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Our Hawaiian jungle


bgl

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I have posted quite a few photos over the last several months, but most of them have been close-ups of various palm details. It occurred to me that I should also do the opposite: post a few photos showing our unique environment. Not only are we in the middle of a lowland Hawaiian rainforest, but because of the volcanic origin of the area (well, actually the entire island!), the topography is very interesting with lots of ups and downs.

I'll start out with two photos. The first shows a group of Marojejya darianii, shadowed by a massive Tetraplassandra hawaiiensis, which I understand is a rather rare endemic tree. We have three of them on the property. The palm trunk to the left belongs to a Dypsis fibrosa.

post-22-1152750700_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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And in this photo you can see a bridge that we've built across a lava crack that runs diagonally through the property. The two trunks in the foreground are two Bentinckia nicobarica. The two palms with the key lime green crownshafts are two Clinostigma samoense. Just behind the C. samoense on the left (behind the upper part of the crownshaft) is a Marojejya darianii. And if you were to draw a horizontal line from the trunk of that same Clinostigma to the right, you can just barely make out the juvenile fronds of another C. samoense that I have planted at the bottom of the lava crack, about 8 ft below the C. samoense to the left. The palms that are just barely visible behind the Bentinckia trunk on the right (on the left and right side of the trunk) are Pelagodoxa henryana. Licualas all the way at the bottom of the photo are L. grandis.

post-22-1152751021_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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I never tire of your photos Bo, keep postin em.

Cincinnati, Ohio USA & Mindo, Ecuador

 

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Absolutely beautiful!  A tropical paradise, unreal.

Very nice how your photos capture the different textures and forms of the various fronds, love the look.

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Hey Bo

I'd like to see a photo taken from the bridge looking down. Any chances ?

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

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Wal,

no problem. I don't think I have any on file (and it's dark now), but I'll take a few tomorrow morning and post them.

Bo

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Bo,

at your place you see palms, you hear palms, you smell palms, you eat palms, you think palms, you live palms.

Thanks for the virtual tours to the BBG. Keep them coming.

Cheers,

Jan

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Bo, I am really an avid collector of tropical flowering and canopy trees. If you have any great tropical trees in the ground I would love to see some photos of those as well.

Gary

Rock Ridge Ranch

South Escondido

5 miles ENE Rancho Bernardo

33.06N 117W, Elevation 971 Feet

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When I do make it to HI, you will hear from me, gotta see your place!

Great pictures, I agree with Wal about a bridge photo.

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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Hi Bo,

I noticed Parajubaea was listed as a genus you are growing.  How has this grown for you?  What conditions (shade vs. sun) are best for it there?  I would have guessed that 150 inches of yearly rain would be excessive and bring about bud and/or root rot.  I do not remember seeing it in the garden during the biennial.  Is this a newer acquisition?  I ask because I would love to try one here but know the odds are against me.

Ray

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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(JakeK @ Jul. 12 2006,21:44)

QUOTE
I never tire of your photos Bo, keep postin em.

Jake!

Nice to meet you!

I'm from Ohio, as well, though on the other side, up in the Land of Cleavage . . . . (MIstake on the Lake?)

What do you grow?

dave

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Bo!

My crying towel is soaked with despair!

I'll never have a garden like that.

Then again . . . .

dave

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Thanks for all your comments!

Gary,

nope, no flowering trees. And the reason is simple. Whenever I even remotely thought of planting something other than a palm (or a cycad), and I mean something that would eventually become a good sized tree, then I asked myself "Hmm....a tree, or 5 palms in this spot?". And well, that was an easy decision...

Ray,

Yes, Parajubaea is listed among the genera on our website, because I simply went thru ALL the genera that have been planted, no matter what the size of the palm(s) and made that list. I wanted to try a few, just as an experiment, and I did plant some small ones (4 inch and 1G size) a few years ago, but you would not have noticed them on the IPS Biennial! They are very insignificant, and do not have any name tags. I'm not going to plant any more, and frankly, it would surprise me if the ones I have are going to survive long-term. One of the few palms that's not a vigorous grower here.

Sorting out a few photos I took this morning, and will post a few more shots in a few minutes.

Bo

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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OK, here's a few more, and some of these will require some explanation! First one is simple. Looking south from the bridge, the big tree is another Tetraplassandra hawaiiensis, which is providing shade for all the palms in this area. The small palms at the bottom are mostly the "White" Dypsis (see other threads), and the ones with the tall trunks are either Dypsis madagascariensis or D. leptocheilos.

post-22-1152835037_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Bo

Now thats a tropical garden.... do you grow any tropical fruits as well?

Phoenix Area, Arizona USA

Low Desert...... Zone 9b

Jan ave 66 high and 40 low

July ave 105 high and 80 low

About 4 to 8 frost a year...ave yearly min temp about 27F

About 8 inches of rain a year.

Low Desert

Phoenix.gif

Cool Mtn climate at 7,000'

Parks.gif

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Now we're getting to the tricky stuff... From the same vantage point on the bridge, looking in the opposite direction (north), which is also looking in the direction from where I took the first photo in this thread. Close to the lower left is the so-called Madagascar Foxtail (believed to be Dypsis marojejyi). Taller palm just above it (with the yellowish crownshaft) is a Clinostigma samoense, and behind it a Pelagodoxa henryana (actually, there are several). The frond that's partly obscuring the Clinostigma belongs to a Calamus erectus. To the right of the Mad Foxtail (and to the right of the tree trunk as well) is another Pelagodoxa henryana, that's planted at the bottom of the lava crack. And just "above" it is another C. samoense, that's also planted inside the lava crack.

post-22-1152835349_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Now, in this photo, I'm actually standing inside the lavacrack, right next to the C. samoense (last palm mentioned above), which is really stretched since it's planted deep inside this ravine. The rockwall on my right is approx 15 ft/4.5 m straight up, and right on top of this rockwall is the Marojejya darianii (not visible in this photo!!), that was just barely visible in one of the two photos I posted yesterday. See another photo below also.

post-22-1152835558_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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I'm still deep inside the lava crack, and I have just taken a few steps forward, so I have the C. samoense behind me and I'm looking up towards a group of (primarily) Clinostigma samoense (on the left) and Bentinckia nicobarica (with the thinner trunks, on the right). The two Bentinckia trunks visible in the first photo are two of the palms that can be seen above (no, I don't know which two!!). That photo was taken in the opposite direction. In other words, the bridge is behind me. Sorry about the tree fern that's partly obscuring some of the palms!

post-22-1152835753_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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This one was taken in the same general direction as the second one that I posted today ("Now we're getting to the tricky stuff..."). This photo was taken from below the bridge, i.e. ground level, and from a vantage point slightly to the left. The C. samoense with its yellowish crownshaft is still very much visible. At the lower bottom are a number of palms that I acquired as Dypsis moorei. They were planted in May 1998 from 1G pots, and they're about 5 ft tall or so today. Slow! Between the two tree trunks on the right you can see the Marojejya darianii that's planted right on top of the vertical cliff, and that I mentioned above. All these five photos were taken in the same general area.

post-22-1152835987_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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This is the the last photo for now. Taken in a different part of the garden, named Kerriodoxa Valley, for the obvious reason that there are a bunch of Kerriodoxa elegans here. The taller palms are Clinostigma samoense. The street is about 12 ft beyond those Clinostigmas, and needless to say, the street is not visible. The pole is on our side of the street. The fern, which is 'Uluhe Fern' in Hawaiian (and I believe Dicranopterios linearis, and no, I didn't know that - I just looked it up on Google!!) is on the OTHER side of the street. This particular fern likes open areas, and lines all the streets in Leilani Estates. It is extremely difficult to walk through an area with this fern, because you get tangled up for each and every step, and have to un-tangle yourself each time!

More photos later on.

And Chris78, yes, we do have some fruit trees. About a dozen different citrus trees (my favorite: tangelo - VERY juicy), Rambutan (should be getting our first fruit later this summer), and one of my favorites: Durian (but it'll probably be a few more years before it's fruiting). We also used to grow a lot of the white pineapple (MUCH sweeter than the standard yellow one), but after a couple of seasons the fruit was getting smaller and smaller, so we ripped out the plants....

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  • Upvote 1

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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(bgl @ Jul. 13 2006,20:23)

QUOTE
The taller palms are Clinostigma samoense.

Oh......please please please someone tell me that I would have a chance with those palms in Tarpon Springs, FL.....Absolutely fanstastic.

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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(bgl @ Jul. 13 2006,19:57)

QUOTE
OK, here's a few more, and some of these will require some explanation! First one is simple. Looking south from the bridge, the big tree is another Tetraplassandra hawaiiensis, which is providing shade for all the palms in this area. The small palms at the bottom are mostly the "White" Dypsis (see other threads), and the ones with the tall trunks are either Dypsis madagascariensis or D. leptocheilos.

The small palms, the white dypsis, how tall will they eventually get?

Also, I notice you have them under some kind of structure - what is that if you don't mind my asking?

The palms are awesome and the post with the Kerriodoxa - oh that was too much beauty in one photo.

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Thanks Sunny! Actually, the palms are out in the open, but I'm on the foot bridge (and what you see is part of the roof). As a matter of fact, I'll take a close-up of the bridge to give you a better idea of what it looks like.

But the palm... What I have been referring to as the "White" Dypsis was sold under the (incorrect) name of Dypsis tsaratananensis back in 1997-1998. They were just tiny little things back then, so no one could tell if the name was correct or not. But these palms are now getting up in size, and it's obvious that the tsaratanensis name is incorrect. Since we don't know the correct name, we don't know exactly how tall/big these palms will get, but just based on their growth pattern up to this point I'd say they are going to be fairly large palms. Not monsters, but good sized. Here's a photo I took of one a few months ago (and posted in the old forum).

Bo

post-22-1152843198_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Here's our longer bridge (we also have a shorter one), across the lava crack. This one is 60 ft/18 m. long. The palm to the right is a Beccariophoenix madagascariensis.

post-22-1152844293_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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And here's another shot, of the center section (with the somewhat raised roof). The bigger D. leptocheilos that's on the other side of the center section of the bridge is the same palm that was most visible in my earlier photo ("looking south"). And below the center section of the bridge, it's just barely possible to make out the white stem of one of the "White" Dypsis.

post-22-1152844475_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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(spockvr6 @ Jul. 13 2006,21:20)

QUOTE

(bgl @ Jul. 13 2006,20:23)

QUOTE
The taller palms are Clinostigma samoense.

Oh......please please please someone tell me that I would have a chance with those palms in Tarpon Springs, FL.....Absolutely fanstastic.

Might it be possible?

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Fantastic photos as usual Bo.  You have set the standard too high for any of us to post pics!

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Bo fantastic pictures.Please forgive my ignorance in asking this question since this species baffles me to no end.I purchased a Dypsis albafarinosa which I was under the impression is the new name for the Dypsis sp. white.The one I have is starting to sucker and yours is not.Is this the same palm or is mine something different?It was purchased at JD Andersons if that helps.Also the one he had planted was suckering also.My best guess is maybe they are like pembanas which can sucker  or be solitary.Love your photos and thanks for any input.

                  Shon

San Marcos CA

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Shon (and Larry), thanks!

Shon, these are two very different palms. Dypsis albofarinosa is a small to medium sized Dypsis that (as far as I know) will always sucker. When I refer to the "White" Dypsis, this is a name that is about as unofficial as it gets! And when I use that name it refers to the single trunked palm above that's definitely single-trunked. And I have a number of them, and they are ALL single-trunked. I have gone thru POM (Palms of Madagascar) and havn't found anything that seems to describe the "White" Dypsis. Hopefully, we'll know soon!

Bo

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Shon,

Your confusion may stem from the old name of D. albofarinosa. Before it was described and received it's official name from Don Hodel a few years ago, it was being referred to as Dypsis 'white petiole."

animated-volcano-image-0010.gif.71ccc48bfc1ec622a0adca187eabaaa4.gif

Kona, on The Big Island
Hawaii - Land of Volcanoes

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Supreme garden, Bo.

(bgl @ Jul. 14 2006,01:05)

QUOTE
... I'm actually standing inside the lavacrack... The rockwall on my right is approx 15 ft/4.5 m straight up...

When I was at your place, we did not go down into the crack and now it is nice to see from within. I have some questions.

Does it ever host water?

How do you get down to the bottom of the crack?

Are the "rock walls" natural cliffs or man-made walls?

Can we see more landscape pictures of your place?

Carlo

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Carlo,

No, I have never had any visitors down inside the lava crack. But next time you're here, we can go on a little expedition! Everything is natural, there's nothing man-made about this lava crack or its walls, and even though it's very steep in some places (a vertical 15-20 ft/4.5-6 m. drop) there are other areas where you can climb all the way down without too much difficulty. Since it's lava rock it's extremely porous and well draining. It NEVER holds any water. At times we've had 10 inches/250 mm of rain overnight. 5 minutes after the rain stops, there is no standing water ANYWHERE! I'll post more photos shortly.

Bo

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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Visually, this photo will tie in with one or two of the photos above. The Clinostigma samoense in the lower left (still with large juvenile fronds) is the one planted deep in the crack (that I'm standing next to in one the photos above). The Marojejya darianii, on top the cliff, is in the upper righthand corner. Very tall palm in the middle of the photo, in the distance, is a Pigafetta. Planted in July 1997 as a VERY small palm (about 10 inches/25 cm!).

post-22-1152923402_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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I should have pointed out that the juvenile C. samoense frond in the photo above is rather dark, so it requires a little bit of an effort! But it's the dark area in the lower left!

This is one of our many foot paths, made of red volcanic cinder. The only plants I have planted myself are the few palms, and not too many are visible in this photo. And yes, that is a Bismarckia that's just barely visible, planted in pure rock, and VERY slow! All the other plants were here when we bought this vacant piece of land, nine years ago. The long lava crack through our property runs parallel to this path, about 6-8 ft to the right.

post-22-1152923955_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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This is a big hole, part of the lava crack. My wife and I refer to it as our "tourist attraction". It's about 20-23 ft deep, 30-35 ft long, and 12-14 ft across. The dark area in the middle of the photo is a vertical rockwall, dropping about 22-23 ft straight down. The skinny little palm on the left is a Dypsis ambositrae. And on top of the rock wall on the right (but NOT visible in this photo) is the Dypsis lastelliana 'highland redneck' that I mentioned in Dypsisdean's thread (with that name). See next photo!

post-22-1152924241_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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This is looking straight down into the "tourist attraction". I'm standing on a high spot, about 5 ft above where this Dypsis lastelliana 'highland redneck' is planted. The dark/black areas in the photo are those parts of the big hole that are really deep! And, as can be seen, getting a good close-up shot of the trunk of the Dypsis can be a perilous exercise!

post-22-1152924483_thumb.jpg

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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So there is no such thing as a staircase or a ladder to go down?!?

I would love to see a few pictures of your early start, with the crack surrounded by nothing or by the younger palms.

And... what about are the weeds that grow through the cinder in paths?

Carlo

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This is actually an extension of the lava crack, even though it's not visible. The Neoveitchia storckii are all planted on top of the crack, which is only about a foot wide at this point. I filled it in with rocks, then planted the palms. To the left of the Neovetchias is a real nice landscape feature; a 6-7 ft tall vertical rockwall, that's mostly obscured by the natural vegetation of ferns and anthuriums (and no, we didn't plant any of those!). Pritchardia on the right is a P. glabrata.

post-22-1152924713_thumb.jpg

  • Upvote 1

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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