I love this plant, but can't seem to find it in any of my books. Does anyone have any ideas about what it might be, and/or the care and feeding. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
It's a Euphorbia - thanks all!
This message was edited Jan 25, 2007 1:59 PM
Okay, what have I done wrong? Not one reply? If I have offended, I do appologize....
You have done nothing wrong...it sometimes takes a couple days for the experts to identify a plant...someone will be along....
Welcome to DG, you will find a lot of really nice people here and a wealth of information.
LeeAnne
You might try the Identification forum too, maybe you'll have better luck there.
Thanks....I was beginning to wonder. I posted this on the id forum just now, so maybe I'll have better luck there.
Hiya,
Sorry i looked when you first posted this but not a clue. But tropicals are not my strong point.
Is there any chance of some close up pictures of the leaves and how they are arranged on the stem?
If i had to guess right now id go for the Euphobia family but i wouldnt put a single coin on that bet!
Let us know if anyone gets it.
Cheers
Mike
p.s I'm guessing by the amount of views you have had people are looking but like me don't know it yet.
Thanks to you all for trying....maybe I'll have better luck on the id forum.
Can't help with this ID Shari, but I did talk with my folks about growing stuff on Kwajalein. My mom said she never could get much to grow other than pots of herbs and plumeria, breadfruit. She said everyone grew in containers as the soil is poor. She also said salt spray is a problem, and to soak the plants all the way through when watering. Dad just talked about plumeria, too. Don't know if this helps much, but Dad lived on Kwaj for about 7 years, Mom on Third Island about one. Pictures are beautiful-get a boat and enjoy the reef!
It looks like something from the Euphorbia species. Does it have a white milky sap when a branch breaks?
Hi guys - thanks for the comments. I got it identified through the help of the DG folks in the ID forum. It is a Euphorbia datdog, a neriifolia. Kwz - I've lived out here before, so I know how beautiful it is, and about the container planting. Just couldn't figure this one out without a little help from my DG friends. So when were your parents here? I was here before in 1987 -1991. Might I have known them?
What does one do in the Marshall Islands for work?
Kwaj - just one of the islands - is an army base the US leases from the Marshallese government. Most of us here are civilians though. Its all govn'mt contract work and support for those folks. Can't get real detailed here lillyo - sorry, but it IS a military environment.
Oh, it sounds a bit like living in paradise except for the bad soil. I suppose I must have know at some point that we had a base there and it got lost in my brain. Does everything really have to grow in pots?
There are some things - trees: Palm, Plumeria, sea grape, Kamani that grow in the ground; and a few shrubs - sea lettuce, crown flower, croton. But yeah, mostly every thing else is in pots. The bad part is that in the windy season - Now - the winds get so ferocious that a lot of plants get decimated. I am fighting that now. But hopefully things will come back in the rainy season. And for the most part you're right....we call it "almost paradise".:)
Wind and then rain. Weather is not good when it somes in extremes of just on thing. Would walls protect plants during the windy season? Of course this is coming from a gardener who has built several hundred feet of stone wall with the stuff that had to be pulled out of the garden to do planting. You may not have so many rocks in paradise...or again, if my memory serves me, aren't the Marshall Islands where those tall stone statues stand facing out to sea?
Nope....that's Easter island....ours is a coral atoll, not volcanic, so no rocks to speak of. Just a lot of sand and coral. Walls do help, and you would be suprised at the innovations some people come up with. Gardens on the southwest side of buildings or large trees have the best luck, but woe is me, the largest part of my garden is right on a corner so I get all the wind. I have a fence, with some helliotrope shrubs around it - but I didn't have time to get the plants well established before the wind came roaring in. Gotta go for now, but enjoyed talking to ya Lillyo. Don't know what time it is there, but here I have to go to town (!) and get my mail then fix dinner. Have a great weekend!
Shari, I think my father lived there from 93-99, so correction to what I said above, it was 6 years. I beleive my mom lived there in '97. I was in high school and college, and I'm sad to admit my senior moments for my age. My dad worked as a contractor building military housing. I have a Marshallese sister we adopted that moved back to Third Island a few years ago, also. I'd rather d-mail more personal details, and yes, it is a place with a lot of history and things which are not supposed to be talked about.
Do you have any contact with the Marshallese? They may be able to ID your plant and help with others there.
I'm surprised at the comment above regarding secrecy.
Isn't Easter Island one of the Marshall Islands or is my geography way off? It seems very appealing and exotic as the temperature here is in the single digits.
Can you grow fruits and vegetables or must everything other than fish be brought in from elsewhere?
It would seem that hardy beach plants like rugosa roses might be ok with the wind and salt spray.
Euphorbia... get in... lol
lilyo, look up Marshall Islands instead of Kwajalein, there you'll find some of the history I'm referencing. AT least you shoulld be able to find online, if not, my mom was able to request info from our congressman.
I was able to look up information on line and it made me very sad. It's not clear how well understood the effects of radiation were at the time we detonated the nuclear bombs, but in the intervening years, we certainly have learned the danges of radiation and it doen't look like our goverment moved quickly to protect or compensate the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands. I can't guess what a health nightmare these people face. From a physician's perspective, the damage to the DNA of the Marshallese may go on for generations and who knows the extent of the soil contamination and what may be entering the food chain.
I certainly wouldn't be growing vegetables in soil that originated in that area. I wonder if you can get MiracleGro or Scotts potting soil at the local Home Depot? (just joking).
I gather Easter Island is nowhere near there, I'll have to look that one up.
Don't remember hearing anything about Easter Island, but my folks did go to Palau and a few of the others, though. There is a LOT of cancer in the Marshall Islands from the radiation, younger generations and children are fine, but folks my parents age (50s) and older were affected. Very sad. My adopted sister's mother and grandmother both had cancer. I don't know if the soil is poor because of radiation or if it has always been that way, it seems that breadfruit and fish are the main dietary staples, and I do remember my sister talking about coconut, but don't know if they come from the boats or not.
From what I read, coconut is grown on the islands.
The age of the people with cancer would place them as children at the time of the nuclear tests. The cells of kids are rapidly dividing and more vulnerable than adults to radiation. I hope that the younger Marshallese have escaped harm. How did your parents come to adopt your sister? Was she an orphan?
I found Easter Island on a map and it is in the middle of the ocean, as close to South America as to the the Marshall Islands. Boy is my geography messed up! It was populated by polynesians, but now the bloodlines are mixed with people from Chile.
I doubt that the radiation would effect the soil in a visible way.
Shari...are you still on the thread?
Hi everyone. The time differences make this a little strange. Strange also is reading all that you guys are saying about where I live. I'm a retread ( what we call people on second or more tours out here). When I was here the first time I had much more interaction with the Marshallese. They are a wonderful, generous, kind people. In a way you all seem to have a very scewed idea of the radiation out here. These islands are very scattered...the ones that got irradiated during the testing are around 400 miles from here. Yes, we (Americans) treated the Marshallese horribly - so many were removed from there ancestral homes (which is EXTREMELY important to them) - the ongoing health problems - all that. But for the here and now we have no lingering affects in our soil...the Kwajalein atoll was not affected at all. Because of the uses our government has for the islands that we lease from the Marshallese, some people have again been displaced and that is sad but an issue between governments. We all get along with no discernable problems for the most part. Many mixed marriages; social gatherings are all blessed by the many (!) different cultures out here - makes for great food, great fun and great music! And we all share the problems of plant care in salty, sandy, windy conditions. LOL But I really love the interest in the area shared by all of you. Kwz - Do you watch the Olympics? The Marshall islands have just joined the IOC and we will have a contingent in the 2008 olympics. Swimmers - of course - and they are good! They won't win any medals probably, but they (and all of us out here) will swell to bursting with pride. Keep a eye out for them.
It is wonderful that the Marshallese people hold no grudges against Americans.
What did you mean by "the many different cultures here", how many are there other than the obvious Polynesian and American?
The expression retread is funny. Are you the one deployed or are you accompanying a spouse?
Has anyone tried American beach plants there?
I wouldn't exactly say that they hold no grudges....as a people they very likely do...but as individuals I have never noticed anything but a warm friendliness. I like them very much.
Our 1500 or so people on Kwaj itself consist of Americans of many backgrounds: Hispanic, Asian, African American and of course European Americans. There are also some Chinese here, a large Filipino contingent, a few from the slavic countries. We are nothing if not diverse!
Yup, retread is funny, but we are so used to it that we have to think twice when it is used in the normal context. My husband is the one with the contract. At the moment I am "island fluff" or unemployed. That will probably change, but for the moment I am enjoying just puttering in my garden and playing with my granddaughter.
As for american beach plants....not sure what you mean....like what for instance?
How about sea lavender or rugosa roses?
Would you need a work permit?
You would need a contract - if you are interested check out www.kwajalein.com. There may be the perfect job for you there. If so, let me know (as well), and we'll see what we can do.
I have never heard of sea lavender....and I grew rugosas at my home in colorado - loved them! I have never seen them out here - but I check on getting one....thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the idea. My skills could be used anywhere, but I have a husband, animals and gardens. Even though I am so tired of winter (and we have only had winter weather for 2 weeks) I can't run away to polynesia, only dream about it!
When I went to medical school, I'd planned to explore the world volunteering in different places after completing training, but then I got married and my parents got old and I didn't feel like I could leave them. So I work and live near where I grew up.
When I was young, I worked in Japan and the visa requirements there are very strict. At first you can only get a 6 month visa and then you have to renew it every year and a company has to go through all sorts of paperwork to sponsor you. There is no greencard system or chance to work as an illegal alien like here. Foreigners are always foreigners and they are all watched and regulated...and fingerprinted.
It sounds like the Marshall Islands aren't strict at all. Is there any unemployment problem?
The Marshall Islands themselves have rampant unemployment. There just isn't anything for them to do. Most want to live on Ebeye, which is the native island nearest to Kwajalein so that they can try to get a job here. We employ a lot of Marshallese in support and domestic positions, but very few can live here - they come and go by boat/ferry in the morning and evening. Positions here on Kwaj are by contract to get here, and then spouses and/or dependents fill some of the On-island hire positions that are not contracted, but still necessary. The few jobs available to outsiders on the other islands are skilled positions - doctors, nurses, teachers etc. ; but I wouldn't advise working anywhere but here on Kwajalein. I love the people, but not their living conditions. Horrendous poverty.
Is the ferry ride from Ebeye to Kwaj long for those who use it to commute to work?
So do any Marshallese live on Kwaj or is it just Americans and other foreigners?
It seems like a tourist trade with resort hotels would be helpful for employement.
Bermuda has solved the limited jobs on a tiny island problem by making it impossible for any foreigner to live in Bermuda unless they are wealthy. The only way to get a residency permit is to buy a house and that house most cost more than some million dollars. This brings an influx of wealth into the island without depriving any of the Bermudians of jobs. Of course wealthy people want to live there because there is no income tax and the English don't have to pay income taxes unless they live in Britain so there is a large community of English tax exiles who are too rich to want jobs.
The other aspect is that there is a good infrastructure of roads, schools, utilities and law & order that makes it an attractive site for wealthy owners of second homes, expatriots and then also company headquarters. Bermuda has many reinsurance companies and banks. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the tax laws. It is a shame that the Marshall Islands cannot study the success of another small island in totally eradicating poverty and use it as a development model.
Bermuda started out with the advantage that many British colonies had, the British left them with a decent infrastructure and working system of goverment at independance so they didn't need to build as much as not destroy. That is a hard place for an impoverished nation to get without a colonial power building it.
Are the Marshall Islands too far from the US to be viable as a tourist destination?
Ahh. Those where the days... the good old british empire. You only had to stick a flag in a piece of land and that was it bish bash bosh its part of the empire! lol
Just like when we claimed America there may have been people all ready there, but they didn't have a flag, so no formal right of ownerhip! lol
Not sure why our infrastructure is falling apart now though...... where did we go wrong!
Mind you we did ok... we learnt over the years to pay ourselves well for the building of the infrastructure...... Check out Hong Kongs new airport i'm sure they where pleased we allowed them to pay us for building it. Good old fashioned british engineering...lol
Well you do have a functioning goverment, legal system, paved roads, electricity, schools, hospitals etc. You might take them for granted, but many developing nations do not.
There is a difference between advocating colonialism, which I do not, and comparing the stability and prosperity of former British colonies to former colonies of Spain, Portugal and France.
lillyo, Tourism is not likely to be an industry for the Marshalls because of isolation-it is (I think) around 3000 miles west of Hawaii. You have to flyto hawaii and catch a small plane to the Marshalls, which is very expensive. The beaches are made of coral which is poisonous--not so tourist friendly.
The Marshallese are very friendly, smart, people who adapt quickly and work hard. They do live in poverty, but have a great sense of humor and resiliency. Very interesting culture.
If you walk on the beach sand, do you get rashes or is it just if you walk on the living coral?
It's mainly if you get cut on it in the water, but it really can hurt you bad. When my folks moved out there, I was surprised the Marshalls hadn't been invaded by surfers. Dad explained about the coral, the water is shallow in many parts, and the water can get treacherous. Not bad to live with all the time if you know it, but not tourist-friendly. Plus, Kwajalein is military and you have to have permission to enter the island. The surrounding native islands would be considred third world by most standards. My mom built and lived in a one-room hut with no running water or electricity on Third Island.
Wow, your mother lived in a hut! Why? Where was your father?
I think that most coral is dangerous is you step on it, the friendliness of beachs may relate to how far you can go without running into coral?
It sounds like the Marshalls are safe from development for awhile.
Dad was working and living on Kwaj in (small) housing for contractors-mom didn't get security clearance to live over there-surprised my Dad made it through. Yes, it was a hut, only cost a couple hundred dollars to build-not even screens in the windows. They're old hippies and conspiracy theorists-so if my view seems odd, it's because of the perspective it came from. I beleive the water is pretty shallow there in most places, and I heard the tides can be pretty swift.
The tides can be trecherous, and the waters do tend to get shallow in many places....you have to know what you are doing. What tourists come to the islands - not kwaj, but many others - are divers. Many wrecks from WWII and the worlds largest lagoon. Our diving out here is second to none! The coral is not poisonous if you are walking on it....but any scratch or cut can be very, very bad. So no surfing around here. Every other water sport, but no surfing. our beaches are very nice - just don't get cut. I am battling a hole in my foot right now. slipped on a rock and slammed the side of my foot into something that put a pretty deep hole in it. Don't know if it was coral, but it is healing very strangely, so I probably have to go get it looked at...may have something like a coral bit in the hole.....its almost impossible to avoid.
