MGs in Hawaii

I'm going to start this thread, although it will take me a while to add all the photos. MGs were going crazy on the big island...especially the moonflowers.

These looked like MGs from a distance....

...but I think they are a relative that I have never seen growing in Oregon.

The blooms had a distinctive "throat"
I found out that they are "Blue Sky Vine"

This message was edited May 16, 2008 3:27 PM

This is a strange vine (not an MG) that maybe someone can ID for me?

This one I recognized as Blue Clitoria Pea Vine. I collected seeds from these pods.

I've never seen these grow as big as trees!

bananas

Moonflowers everywhere!

the second vine is Strongylodon. i think the first looks like Thunbergia. edited for spelling.

This message was edited May 1, 2008 6:42 PM

This photo is from a website of Bonamia menziesii, a MG relative that is threatened and native only to Hawaii. It was not blooming when I was there, but heavy with seed pods so I collected them.

Thanks Tracks...I know someone more familiar with tropical plants would know what they were!

These are Brugmansias, they are very fragrant and also poisonous!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=4893441

I took these photos on my first day there. Then my digital camera decided it was a good time to quit on me! The rest of the shots I took with my cell phone camera and disposable camera that I need to get developed. I'll add to this thread later when I get the rolls developed and when I can figure out how to download the photos from my camera.

I also bought some edibles, University of Hawaii developed seeds.

Oh beth, is that where you were, you lucky woman! that green strange vine looks like a jade vine.. oooh. from a floating sea bean seed.

glad i could help, beth! gourd, jade vine is the common name.

Beth - What an excursion you've been on! You lucky girl, you! I love all the plant photos! Some really unusual and beautiful plants! Thanks for sharing them! Good luck germinating and growing the Bonamia menziesii seeds! When you do, please share some photos with all of us! I am excited to learn about this new vine (that I have never heard of)! Very cool!!!! :-)

Thanks tracks, I sometimes for get to use the botanical name. You haven't seen any seeds floating around your area, have you??? I had seeds for this for many years and just gave them away..

i saw seeds in the keys but we moved inland. now we are on a lake and the ocean is a good hour away. let's all go to hawaii! and beth can be our tourguide.

Maybe the Shellman has seeds as well as shells,, I love the keys.., I miss FLA.. only stayed a couple of months but wow..

omg, you really do know the keys. talking about the shellman, now i'm homesick! new mexico is pretty darn cool too!

Yeah, I loved it there... lived on Miami Beach litterally for three months in 1984 and another 3 months in 1990.. got to know my way around. Also, I think I've forgotten a lot of places too, Little Havana, Liberty City!, did you go to Viscaya House? I loved that house too, I sure wish I had looked for seeds, but I didn't know about them floating, or how to swim (still don't) so you should have seen me look for shells. Shellman was my favorite place to go and buy pet hermit crabs and bring them on the plane for my son. They have two stores.

Beth, thanks for inspiring memory lane.. I have not been to Hawaii, been to several countries, but not Hawaii..

Hi Beth,

I`m glad you had a good time and found you some goodies to bring home.

Karen

beth, your pictures are all just lovely (if i didn't say that before) and it makes me want to go back to hawaii too. boy, would i love to live there!

gourd, did you ever go to fairchild?

Interesting that seed borers seem to run rampant here. About 80% of the pes-caprae seeds had the inside eaten out and I double bagged the only good seeds I could find. I'm watching the bag every day and there are more larvae popping out. I'll be lucky if I end up with any good seeds from the pes-caprae.
I do get the satisfaction of squishing the borers, though.

This was in the garden, and I'm pretty sure it was Ipomoea batatas, though I didn't dig up the tubers.

Bonamia menziesii seeds.

Here is the large white cairica vine at the entrance to the ethnobotanical gardens.

Incredible pictures. I would be in hog heaven. I love the Blue Clitoria Pea Vine. Shocking blue color or is that because of the flash of the camera.

It's a shocking blue, a real "true blue" color.

Oooh!

Here is another of white cairica

This is Bonamia menziesii foliage. No blooms, but full of seed pods.

The ethnobotanical gardens had educational plackards for each plant. This one says "Hawaiians cooked the large tuberous roots of Koali'ai when other food was scarce. Uses: food, cordage, medicine" Also says indigenous?

This message was edited May 13, 2008 1:16 PM

This message was edited May 13, 2008 1:36 PM

Koali'ai is the Hawaiian word for white cairica.

This message was edited May 13, 2008 1:18 PM

Here are morning glories taking over an abandonded vehicle. Vehicle disposal fees must be high here, because I saw lots of abandoned vehicles.

No MGs here, just a nice historic site.

This is purple cairica invading a banana tree.

Here are the borers that are coming out of the pes-caprae