Native (?) Wildflowers of Hawaii

The Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) 
seems perfectly at home in Hawaii, but
so much so that it has become one of the 
most troublesome weeds there. It's prolifically 
spreading rhizomes choke out native vegetation
wherever it takes hold. It comes originally from
India.

We usually think of wildflowers as colorful displays bursting forth after the winter thaw in an alpine meadow, or after a rainstorm in the desert. In the tropics though, we're looking for flowers popping up randomly in the rainforest, or perhaps on dry lava slopes.

 A more relevant question about Hawaii is "what are the native plants here?" It's a  more complicated and perplexing question than you might think. The hibiscus, orchids, plumeria, gingers, and heliconias we associate with this island paradise were all brought in by European visitors and settlers - so not native. The many climbing aroids - philodendrons, pothos, and monsteras that climb the trees in the tropical rainforests, along with most of the palms one sees, also came from elsewhere. Some have become invasive weeds. 

Plants brought by Europeans caused the most radical and disruptive changes to the local flora, but the vegetation has been continuously changing ever since the first volcanic cone of this island chain emerged above water. 

Before the Europeans, Polynesian settlers originally from the the Indo-Malayan region, brought in coconuts, noni fruits, breadfruit, taro, sugar cane, bananas, and other useful plants, along with chickens and pigs. So that brought about a significant disturbance in the flora as well.

So what plants were in the islands before the first Polynesian settlers arrived? There was of course a rich flora there at that time, what we might consider the true indigenous flora of Hawaii, but little that would be familiar to anyone. Even that native flora, however, arrived piecemeal over time. 

Ferns were among the first plants to arrive in 
Hawaii, and are still among the first to colonize
new lava flows.

When that first volcanic cone appeared millions of years ago, there was of course no native flora at all. The first plant life to arrive was of spore-dispersed plants like ferns and mosses (along with lichens, which are combinations of fungi and algae). The most familiar descendent of these wind-dispersed plants would probably be the Hawaiian tree fern, Cibotium menziesii, which can be seen in many parts of the rainforest, and are prominent in the undisturbed forest around the Kilauea volcano, in Volcanos National Park on the island of Hawaii. 

Hawaiian tree ferns in Volcanos National Park.

There are some salt-tolerant plants flowering plants, like the beach morning glory and "half-flower" (Scaevola spp.) that are everywhere along tropical beaches, and their seeds probably floated to the islands. 

Scaevola is a widespread genus of salt-tolerant
plants common along tropical beaches in the
Pacific region. Several indigenous species have 
evolved in Hawaii.

The beach morning glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) 
is common on tropical and
subtropical beaches around the world.

Metrosideros polymorpha is still the dominant
tree in most parts of Hawaii.

The first woody plant to arrive was a species of Metrosideros, a relative of Eucalyptus and guava. It had no competition at first, and became the dominant tree of the Hawaiian rainforest. It evolved into many forms, including dwarf shrubs at high elevations. By some accounts there are now five species of Metrosideros indigenous to Hawaii, with M. polymorpha the dominant species. Experts estimate that about 275 flowering plant species migrated to Hawaii in the pre-human era, and from that base evolved into about 1000 endemic species.

In the Alakai Swamp on Kauai, Metrosideros polymorpha
grows as a low-lying shrub.

A silversword plant in bloom inside the 
Haleakala Crater on Maui.

Another indigenous plant is the odd-looking silversword  (Argyroxiphium sandwicense), found in exposed areas of the Hawaiian volcanos, and most readily seen in Haleakala Crater on Maui. There are some nineteen species of the palm genus, Pritchardia, that are found only in Hawaii.

So there are interesting native plants to be found in Hawaii, if you know where to look.

Nineteen species of the genus Pritchardia are the
only palms endemic to Hawaii.

The pink knotweed, Persicaria capitata, forms conspicuous
pink patches along the saddle road that crosses the island
of Hawaii. It is, however, a native of Asia.

I thought I had found a native species of Passiflora with distinctive feather-like bracts that wrap around the fruit as it develops. It turned out, though, that it was another import from tropical America, Passiflora foetida. (The petals on the flower have already
curled up.)

The Story of Canna

Canna flowers are red, orange, or yellow,
often with varied stripes, spots or other patterns.

The bright reds, yellows, and oranges of Cannas are a common sight in Florida and other subtropical parts of the country nearly  year-round. Elsewhere, they can be planted out in the summer and lifted before the ground freezes, or grown in containers. Have you ever taken a closer look though? 

Cannas are rhizomatous plants with paddle-shaped leaves that resemble those of related bananas, gingers, and birds-of-paradise. The flowers are showy, but oddly asymmetrical, with large, overlapping petals. Flowers give way to bristly seed capsules filled with hard, black, round, shot-like seeds. 

The parallel veins of Canna leaves enter
the leaf as a dense bundle, and spread one
 by one to either side to form the broad
blade. This is the pattern seen in other
monocots, like bananas, gingers, 
birds-of-paradise and  unsplit palm fronds.

The commonly grown varieties come from the wild species Canna indica and/or C. discolor. Depending on which taxonomic treatment you follow, there are 10-20 species in total, all native to tropical and subtropical America. 

The bristly seed pods of Canna reach full-
size a few weeks after the petals fall.

The common Cannas grow in ordinary mesic soil, but some are aquatic marsh plants, like C. flaccida, which is common in Florida. The familiar species are 3-6 feet tall, but some tropical species can be up to 16 feet tall. 

Cannas have multiple practical uses as well. The rhizomes contain edible starch, leaves and stems have fiber useful for making paper or ropes, and the extremely hard seeds are used as beads or rattles in musical instruments.

This bright yellow blossom of Canna
flaccida was found in a Central Florida
marsh. The extremely hard seeds collected
from nearby plants germinated only after
filing through the seed coat, but grew to
flowering size in 2-3 months.

The dangling red flowers of the 16 ft. tall 
Canna iridiflora suggest pollination
by hummingbirds. This species 
grows in tropical mountains between 5000 and 
9000 feet elevation, where it can be cool but 
never freezing. Photo posted on Wikipedia, CC.

The incredible Lotus

 The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an aquatic plant of great elegance, and one

Lotus plants fill a pond in Taiwan.

that is highly revered throughout southern and
eastern Asia particularly among Hindu and Buddhist cultures. Because the leaves and the flowers arise literally from the mud, appearing above the water clean and unstained, they are considered symbols of purity, strength and rebirth,. Wherever they can be grown, they are prized members of  aquatic landscapes. 

Religious figures are often depicted
as being borne (or sometimes born)
 on lotus flowers. From Wikipedia,
public domain.

When a Lotus seed germinates, leaves
appear first, roots and rhizome will
emerge later.

I recently found lotus seeds for sale on the internet and decided to try growing them in a tub. I was astonished at how quickly they germinated and grew to maturity. It took less than a week  the seeds to sprout, wrapped in a wet paper towel in a plastic sandwich bag. I waited another week to stick them into the soil, eight inches below the water surface in the tub. The first leaf to emerge to the surface was about an inch across, but each succeeding leaf was a bit larger, and in a few weeks were more than a foot in diameter. They smallest leaves floated on the surface of the water, but later leaves pushed above the surface on sturdy stems. 

I planted the seeds in February, and by late May I was startled to see small flower buds appearing above the water, and these were fully opened in another couple of weeks. So, from seed to flower took scarcely three months. 

The solitary flowers of the Lotus rise to sit above the
leaves that are completely circular in outline.

Lotus plants are sometimes confused with waterlilies, which are in a completely different family. Their remarkable resemblance is a great example of convergent evolution. In waterlilies, however, leaves remain floating on the water surface, and have a deep cleft at the base. Waterlily seeds are borne in a series of separate carpels rather than a flat-headed structure. They are much slower in their growth also, taking three or more weeks to germinate and up to two years to form their first flowers. Waterlilies branched off from the earliest ancestors of flowering plants, while Lotuses are more closely related to Proteas and Sycamores.

Remarkably, though, they have similar pollination strategies. In both waterlilies and lotuses, insects, which often are bearing pollen from another flower, enter the flowers on the first day they are opened. In the evening the flowers close, trapping the insects. Flowers reopen the next day, and the pollen covered insects escape, to repeat the process in another flower.

As Lotus flowers fully open, the distinctive, flat-
headed receptacle, with young ovules embedded
in surface pits, are revealed.

Waterlily leaves have a cleft at the base, and their
separate carpels are hidden in a chamber below
the stamens.

The sacred Lotus of Asia has an American cousin,
Nelumbo lutea, which has yellow flowers. Photo
by Liz West, CC by 2.0.

Flowers of the Midnight Sun

 

The sun at midnight above the Arctic
Circle.

I recently realized a dream of experiencing the longest day of the year above the arctic circle, and can confirm that the sun never sets on that day! Of course, I also hoped to see some arctic wildflowers while there, and though it was early in the season, I was not disappointed. 

Much of the arctic flora circles the globe across Eurasia and North America, and so there are some common elements between what I have seen in Alaska and Norway, but also with some that are unique to each region.

Dogwoods (Cornus suecica) in cold northern
climates are ground-hugging dwarfs, rather
than trees. They are thus protected from strong
winds and covered with snow during the 
winter, which protects them from the cold.

Arctic willows (genus Salix) are likewise dwarfed. 

Lotus corniculata is a relative of clover and alfalfa.

Silene dioica, a member of the Carnation Flower, is common
in Norway during the long days of June.

Silene acaulis forms low mats in more exposed areas.

Buttercups, genus Ranunculus, are universal in
temperate to arctic climates.

I had to borrow this image from Wikipedia, as it was
too early in the season for Fireweed, genus Epiolbium,
an icon of arctic and subarctic regions. Photo by
Kallerna, CC by SA 3.0

Wild Geraniums abound in the Norwegian woods.

Yellow violets survive nestled among the rocks.

At a stop in the northerly Orkney Islands,
a ground orchid in the genus Dactylorhiza
blooms.

Yellow flag, an Iris, fills bogs in the Orkneys.

Arctic poppies were in bloom in the Shetland Islands.

Thymus praecox, a relative of Thyme, forms low mats among mosses in the Shetlands.

Florida's spring bulb mania

I got this beautiful variety from my neighbor, who was even
more of a Hippeastrum maniac than I am, but without a name.

 Last week, I extolled the virtues of tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs, which we don't have in Florida, except for what we can scrounge up in grocery stores and florist shops. So we have no mania here, unless...

We do have spring bulbs here, commonly called Amaryllis. We don't have the massive displays, or the number of varieties to be found in tulips, but some of us have our own private manias, filling up every available spot in our gardens with what I consider to be equally elegant and equally anticipated spring displays.  I alluded to them twice already, in Theme and Variation - the Amaryllidaceae and in My Pandemic Garden 1. Winter and Spring

One of the true Amaryllis species from
South Africa, A. belladona.
By Discott - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

First of all, they're not really in the genus Amaryllis, which consists of two species native to southern Africa. What we call by that name, through historical confusion, are in  Hippeastrum, a genus of some 90 species native to tropical America. So much for the botanical geekery. 

Though roughly the same shape as tulips, Hippeastrums are bent to the side, an adaptation for pollination by hummingbirds, and they have inferior ovaries, which means the seed capsules develop below the tepals, rather than above them as in tulips. 

Over 600 hybrids and cultivars have been developed, drawing upon several of the wild species, much of it in Holland, the international center of bulb mania. Colors range mostly from red to pink to white, while some have an orangish tint. Some yellow-ish varieties have been bred, but there are no true brilliant yellows, and if you see blue Hippeastrums for sale, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you for cheap! There are no true blue or purple pigments in the genus. Some may be dyed the way they dye those horrible blue Phalaenopsis you see in grocery stores sometimes.

One of the species Hippeastrums my neighbor had,
probably H. reginae.

The early varieties appear as early as March, depending on the weather, and the parade of later varieties can continue into early May. Each stalk typically produces 4-8 blooms, and flowers can last up to a week. So with my brief betrayal to see the tulips in April, I didn't miss much. 

At the show in Keukenhof, only a few Hippeastrums from
the greenhouse were on display.

So one can create his or her own spring spectacle with these subtropical beauties.

The common large red cultivar, whose flowers can be up
to six inches across.

A pretty, pink variety, probably "Apple Blossum."

Hippeastrum papilio, the Butterfly
Amaryllis, is a species said to be
epiphytic in nature. It is said to bloom
better if crowded in a pot, and that the
roots need good aeration.

This is a seedling from one of the large red
commercial varieties. The color is true, but
the flowers are substantially smaller.

I don't personally care for doubled flowers 
other than roses, but this one came from my 
neighbor and I didn't have the heart to turn it
away/

This variety, "Minerva," with white stripes remains my favorite of all the
Hippeastrums.

Tulip Mania

Tulips come in a range of colors and 
patterns, featuring mostly reds and
yellows.

Having been essentially house-bound for the past two years, I  recently had the good fortune to visit the Netherlands with my family. Most specifically I wanted  to see the famous tulip displays at the Keukenhof Garden. The garden is located at the village of Lisse, in the middle of the bulb-growing region of the country, a 40-minute bus ride from Amsterdam. I was lucky to arrive at the peak of the tulip display in mid-April. I wasn't alone!

The garden is only open to the public from mid-March to early May each year the Amsterdam Tulip Festival. People come from all over the world for the display that features 800 varieties of tulips, along with daffodils, hyacinth, crocus, fritillaries, and grape hyacinth. Covered pavilions also host displays of orchids, anthuriums, and  orchids.  

Prior to the pandemic, about 1.5 million people, or about 26,000 per day, visited during the brief season. With the garden closed for the past two years, pent-up tulip cravings brought crowds rivaling those at Disney World the day after Christmas. This is the present-day version of tulip mania.

There are about 75 wild species of tulips, native to southeastern Europe, the middle east, and central Asia. From these, thousands of cultivars and hybrids have been created. 

Two wild Asian species of the genus Tulipa on display at Keukenhof Garden. (this article at least has
some genuine wildflowers!)

The original "tulip mania" occurred in the Netherlands during the 17th century. This was at the height of the Dutch empire and prosperity, and the Dutch were the leading growers and breeders of tulips and other bulbs at that time. Rare varieties sold for hundreds or thousands of Guilders. I don't know how much a Guilder at that time was worth in today's dollars, but I'm sure it's a lot. Tulips and tulip "futures" were traded on exchanges similar to our modern stock exchange.  An investment frenzy began in 1634, creating the first recorded investment "bubble." When the tulip market collapsed in 1637, huge fortunes were lost.

Today, many of you in temperate parts of the world can enjoy the fruits of the Dutch tulip breeders efforts in your own backyards and local parks, though we in Florida are restricted to paltry, short-lived potted specimens from our florists and grocery stores!

In any case, now enjoy the pictures of tulip mania 2022 in Koekenhof.

A bed of brilliant orange and yellow tulips
near the front entrance.

A "river" of grape hyacinth meanders through banks lined with daffodils.

Rare varieties of tulips are displayed inside
 the Willem-Alexander Pavilion.

A bed of orange and yellow tulips in front of a river of pink hyacinths.

A bed of crown fritillaries.

Yellow Cymbidium orchids in suspended glass vases, in the Beatrix Pavilion.

The spectacular display of roses in the Oranje Nassau Pavilion.

In Amsterdam, potted tulips line the square near the Rijksmuseum.

An embankment near the Amsterdam waterfront is filled with Daffodils that
reappear year after year without human help.