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Our Hawaiian jungle


bgl

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JakeK, thanks!

And Carlo, no, no ladder or staircase. You just need to be physically fit. And willing to risk your life :D

Unfortunately I don't have any early (digital) photos, and even the regular "paper"photos of these areas are VERY confusing (even to me) because you just see a lot of trees and bushes and greenery and some darker areas (the crack/big hole) and it's VERY difficult to make out what's what.

About the weeds, sorry I have no clue what they might be. We do our best trying to keep them under control but it's an exercise in futility. Later on I'll post a few photos of some VERY impressive weeds!!

Bo

PS. And what're you doing up in the middle of the night?? :laugh:

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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(Dave from So-Cal @ Jul. 13 2006,14:53)

QUOTE

(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

Hey Dave.  Nice to see there is another Buckeye on board.

I had a few posts over on the old forum, but you know being from Ohio as well, that there just aren't too many palms one can grow here so I wasn't as visible a poster as others. I fortunately have had quite good success with the needle palm here though.

In pots I have a trachycarpus fortunei, Ceroxylon quindiuense (thanks to Greg in Lake Forest) a Wodyetia and I should be receiving a Dypsis pembana, Drymophloeus oliviformis and a Drymophloeus sp. "Irian Jaya" from Christian aka cfkingfish.

I grow a lot of broadleaf evergreens and a few cedrus deodaras from the Patkia region of Pakistan and temperate bamboo as well. Oh yeah and this summer I received a few cold provenance eucalypti to try out here as perennials.

I am familiar with Cleveland's "mistake on the lake" nickname but "land of cleavage" is a new one. Hopefully I will be out of Cincinnati in a year or two and on Wall Street. I am studying for the CFA examinations right now, and will be passing the CAIA exams right after.

Later man,

Jake

sorry Bo, I didn't purposely hijack your thread.

Cincinnati, Ohio USA & Mindo, Ecuador

 

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Jake, no problem!

A few more photos. All over the area here are natural lava formations, that can vary in height from just a few feet to 15-20 ft or so, and some of these are very impressive structures. Here's one that partially collapsed a few years ago (they are by nature very unstable). This one is about 9-10 ft/3 m. tall.

post-22-1152927025_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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95% of the trees here are native Ohi'a trees (Metrosideros polymorpha), with very pretty red or yellow flowers ("lehua" in Hawaiian). The red is the most spectacular (IMO!), but the yellow is much more unusual, so of course that's the one people want!! Here's a yellow one.

post-22-1152927193_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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The property adjacent to (="behind") us belongs to Kamehameha Schools, the largest private land owner in the state of Hawaii. This is true Hawaiian rainforest, untouched for hundreds of years, and we have leased the land that's adjacent to us. We're setting up a small palm nursery, and I will also plant a bunch of palms in various areas, even though many of these areas will stay untouched. This photo is taken from our property towards the back. The taller trees on the right are Ohi'as. The yellow flowers is an Allamanda (and it was probably a mistake to plant it there....), the purple flowers below, and to the left of, it belongs to a Tibouchina, which is a real nuisance here. I'm doing my best to get rid of these plants, which are very invasive. There are also a couple of C. samoense on the right.

post-22-1152927641_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 mentioned that we just put up the field fence last week. We were beginning to have problems with feral pigs, which are ALL over the forest. Over the last few months they began to visit our property at night, and dig around in various areas. No damage (yet) to any of the palms, but time to let them know that this is private property!

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. 14 2006,21:40)

QUOTE
the purple flowers below, and to the left of, it belongs to a Tibouchina, which is a real nuisance here. I'm doing my best to get rid of these plants, which are very invasive.

Good Lawd are they fast.  I also planted a few of them and although they are pretty....I am starting to wonder if I made a mistake as they are starting to hog the area they are in.

Larry 

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

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(bgl @ Jul. 14 2006,21:40)

QUOTE
There are also a couple of C. samoense on the right.

Is there ever a pic that doesnt have at least one of those palms in it?!?!?!

I know you are teasing us now......  :D

Larry 

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

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(bgl @ Jul. 14 2006,20:51)

QUOTE
The Neoveitchia storckii are all planted on top of the crack, which is only about a foot wide at this point.

Great photo......Ive never seen those palms before....yet your garden looks over run with them  :D

Larry 

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

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Larry,

Well, you WILL find a few photos above that are absolutely Clinostigma-free, but you really have to pay close attention to find those... We have about 130 C. samoense on the property (plus about 40 more of other Clinostigma species), and you're not going to find any in my dedicated American section!

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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American section?  More details!

Larry 

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

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(bgl @ Jul. 14 2006,21:56)

QUOTE
Larry,

Well, you WILL find a few photos above that are absolutely Clinostigma-free, but you really have to pay close attention to find those... We have about 130 C. samoense on the property (plus about 40 more of other Clinostigma species),

If I ever come visit Hawaii, I am bringing a shovel! I doubt youd notice the difference between 169 Clinostigma and 170........  :D

Larry 

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

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Thanks for the superb garden tour Bo...Not enough words to describe...

Did you ever think of hanging a hammock in that bridge, late in the afternoon and watch the palms grow, near the crack? or even sleeping outside during a summer full moon night? Any noises in your paradise at night?

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i would be willing to hire on as director of feral swine wrangler!!!

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.

Abraham Lincoln

The way of the transgressor is hard

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Palmotrafficante,

Well, that's a non-paying job, but all the pork you can eat! :)

Gileno,

Actually, every now and then when I cross the bridge I take a 10 minute break and relax on the seat there. Have never slept outside. We do have a pavilion, so that would be feasible, and certainly an experience during a full moon! And it used be VERY peaceful here at night. Now, unfortunately, our quiet neighborhood is being overrun by coqui frogs (Puerto Rican tree frogs), and since they have no enemies here, they multiply like rabbits! Or maybe like frogs...

Larry,

Here's one small part of the American section: Euterpe edulis on the extreme left and right, the palm a little bit to the left of the center is an Iriartea deltoidea, and the palm exactly in the middle as well as the taller one to the right of it (both with fruit) are both Socratea exorrhiza. Frond all the way in the upper righthand corner is a Roystonea regia.

post-22-1152937264_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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Larry,

here's another shot of a group of Neoveitchia storckii, taken in late afternoon. The taller trees in the background are Ohi'as.

post-22-1152938077_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,

Ohhhh these pictures!  I am in awe of them - there aren't any words.  The palms are so lush - just unbelievable.

Forgive my ignorance, but exactly what is a "lava crack?"  And is the lava in the soil good for palms, either for drainage or minerals?  Thank you for including a photo of the bridge - it must be a terrific place to stop and view the beauty of the surroundings, just heavenly.

St. Pete

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

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Sunny,

Thank you! And those are good questions. First of all, the most recent lava flow in our area is probably 200-300 years old, give or take a few years. That flow was about 12-14 ft thick and covered a large area. I know the thickness, because we have uncovered quite a few "lavatree holes" in the process of clearing parts of the property. A "lavatree hole" is simply a hole in the ground, and that's where a tree once grew. These holes are all about 12-14 ft deep, which indicates the thickness of the most recent lava flow. When that came thru, it surrounded all the existing trees. Lava is a very "thick" substance, so once it surrounded a tree it would solidify pretty quickly. Because of the 2000 degree heat (F), about 1000C or so, the tree would go up in flames, but even though that happened very quickly, the hole where the tree grew would remain, since the lava had already hardened to the point where it would not fill the hole.

Lava itself has no organic material in it, but over the last couple of centuries the vigorours growth on top of it, and various plants decomposing, has added a layer of very rich topsoil on the old lavaflow. Unfortunately, this layer is only a few inches thick in many areas, including our property. BUT, just about a quarter mile away, there's a large cinder cone (=a big hill made of stuff thrown out by the volcano!!), and it contains a naturally occurring mixture of soil (from decomposing plants & trees) and volcanic cinder. So, I have been buying truckloads of this stuff, and that's what I have planted all the palms in. The group of Neoveitchias (photo just above) is planted in an area where I spread out truckload after truckload of this stuff, probably about 2-3 ft thick. This cindersoil mix has both a lot of nutrients, because of the organic material, and it is also extremely well draining, because of the volcanic cinder.

And, to get back to your very first question: lava crack. Bottom line is, we don't know how this crack was formed, and "lava crack" may be technically incorrect because it was probably formed thru a series of earthquakes that moved the surrounding areas in different directions.

If I failed to explain something, let me know!

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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hi bgl,

your garden and your palms look like heaven on earth,only

the snake along with Adem and eve are missing.

the location and the picture are fentastic_Pal !

i came to know about hawaii only after seeing the movie Tora Tora Tora. but seeing the photos boy I have fallen in love with

your garden. Every morning waking up in that greenery is a

god given gift to you man..

Because i live in India.the Place is a concreate jungle less of trees and more of hotels,shopping malls and movie theaters and air pollution_the place would resemble NY(u.s.a)

your land is famous for pulmariea's medium sized trees, i could not find any of those in you garden_Why ?

I have heard that valconic soil is very rich in mineral which

are very healthy for lush vegitation,as in indonesia there is

a dense ever green forest due to valconic black soil.

Bye For Now..

One man one tree..

Love,

Kris (S.India) Avg Temp 94 to 104 F.

love conquers all..

43278.gif

.

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Kris,

Thank you very much! And I'm sure you're correct that the lava has a lot of valuable minerals in it. As you can see, our area is the opposite of a concrete jungle! I don't have any plumeria trees. They WILL grow here on this side of our island, but they won't like our wet conditions. They do MUCH better on the other side of the island (the dry side) and produce many more spectacular flowers under those sunnier & drier conditions. And, BTW, no snakes here!!

Bo

And Larry,

"If I ever come visit Hawaii, I am bringing a shovel! I doubt youd notice the difference between 169 Clinostigma and 170........ "

Actually, I probably would :laugh: However, in our nursery area deep in the rainforest I have a few in pots. And if one of these were to mysteriously disappear, I probably wouldn't notice....

Bo

post-22-1152947502_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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A few more photos, from new planting areas in the rainforest. This is one of the roads we've built with red volcanic cinder. The tall trees are all Ohi'as (and will remain) and palms will be planted along the roads.

post-22-1153071943_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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A large open area. Palms will be planted along the edges, between the red cinder and the Ohia trees.

post-22-1153072019_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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Time do some weeding... Yes, those are weeds, and they've grown to this size over the last 3 months or so.

post-22-1153072114_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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One of several foot trails through the rainforest (all built by hand, by bringing in the red cinder via wheelbarrow). The smaller "trees" are mostly Strawberry guava, a real nuisance and an invasive species. I'm removing as many of these as I can!

post-22-1153072271_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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Another foot trail, just barely visible in the lower right corner of the photo. This is mostly native forest, and will remain untouched.

post-22-1153072352_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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Many interesting features along the foot trails.

post-22-1153072398_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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One more! The taller trees are all Ohi'as (and will of course remain), while the lower stuff is Tibouchina, an invasive species, which will all be removed and replaced by palms! Dypsis palms in this particular area.

post-22-1153072846_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, please tell me you have a breadfruit tree somewhere on your property.  There are several named types with quality fruit, foliage is painfully tropical, endure heavy pruning, and some of these named types have over-optimal tropical foliage.  

Also, as you are a man of good taste, a mangosteen or 20 would be well suited to your garden (not as tricky as some say, only prefer soil on the acid side).

I must confess to living vicariously through images you have shared of your paradise.  

Also, I hope you do not find my bended knee begging invasive or rude.  I have trouble thinking clearly with this green haze about me.

Alan

Tampa, Florida

Zone - 10a

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Hi Bo

Back to the american section, have you planted Euterpe oleracea or precatoria at all ? The oleracea I have which is still in a pot, is dying on me thanks to the cool weather I think. I do have edulis in ground and is going well. Nice palms.

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

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Alan,

Thanks for your comments, and nothing invasive or rude about your questions. Keep them coming - if you have any more!

I'm sorry to disappoint, but I have no breadfruit tree, but I'm thinking of planting one in the rainforest, now that space is not an issue. We do have one little mangosteen plant in our fruit tree collection, but it's REAL slow. I wouldn't mind getting one or two more because I really like the fruit, and they're supposed to produce good fruit here.

Wal,

I found a few photos of Euterpes, but most of them have so much detail in them that I wasn't able to reduce them below the 100KB limit. We have plenty of Euterpe oleracea, edulis and precatoria. Unfortunately, the precatoria, being tall and slender is VERY difficult to take good photos of (it tends to blend in perfectly with the background!!), so I don't have ANY good shots of precatorias. Here's one shot of a group of E. oleracea. You actually only see a few. There are 19 in this group, and they are planted in an 'S' shaped pattern, 4 ft apart, just to the right of the red path that you see, so as you walk along the red path you have this wall of E. oleracea to your right. The Royal to the left of the path is a R. oleracea and the smaller palms below the E. oleracea are Allagoptera arenaria.

post-22-1153119895_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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There are no Euterpes in this photo, but there are a few South American palms. However, this is a transitional area (geographically speaking), and all the palms along the middle of the photo, left to right, are Neoveitchia storckii. The taller palms sticking up above them are Iriartea deltoidea. And the few smaller palms at the bottom are Copernicias. Pritchardia glabrata all the way to the left.

post-22-1153120090_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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(bgl @ Jul. 15 2006,00:34)

QUOTE
Larry,

here's another shot of a group of Neoveitchia storckii, taken in late afternoon. The taller trees in the background are Ohi'as.

Oh my!

I think I have new monitor wallpaper :D

Now THAT looks like Hawaii to me.

Larry 

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

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(bgl @ Jul. 15 2006,03:11)

QUOTE
And Larry,

"If I ever come visit Hawaii, I am bringing a shovel! I doubt youd notice the difference between 169 Clinostigma and 170........ "

Actually, I probably would :laugh: However, in our nursery area deep in the rainforest I have a few in pots. And if one of these were to mysteriously disappear, I probably wouldn't notice....

Bo

I have a feeling if I ever make it out there, I just might make one go "POOF" :D

Larry 

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

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Very nice, Bo

 Komkrit

Komkrit Yensirikul

Bangkok, Thailand /17C to 40C Avg32C /rain 4 months a year.

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Neoveitchia storkii's, right?? Anyone growing these in california?

Dave Hughson

Carlsbad, Ca

1 mile from ocean

Zone 10b

Palm freaks are good peeps!!!!!

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(bgl @ Jul. 15 2006,02:45)

QUOTE
If I failed to explain something, let me know!

Bo

Bo, the explanation was great - and I appreciate it, as I live over on the mainland and didn't know anything about living on/near old lava flows.

The explanation of how the holes form even though the tree is burned up is fascinating.

You did a lot of work to prepare the soil!  But the results of it are the incredible beauty you have there.

Very interesting about the minerals in the lava - here, they sell "lava rock" in a reddish color (also a grey kind) and I kind of wondered if it truly is lava.  It resembles the material in your photos.

St. Pete

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

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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I tried to get a few more shots from the "American section" but many of these palms are planted in such a way that's difficult to get good views (such as the Neoveitchia group above). Anyway, here are a few more. The first one is the same row of Euterpe oleracea that I mentioned above. The taller palms in the foreground (mostly trunk visible) are Iriartea deltoidea, the Euterpes are in the background, and the plants at the lower portion of the photo is a mix of Schippia concolor and cycads (Zamia skinneri).

post-22-1153195313_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 obviously not a good view. I just like the canopy!This is a different group of Euterpe oleracea planted in a wide circle, with a foot path going thru the circle from one side to the other, so when you stand "inside" the circle and look up, this is what you see.

post-22-1153195506_thumb.jpg

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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 a few Roystonea regia (I know, so what....but it was in one of the few areas where I could get a good distance shot!). The small palm in the middle (lower part) is a Butia capitata, and the large palm that's hovering just above it (kind of dark!) is a Raphia taedigera. It was planted from a 1G pot in 1997, and now it's a multi-trunked 30 ft tall monster!

post-22-1153195678_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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