Identification key (1) Dieffenbachia (2) Green Ti (3) Pothos (4) Red Ti (5) Caladium (6) Monstera (7) Rhoeo (8) A’pe
CUP OF GOLD
Solandra guttata Don
One of the most magnificent flowers in Hawaii is the great Cup of Gold blossom. It could be more appropriately called a golden chalice than a mere cup, for the blossom is nine inches long above its stem-like tube, and wide and curving in outline. It is the rich golden color of a ripe banana, and brownish streaks on the petals increase this suggestion. Its fragrance, however, is the deep, heady scent of ripe apricots. The huge buds, waxen in texture, when they once start to unfold, move so rapidly that the backward curving movement may be easily observed. The plant blooms in the winter and spring months. Its leaves are large and rather pointed. ([Plate XII])
There is a very similar flower which is cream-white in color, hence called the Silver Cup. This is Solandra grandiflora. These two are members of the Potato family. They are natives of Mexico and tropical America, where they are called in Spanish, Copa de Oro.
BLEEDING HEART. BAG FLOWER
Clerodendron thomsonae Balfour
The quaint little red and white flowers of this vine appear in clusters during the winter and spring months. The vine is usually rather small and is often grown in pots. The crimson portion is the true flower, while the “heart” or “bag” is the white calyx. The red flower is composed of a slender tube extending beyond the calyx and spreading into five lobes. A group of fine stamens protrudes beyond the flower. The leaves are opposite, oblong-ovate, and slightly rough to the touch.
This Clerodendron, which is a member of the Verbena family, is a native of West Africa. ([Plate XIII])