Stiff rosettes about a foot and a half high, made up of pointed leaves which are purplish-red below and green above are the Rhoeo or Tradescantia. This little plant grows so easily it is seen in many gardens, adding color to shady corners. In the axils of the leaves appears a boat-shaped, spathe-like growth in which are the small white flowers. Each has three sepals and three petals. The Rhoeo is a native of Mexico and the West Indies. It is a relative of the Wandering Jew and belongs to the Commelina family. ([Plate XVI])
A’PE
Alocasia macrorhiza Schott
Very large, heart-shaped leaves, some of them on stems four or five feet high, grow up from the rootstalk of the A’pe plant. The name (pronounced Ah-pay) is a Hawaiian word first applied to a native species which has glossy, green leaves and greenish yellow flowers. Another A’pe (the one illustrated on [Plate XVI]) has dull leaves and pinkish flowers. The strange flowers are a foot long and have an unpleasant odor.
The A’pes are closely related to the Taros (Colocasias) which are the principle food plant of the Hawaiian people. The thick root stalk of the taro is boiled and mashed, to become poi.
Footnotes
[1]This is the name by which the tree has been known in Hawaii for many years,
through erroneous determination. C. nodosa is a very different tree.
[2]Costus spicatus is another plant but the name has sometimes been mistakenly applied in Hawaii to Crepe Ginger.
Index
[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] Q [R] [S] [T] U [V] [W] X [Y] [Z]
A Acacia koa, [43] Acalypha hispida, [56] Acalypha wilkesiana, [68] Acapulco, [51] Adansonia digitata, [15] Adenanthera pavonina, [27] African tulip, [13] Aglaia odorata, [36] Aleurites moluccana, [45] Algaroba, [14] Allamanda blanchetti, [72] Allamanda cathartica, [71] Allamanda hendersonii, [71] Alocasia macrorhiza, [102] Alpinia mutica, [88] Alpinia nutans, [88] Alpinia purpurata, [89] Althea, [22] Anthurium, [15] Anthurium andraeanum, [96] Antigonon leptopus, [80] A’pe, [12], [13], [100], [102] Arabian coffee, [62] Artocarpus incisa, [12] Awapuhi, [87]