50 Trees for Hawaii's 50 Years

LEMON-SCENTED GUM at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:31:00.001-07:00

LEMON-SCENTED GUM : Eucalyptus citriodora
Myrtaceae - the guava and gum-tree family

CHINESE BANYAN at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:28:00.001-07:00

CHINESE BANYAN : Ficus microcarpa
Moraceae - the fig and mulberry family

GOLDEN BAMBOO at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

GOLDEN BAMBOO : Bambusa vulgaris 'Vittata'
Poaceae - the grass family

QUEENSLAND KAURI at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

QUEENSLAND KAURI : Agathis robusta
Araucariaceae - the araucaria family

PARKIA at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

PARKIA : Parkia timoriana
Fabaceae - the bean family

SATINLEAF at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

SATINLEAF : Chrysophyllum oliviforme
Sapotaceae - the sapodilla and milkwood family

TRAVELER'S TREE at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

TRAVELER'S TREE : Ravenala madagascariensis
Strelitziaceae - the bird-of-paradise family

CINNAMON at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

CINNAMON : Cinnamomum verum
Lauraceae - the avocado family

RAINBOW EUCALYPTUS at Wahiawa Botanical Garden

2009-08-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

RAINBOW EUCALYPTUS or MINDANAO GUM TREE : Eucalyptus deglupta
Myrtaceae - the guava and gum-tree family

CACTUS at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

CACTUS : various species
Cactaceae - the cactus family

MORINGA at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

MORINGA : Moringa stenopetala
Moringaceae - the drumstick-tree family

KIAWE at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

KIAWE or MESQUITE : Prosopis pallida
Fabaceae - the bean family

LOULU at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

LOULU : Pritchardia spp.
Arecaceae - the palm family

WILIWILI at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:27:00.001-07:00

WILIWILI : Erythrina sandwicensis
Fabaceae - the bean family

SAUSAGE-TREE at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

SAUSAGE-TREE : Kigelia africana
Bignoniaceae - the catalpa or trumpet-tree family

DRAGON'S BLOOD TREE at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

DRAGON'S BLOOD TREE : Dracaena cinnabari
Agavaceae - the agave family

FEVER TREE at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

FEVER TREE : Acacia xanthopholea
Fabaceae - the bean family

SYCAMORE FIG TREE at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

SYCAMORE FIG TREE: Ficus sycomorus
Moraceae - the fig and mulberry family

PLUMERIAS at Koko Crater Botanical Garden

2009-08-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

PLUMERIA : Plumeria rubra cultivars

Apocynaceae - the oleander and dogbane family

NAIO at Liliuokalani Botanical Garden

2009-08-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

NAIO : Myoporum sandwicense

(Myoporaceae - the false sandalwood family)

MANELE at Liliuokalani Botanical Garden

2009-08-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

MANELE : Sapindus saponaria

(Sapindaceae - the soapberry family)

`A`ALI`I at Liliuokalani Botanical Garden

2009-07-27T18:53:00.001-07:00

`A`ALI`I : Dodonea viscosa
(SAPINDACEAE - soapberry family)

This hardy native Hawaiian plant grows by the coast and lowland habitats. The lightweight and papery seed-pods most likely drifted by sea to the Hawaiian Islands many years ago. `A`ali`i has beautiful shiny green leaves and colorful seed-pods of tan, yellow, pink, or red-purple which are often woven into lei.

HALA at Liliuokalani Botanical Garden

2009-07-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

HALA : Pandanus tectorius

(Pandanaceae - the screwpine family)

EARPOD at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-07-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

BREADFRUIT at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-07-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

DOUM PALM at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-03-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

DOUM PALM – Hyphaene thebaica
(ARECACEAE - PALM FAMILY)

Notice this palm’s unusual trunk - very few palms are branched. The doum fruit is reportedly delicious, tasting like gingerbread. Ancient Egyptians enjoyed the fruit and even buried them in their pharaoh's tombs. The leaves are used for weaving.

KAPOK TREE at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-02-23T11:45:00.001-08:00

KAPOK TREE – Ceiba pentandra
(Bombacaceae – Bombax Family)

The beautiful buttress roots provide support in shallow soil. As a deciduous tropical tree, kapoks drop all of their leaves before flowering. The seedpods contain silky fibers once used to stuff life preservers. The red spider monkeys of Central America eat kapok leaves.

CANNONBALL TREE at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-02-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

CANNONBALL TREE – Couroupita guianensis
(Lecythidaceae - Brazil Nut Family)

This strange South American tree sprouts flowers and fruits right from the trunk. The cannonballs are filled with a foul smelling blue pulp that attracts peccaries, pigs, and chickens.

BAOBAB at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-02-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

BAOBAB : Adansonia digitata
Bombacaceae- the bombax family

The African baobab provides a feast for the surrounding wildlife. Bats drink nectar from the night-blooming flowers, baboons eat the fruit, giraffes nibble on tender leaves, and elephants chew on the moist bark. For us humans, the bark can be used for fiber, the fruit makes a refreshing drink, the leaves are medicinal, and we can take a rest inside a hollow old baobab. This tree was probably planted in 1940.

CARIBBEAN ROYAL PALM at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

CARIBBEAN ROYAL PALM – Roystonea oleracea
Arecaceae - the palm family

Royal palms are among the world’s tallest trees. They are native to the Caribbean and were brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Dr. William Hillebrand in the late 1800's. Dr. Hillebrand made his home in Foster Garden, and probably planted this exceptional tree.
Perhaps you’ve seen Royal Palms impressively lining an avenue in the tropics. Notice the shiny green crownshaft at the top of the grayish trunk and the purplish-black fruit clusters.

QUIPO at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-01-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

QUIPO TREE - Cavanillesia plantanifolia.
Bombacaceae - the bombax family

This giant tree grows fast and has a soft wood (similar to balsa) used for making canoes and rafts in Panama. The large winged seedpods have a natural gel inside to absorb water, which gives the young seedlings a jump-start on life. This quipo was planted in 1930.

RAINBOW SHOWER at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-01-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

RAINBOW SHOWER - Cassia x nealiae.

Fabaceae - the bean family

These pretty trees are the result of a man-made cross done in 1918. They became so popular that Mayor Neal Blaisell declared the rainbow shower tree the Official Tree of Honolulu in 1965.

This tree in Foster Garden is a 'Wilhelmina Tenney' cultivar, producing a bouquet of pink and yellow blossoms.

BO TREE at Foster Botanical Garden

2009-01-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

BO TREE - Ficus religiosa.

Moraceae - the fig and mulberry family

This exceptional tree traces its lineage back to Buddha's sacred tree in India and was given as a gift to Mary Foster in 1913. As a type of fig tree, the flowers grow inside “figs” which are pollinated by tiny wasps that crawl inside. Come watch its beautiful heart-shaped leaves dance in the breeze.