulting in this variety of coloring. This is an effect that is enhanced frequently by the difference between the inside and outside of the petals, the buds being of a different color from the full blown flowers. There is a great difference, also, in the form of individual flowers.

There is considerable variation in the blooming period, but on the whole the Rainbow Shower trees come out later than the others, with July and August as the months of greatest bloom. They may be seen on Farrington street between Wilder and Beretania, and there are some fine individual specimens, one on Lunalilo street between Pensacola and Kapiolani, another on Makiki above Nehoa. A fine, clear, yellow flowering tree, sometimes mistaken for a pure Golden Shower, stands in Kamanele Park. ([Plate III])

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 same down also covers the young growth and the midrib of the leaves. Individual flowers have five crepe petals of about the same size. The larger, triangular heads of bloom, are made up of smaller clusters. The reddish brown pods which follow the flowers remain on the tree for a long time. They are thin and flat and hold three or four seeds. The leaves are bipinnate, composed of many small rounded leaflets. There is no period when the tree is bare.

This tree, a member of the legume family, is a native of Malaya and the East Indies. It grows widely in Honolulu, with several fine specimens in the grounds of Iolani Palace. ([Plate III])

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 middle of Vineyard street, near Nuuanu.

The flowers are like short tassels made up of tufts of silky, pink stamens. They grow on short stems in bunches near the ends of the branches, and cover the tree lightly during the spring and summer. They are followed by the thick, dark, pods, which hang on the tree until the following spring. Leaves are compound in structure, made up of opposite pairs of pointed leaflets which fold together in the late afternoon. The leaves fall in spring, and, together with the drift of falling flowers, which comes a little later, and the hail of old seed pods, give the Monkeypod the name of being the dirtiest of Hawaii’s trees. Owners who never finish sweeping up under them always remark, however, that the beauty of the giant tree is worth the trouble.

This tree is a legume, a native of Central America and the West Indies, where its native name is zaman, from which its scientific name is derived. ([Plate IV])

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 native of Australia. It is not yet very common in Hawaii, but examples may be seen on the University of Hawaii campus near Dean Hall. ([Plate IV])

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 spring, and the tree is bare for a short time.

The flowers, which appear in large, loose, clusters at the ends of the branches, are individually shaped like bells, with two lips, one with two lobes, the other with three. Their color is a soft, lavender blue. The blossoming period is erratic, varying from midwinter to early autumn, but on the whole it is most conspicuous in spring. On individual trees, this blooming period is not very long, but different trees vary as to the season when the flowers appear, so that one may usually be found in flower. The blossoms fall in masses, repeating their color on the ground like a reflection of the tree above.

The seed pods are of curious shape, round and rather flat. They have been worn as costume jewelry, when lacquered in gay colors and attached to ribbons.

Jacaranda belongs to the Bignonia family and is a native of Brazil, where it got its name. A fine specimen grows on Punahou campus. Others are along Nehoa street, near Makiki, and on Manoa road at Kamehameha avenue, and also on Makiki Heights Road. ([Plate IV])

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 the China-berry family and a native of China, from which it was undoubtedly brought directly to Hawaii by some returning traveler. It is still found growing mostly in the gardens of Chinese residents. There is a good specimen in the Mid-Pacific Horticultural Establishment. ([Plate IV])

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 “nightcap” type of calyx, which slips off as the flower opens. The narrow waxen petals are numerous and grow around the greenish pistil. The flowers are rather inconspicuous but easily found by the scent, which is heavy, sweet and rather musky.

The tree grows upright and never attains great size. Its leaves are glossy, leathery, rather pointed and about eight inches in length. ([Plate IV])

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 like the cup of an acorn. The bud splits into five parts, which peel backward like a banana, and curl into a spiral. These are the petals, purplish brown outside, silky white within. The conspicuous part of the flower is the great pompon of pink stamens, an exploding rocket of color. The stamens are about five inches long.

Except when in bloom the tree is inconspicuous. Its foliage is made up of five radiating leaflets. The tree is a native of South America and a member of the Bombax family.

The species is said to produce pods in which the seeds are embedded in a cotton wool. It is, indeed, closely related to the Kapok tree which produces the kapok of commerce. (For an example of this tree, Ceiba pentandra, see the Foster gardens.) But in Honolulu the single specimen of Bombax has never produced seeds nor has it been propagated by other means, so that the tree in Queen’s Hospital grounds has no rivals in interest although others are known to be growing in the Islands. ([Plate IV])

Chapter III
NATIVE TREES

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

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

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 lifted off the ground, by being trained over some strong support, they form a thick green roof which keeps out light showers. These arbors are called Hau lanais in Hawaii. They have been made at many places along Waikiki beach, one of the best being on the seaward side of the Halekulani hotel. Here the central tree is very old, its trunk, gnarled and twisted and several feet through, creating an unusually impressive specimen.

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

The bent branches of the Hau furnish the crooked sticks used to attach the outrigger log to native canoes. And as might be expected of such a unique tree, many legends cluster around it. ([Plate V])

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 they often create curious spirals. On older trees the leaves have a tendency to form tufts at the ends of the branches. These branches divide in pairs, the tree forming a series of ascending Y’s.

The most striking feature of this tree is the way in which it sometimes puts out aerial roots to support the main trunk. These roots grow out and downward, as stiff and straight as a stilt, propping up the tree in what seems an entirely artificial manner. Such roots seem to appear only when the plant needs them, when it is old and heavy or when the soil is moist and loose and does not offer a firm hold.

Male and female flowers grow on different Hala trees. The male flowers, called Hinano Hala, appear as a long, white, pendulous cluster of blossoms, the showy portion being the bracts. They have many stamens and the flower is extremely fragrant. In Hawaii these male flowers are not so frequently seen as the female. The latter appear as a solid, round ball at the ends of the branches, looking a good deal like the fruit of a pineapple, (see [Plate V]). It is a standard joke to point these out to tourists as proof that pineapples grow on trees.

The Hala fruit is a drupe, the various sections colored orange and very smooth and shining. When separated, the sweet scented fleshy part is strung into leis by the Hawaiians, making one of the most curious of these native garlands.

The long, fibrous leaves are called Lauhala and are split and woven into many products. Lauhala floor mats are frequently seen, while finer work is done in making purses, hats and fans.

A relative of the Hala tree is a vine (Freycinetia arnottii), called Ie-ie in Hawaiian. Its male flowers are a bright scarlet, and form a conspicuous sight in the cooler mountain forests where it grows wild.

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; sometimes however, they are white, pink or yellow, for the plant is extremely varied. The leaves are small and often reddish when young.

The Hawaiian people believe that this beautiful red flower is sacred to Pele, the goddess of the volcano. If a flower is picked she may show her anger by sending rain, but if an offering of a flower is first made to her, then others may be taken safely. The flowers are made into leis—the Sweet Lei-Lehua of the song—which are highly regarded.

The Ohia wood is dark, hard and very beautiful, much used for floors and fine carving. The early Hawaiians made images of their gods from it, as well as spears and other implements.

The Lehua is a member of the Myrtle family and found on various South Sea islands. ([Plate V])

Another shrub, (Calliandra haematoma) has been introduced into Hawaii and is now known as the Haole Lehua, that is, the foreign Lehua. It has tufts of red flowers, very like those of the native plant, but they are larger and even more showy than the true Lehua. During the winter and spring, leis are made of these and are often seen, being casually called Lehua leis.

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 extracted in Hawaii. The tree belongs to the Mangosteen family and is found widely through the tropics. The nut may have floated to the shores of Hawaii or possibly some early Polynesian voyager brought it in his double canoe.

True Kamani trees grow on the campus of the University of Hawaii. They may also be seen on a ride around the island, growing near the beach. ([Plate V])

A tree called locally False Kamani, is the Terminalia catappa. Its large leaves and the fact that it, too, grows near the sea probably caused it to be given this name. The special characteristic of this tree is the way its large leaves turn red before they fall in winter. A scattering of these big red leaves on the tree is very noticeable, and when the whole tree finally turns red it becomes a conspicuous object. New, shining green leaves shortly follow the old. A fine example of this tree grows in the grounds of Iolani Palace.

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 characteristic thing about the Koa is its sickle-shaped leaf, like those found on many other members of the Acacia group. It is not a true leaf, however, but the flattened, grayish-green petiole, or leaf stem, modified to serve as a leaf. Such a modification is called a phyllode. The true leaves grow on young trees and sometimes appear on new growth. They are bipinnate, or fernlike, with many small leaflets. Both true and modified leaves are shown in [Plate V], but no flowers. Koa flowers are very inconspicuous, being small, creamy balls of stamens and pistils, like so many of the other Acacia flowers. They are followed by numerous small, brown pods.

The tall straight trunk of the Koa tree was used by the early Hawaiians to make canoes. A fine tree growing in the mountain was selected by the kahuna, or wise man of the village, and laboriously cut down with stone adzes. Then the whole village turned out to help drag it to the water’s edge. Here it was hollowed and shaped with stone implements. Finally, it was colored and the out-rigger attached, the entire process taking months, perhaps years.

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 home over a wide area in the South Seas and the Asiatic tropics. It is found growing on the beaches and is said to have shaded the grass hut home at Waikiki of the first King Kamehameha. ([Plate V])

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 crepe-like in texture. Opening in clusters of three or four at a time, they make a gay showing over the small tree on which they grow. The leaves are very rough and shaped like a heart. Several trees grow on Young street between Piikoi and Pensacola streets. ([Plate V])

The wood of the native Kou was highly prized for making the wooden bowls from which the Hawaiians ate.

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 pointed lobes, another has lobes which have flattened into almost regular form. The leaves are covered with a grayish down, which is particularly heavy on the under side, giving the tree its light appearance.

The white flowers are very small with five petals. They come in soft, massed clusters, male and female flowers growing separately on the same tree. The male appear on the upper branches, the female on the lower. They are not very different in appearance, but the male (illustrated on [Plate V]) has slightly broader petals. The Kukui is the special flower of Molokai.

The round green fruit contains a nut which was very useful to the early Hawaiians. Containing a high percentage of oil, it was used to make a candle-like torch, by stringing the nuts on the slender midrib of a coconut leaflet. Sixty or seventy nuts would burn an entire evening. The nut is also edible, although purgative in its action especially when not roasted. A pinch of ground, roasted Kukui nut is always served at luaus.

This tree is a member of the Euphorbia family. It grows widely over the South Seas.

Chapter IV
TROPICAL SHRUBS

Hawaii has a wealth of flowering shrubs, most of them introduced from other tropical regions to augment the few which are native. These shrubs make up the larger portion of island gardens, since many of the annuals and perennials of the temperate zone do not grow well in a warm climate. Many of the shrubs have unusual flower forms and others create spectacular effects with masses of color.

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, with wavy margins and prominent venation. The stems and pedicels are downy, and the latter have a tendency to turn red as the leaf matures.

This exotic looking shrub comes from South China and India. It is a member of the Verbena family. Specimens grow in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel garden and Thomas Square. ([Plate VI])

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. They grow as spreading clusters at the ends of the branches.

This shrub, a member of the Verbena family, is a native of tropical America. It is grown in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel garden. ([Plate VI])

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 size. It is a native of tropical America and a member of the Acanthus family. It grows in the garden of the Royal Hawaiian hotel. ([Plate VI])

[Plate V]
NATIVE TREES—CHAPTER III

Identification key (1) Hau (2) Hala (3) Ohia Lehua (4) Kamani (5) Koa (6) Milo (7) Kou (8) Kukui

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[Plate VI]
TROPICAL SHRUBS—CHAPTER IV

Identification key (1) Pagoda Flower (2) Golden Dewdrop (3) Shrimp Plant (4) Flowering Eranthemum (5) Madagascar Periwinkle (6) Rondeletia (7) Star Jasmine (8) Galphimia (9) Plumbago (10) Ixora

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[Plate VII]
TROPICAL SHRUBS—CHAPTER IV

Identification key (1) Candle Bush (2) Coral Plant (3) Lipstick Plant (4) Brunfelsia (5) Cotton (6) Ilima (7) Thunbergia (8) Mock Orange (9) Justicia

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[Plate VIII]
TROPICAL SHRUBS—CHAPTER IV

Identification key (1) Dwarf Poinciana (2) Chenille Plant (3) Cape Honeysuckle (4) Crepe Myrtle (5) Crown Flower (6) Beach Naupaka (7) Purple Lantana (8) Pikake (9) Crown of Thorns (10) Singapore Holly

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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 or Polynesia. Specimens may be seen in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel garden. ([Plate VI])

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 leaves are greyish, long, narrow, with blunt tips. It is a cosmopolitan in the tropics and can be found growing on the University of Hawaii grounds. ([Plate VI])

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])

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 of the shoots. They are pointed and slightly velvety. This plant is widely used in Honolulu. It is a native of tropical Asia, and like all the Jasmines, belongs to the Olive family. ([Plate VI])

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])

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 of Good Hope, as its name indicates. It gives the name of Plumbago to its family. ([Plate VI])

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 scented. The shrub has fine, large, glossy foliage suggestive of that of the Coffee, of which family it is a member. It is a native of Malaya.

There is a tendency in Honolulu to mispronounce the name as if it were spelled Exoria. ([Plate VI])

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 feet long. The leaf is made up of many pairs of large leaflets, which increase in size from the base to the tip. The plant is probably a native of tropical America, but is widely grown in the tropics.

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])

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 purpose in tropical America, where they are native. The name Lipstick plant was produced locally on the spur of the moment when a name was needed, based on the way the red material smeared the skin.

Flowers of this plant, which appear in summer, are pale orchid pink, the five petals surrounding a central mass of lavender stamens. The foliage is dark green and prominently veined. The shrub may attain almost the proportions of a small tree. Specimens grow in Iolani Palace grounds across from the Library of Hawaii. The plant is a member of the Bixa family. ([Plate VII])

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. A specimen grows on Metcalf street near Hunnewell. ([Plate VII])

Another Brunfelsia grows in Honolulu with white flowers which turn a deep cream as they grow older. This is B. americana, a native of tropical America. It is almost scentless by day, but develops fragrance after dark. Both are members of the nightshade family.

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 plant for a long time, suggesting a different kind of blossom. In Hawaii the local cotton is sometimes gathered and used for homemade mattresses, but it is inferior in quality.

Cotton leaves are heart-shaped and velvety, due to whitish hairs which cover them and give a greyish green appearance to the plant. ([Plate VII])

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 places. It also grows on other South Sea islands.

Leis made of these thin, silky flowers are the originals of the often-seen orange paper leis, like paper ropes about an inch in diameter. The paper leis, which are so artificial looking, are nevertheless really very much like the flower originals. The true Ilima lei has the soft texture of flesh, created by great numbers of the flowers being strung flatly together. In early days such leis were reserved for royalty and they are still called the royal lei. The Ilima is the flower of the Island of Oahu. ([Plate VII])

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, about five feet high. Its slender branches bear small opposite leaves, rather pointed at either end. It is a native of tropical west Africa and belongs to the Acanthus family. ([Plate VII])

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 filled with a large seed. It is not edible, but very bitter.

Between periods of bloom the shrub, which may become a small tree, remains attractive in its small, glossy, dark green foliage. Leaves are compound, the leaflets being about two inches long and pointed. This shrub is a native of tropical Asia and widely grown. ([Plate VII])

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 native of tropical America and belongs to the Acanthus family. ([Plate VII])

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 project from the center. Unlike Poinciana, the plant blooms most of the year. Flat seedpods follow the flowers. There is an all-yellow flowered form.

The leaves are doubly compound, with many small rounded leaflets along the pinnae. It is a legume, and widely grown in the tropics. In India it is the sacred flower of Siva. Specimens grow in the University of Hawaii grounds. ([Plate VIII])

A similar plant with flowers of bright yellow but with conspicuous, long, red stamens is Caesalpinia gilliesii, sometimes called Bird of Paradise.

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 member of the Euphorbia family and a native of the East Indies. ([Plate VIII])

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, reveals its native home to be South Africa.

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. The bark, when the plant attains tree size, is so smooth that in some Oriental countries, where it is native, it is called a “monkey slide” tree. ([Plate VIII])

A large tree in the Foster Garden bears heads of lavender bloom in summer, making a very striking appearance. This tree is Lagerstroemia speciosa.

Crepe myrtles belong to the Henna family and are natives of the Far East.

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 beads; indeed, they have been imitated in carved ivory, perhaps the best of all the imitation flower leis.

The shrub grows rather tall. It is whitish, the stems and thick leaves being covered with down. When cut, the stems give off a milky juice as do other members of the Milkweed family. This plant is a native of India, where, like the Caesalpinia, it is sacred to Siva. ([Plate VIII])

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 five petals have purple streaks. Leaves of the Beach Naupaka are thick and grey-green because of a velvety down. They become broader toward the tips than toward the base.

A plant with such an odd flower would be certain to have had legends created about it. They are several in Hawaii, usually on the theme of lovers parted, typified by the incomplete blossom.

The plant belongs to the Goodenia family. It may be seen growing along the seawall of the Halekulani hotel or along the shore lines of the Islands. ([Plate VIII])

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 Lantana belongs to the Verbena family, accounting for the similarity. The trailing purple Lantana comes from South America. ([Plate VIII])

The familiar red and yellow Lantana camara is often seen in Hawaii growing wild beside the road. It is an “escape” from gardens. At one time it threatened all island agriculture, for without natural checks in the new territory to which it had been introduced it formed dense thickets which could hardly be eradicated. It was finally controlled by introducing parasites from tropical America, where it is native.

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 to make an attractive showing.

It is this Jasmine that is grown commercially in China and added to tea leaves to make Jasmine tea.

Its peculiar Hawaiian name (pronounced peacocki), was probably derived from association with the white peacocks which used to wander through Ainahau, the beautiful estate at Waikiki where the Princess Kaiulani lived in the nineties. The lei of Jasmine flowers was the favorite of this young heiress to the Hawaiian throne and by a natural association of favorites, her lei and her birds were called by the same name. ([Plate VIII])

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 the parking strip before the Advertiser building. The plant is a native of Madagascar, and a member of the Euphorbia family. ([Plate VIII])

It is a cousin of the Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima from Mexico, which grows very luxuriously in Hawaii.

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. ([Plate VIII])

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 Madagascar and a member of the Cocoa family. A white flowering shrub of similar appearance is the Dombeya spectabilis. A specimen grows in the University of Hawaii grounds. ([Plate IX])

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 the year, but are best in spring and early summer. ([Plate IX]) The Hawaiian name has been transferred to this plant from a native Cassia of similar appearance, C. gaudichaudii.

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 garland of marabou feathers. The shrub has small compound leaves and grows twelve feet tall. The flowers are followed by brown seedpods, showing the plant to be a member of the bean family. It is a native of tropical America. ([Plate IX])

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 native of Burma and a member of the Coffee family. ([Plate IX])

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 “beans” of commerce.

The Arabian coffee plant grows best at levels cooler than the average in Honolulu, so the plant is seen on Tantalus and in the high valleys. It is grown commercially in the Kona district, on the Island of Hawaii and the product has been given the name of Kona coffee. Most of the world’s coffee is made from this species, which was originally native to tropical East Africa, but was introduced very early into Arabia. ([Plate IX])

Another coffee plant grown in Honolulu is Coffea liberica, also a native of tropical Africa. It grows under slightly warmer conditions than the other and so does better in Honolulu. It is larger than C. arabica, becoming a small tree. Coffee plants are related to the fragrant Gardenias, and give their name to the family.

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 slender parts, giving a lacy appearance to the shrub. It grows about ten feet high. ([Plate IX])

Flowers of almost identical form grow on a related plant called Jatropha podagrica. This plant, however, is small and usually grown in pots. It is characterized by a greatly thickened stalk which seems to be a large bulb rising from the ground. Flowers and a few leaves grow from the top of this stem. The leaves of this plant are not divided, as in the shrub, but are either entire or lobed. Both are natives of Central America, and belong to the Euphorbia family.

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 with velvety green hairs which create a silver sheen. They are marked laterally by several conspicuous veins. Old leaves scattered over the plant turn bright scarlet and are as noticeable as flowers.

The plant grows as a spreading shrub. It is a native of Brazil and a member of the Melastoma family. ([Plate IX])

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. The leaves are very glossy and thick, growing opposite each other on the stem. The plant is a member of the Periwinkle family. It may be seen growing along the Makiki side of the Round Top road. ([Plate IX])

[Plate IX]
TROPICAL SHRUBS—CHAPTER IV

Identification key (1) Dombeya (2) Cup and Saucer (3) Kalamona (4) Haole Lehua (5) Coral Bush (6) Lasiandra (7) Kona Coffee (8) Natal Plum

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[Plate X]
COLORED FOLIAGE SHRUBS—CHAPTER V

Identification key (1) Snow Bush (2) Assorted Croton Leaves (3) Purple Eranthemum (4) Golden Eranthemum (5) Panax (6) Spiral Leaved Croton (7) Beefsteak Plant (8) Caricature Plant

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[Plate XI]
FLOWERING VINES—CHAPTER VI

Identification key (1) Yellow Allamanda (2) Pink Allamanda (3) Baby Morning-glory (4) Orange Trumpet Vine (5) “Mauna-loa” (6) Pink Bignonia (7) Wooden Rose

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[Plate XII]
FLOWERING VINES—CHAPTER VI

Identification key (1) Cat’s Claw Vine (2) Galphimia Vine (3) Phanera (4) Giant Potato Vine (5) Sandpaper Vine (6) Orchid Vine (7) Garlic Vine (8) Mexican Creeper (9) Cup of Gold

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Chapter V
COLORED FOLIAGE SHRUBS

If Hawaii does not have an autumn season when all the leaves turn red, it has, nevertheless, certain plants which suggest autumn all the year round, with their gorgeously colored foliage. Brilliant tones of red, orange and gold appear perennially in the leaves of many shrubs, while others are more delicately colored in tints of pink, cream and yellow-green. Still others hold very dark shades of maroon, crimson and purple. On most of these plants the flowers are small and inconspicuous, as if the colored leaves took their place in interest.

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. In some, the pink color turns to a dull red. The leaves are rounded in form, about an inch and a half or two inches in length, and grow alternately on the stem. The latter is dark red, with a tendency toward angularity.

Small greenish flowers sometimes hang from long stems in the axils of the leaves, the male and female flowers being separate.

The plant is a native of the South Seas and a member of the Euphorbia family. It is one of Hawaii’s most attractive and colorful shrubs being often used as a hedge plant. ([Plate X])

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 members of the Euphorbia family.

To illustrate the wide variations in the Croton leaves, specimens of seven different plants are shown in the upper right hand corner of [Plate X] and one more, with spiral leaves, is shown in the lower left hand corner. These eight are perhaps the ones most often seen in Honolulu, but they do not exhaust the local list, and botanical books name many more varieties.

Croton shrubs vary in size, but most of them grow ten or twelve feet tall. Their colors are brightest when growing in full sunlight. Croton leaves remain fresh for some time after they are cut, so that they lend themselves to unusual decorations. The proper name, Codiaeum, may have been derived from the Greek word for head, suggesting that the leaves were used to make crowning wreaths.

The Croton flowers are small and white, growing in slender racemes in the axils of the leaves. There are separate male and female flowers.

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 older. The leaves are opposite, strongly veined and rather unevenly margined. The plant belongs to the Acanthus family, and is a native of the South Sea islands. ([Plate X], 3)

A variety of the purple is the eldorado, a horticultural variation, as bright and sunny in its green and gold coloring as the former is dark and rich, deserving its name of eldorado, the golden. The pointed leaves are margined and blotched in bright yellow, usually with yellow veins. They grow in opposite pairs and have a tendency to appear in bunches near the ends of the stem. The new leaves are in two tones of yellowish green, the more striking coloration of clear yellow developing as they age. ([Plate X], 4)

There is another Eranthemum, bearing purple and white flowers, illustrated in [plate VI].

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 several varieties, differing slightly in the form and coloring of leaflets. Some are a flat green, others are edged in white or yellow, or the reverse. All tend to have irregular toothed margins. The leaves are compound, the leaflets opposite, the stems clasping the branch.

Besides the common hedge plant there are a number of Panax varieties in Hawaii, usually grown as specimen or greenhouse plants. One is very fine and dainty, with deeply cut, irregularly shaped leaves. Another is curly and still another is a giant, with leaves eight inches across.

The Panax very rarely flowers. ([Plate X])

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 street. There are a number of other varieties besides the one with the bright foliage, one having dull rose patches on bronzy leaves.

Insects are attracted to these leaves so that often they are full of holes and sometimes they are reduced to lacy outlines.

Flowers are rather inconspicuous but of two kinds, the male and female. The former appear as small upright spikes of reddish tufts which are the pistils; staminate flowers are brownish and drooping and suggest little rat-tails.

The Acalyphas are members of the Euphorbia family and A. wilkesiana is a native of the Pacific Islands. ([Plate X])

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. The original home of the Graptophyllum is not known, but it grows widely in the tropics and is popular in India. It belongs to the Acanthus family. ([Plate X])

There is another variety with leaves of deep, purplish red and bronze, on which the markings are in a lighter shade.