Notice the fruit (really peas) on this red lehua-haole shrub. If you are not viewing this in slide show mode, push the F11 key, and then click on the "slideshow" button on the upper right hand side of this page
Here's a full view of a red lehua-haole shrub. These bloom in the Hawaiian winter
A white lehau haole blossom
The bromeliads
Note the flowers -- at the Hawaiian Gardens, we saw these flowers in purple as well
There are more than 1400 Bromeliad species all native to the tropics of the New World
A large Ficus Rumphii tree from Malaysia (also called Rumpf's fig tree)
Mondo Grass (we seem to call this monkey grass in Houston). Once mature, it doesn't grow any taller and is pretty much maintenance free.
The Foster Garden is next to the biggest road in Hawaii -- the Interstate H1 (Don't ask how they can have an interstate in Hawaii; it's called an earmark). In fact, the garden was split into two pieces by the new road. The Garden System then made the isolated piece into a seperate garden specializing in native Hawaiian plants. It's called the Lili'uokalani Botanical Garden and is 7.5 acres with a stream and waterfalls.
Another shot at the Pulmeria Tree
Wild Orchids in the Lyon Orchid Garden
Don't ask me what these are but they were in the orchid garden. But if you know, tell me.
Chinese Banyan--a very popular tree in Hawaii. The leaves and bark have medicinal properties.
Looking directly up a Caribbean Royal Palm
Side view of the Caribbean Royal Palm
Buds on the Lily, probably from river sides in Australia and New Zealand
Blooming Spider Lily
Many trees line a grassy terrace. Note the Honolulu high rises in back.
Earpod from Tropical America; trunks may grow 10 feet in diameter. This is a useful lumber tree named for (what else) those pods.
The garden has its own heliconia row
This is the heliconia collinsiana
For heliconia's, what we think is the flower is really the pod; the seeds are inside (here in yellow)
This is also a Talipot Palm (the one in green) and will bloom once in its life. Jane blooms every day, of course.
Closeup of the Talipot Palm leaf
Typical garden walk.
More Cannonball tree shots
Cannonball fruit on the ground
Cannonball flower
This is the last cannonball shot (promise)
This is from the borassodendron machadonis palm
This is the palm that goes with the previous photo
Tell me if you know what this is
OK, there is a cannonball tree in this picture; I lied.
This is from the sausage tree from tropical West Africa.
See the “sausages” suspended by long stalks. In Central Africa this tree is held sacred and the fruit is used for medicine but not eaten.
This is the leaf of the encephalartos transvenosus from South Africa
This cactus is an opuntia sp or prickly pear. (Jane and I were not being a prickly pair so don't let it needle you).
The top of the opuntia sp
A Betel Nut Palm
A Murumuru Palm from South America -- very prickly, even the fruit
I liked the leaves of the breadfruit tree...
Which are larger than a foot
One of the lower terraces, perhaps by the economic garden
The lower terrace
These tree ferns are quite common in Hawaii and cover much of the “wet side” of the Big Island
This is the Cook Pine, an ancient counterpart of the pine tree of the Northern Hemisphere
A native of New Caledonia, it is very common in Hawaii.
The Cook Pine is a cousin of the Jacaranda trees we saw blooming in Buenos Aires in November 2005
Cook Pine Pine Cones
This is a Quipo tree from Panama. Its wood is very strong and light, better than Balsa for lightness and strength
In early spring, the Quipo loses its leaves and they are replaced by 1 inch flowers which turn into 6 inch long fruits with five wings that float away at maturity to start new Quipo forests.
This Cigar Box tree has wood that is used for (you guessed it) cigar boxes. When in bloom, its flowers stink.
The state of Alaska gave this totem to the garden. The middle figure is supposed to represent the governor of Alaska. Hmmm...
The Baobab tree from the dry parts of central Africal is used for gum, paper, cloth, along with some medicinal applications. These trees are worshipped in some parts of Africa and people bury their dead in theoversized trunks. Old hollow trunks have been uses as houses, prisons, and water reservoirs.
A little higher up on the Baobab tree
The second orchid garden is for hybrids and is under cover.
