napanapa or Asiatic snakewoodPolynesian Names: napanapa (Hawaii); Fhoa (Niue); Fhoa (Tonga); Fsoa (Samoa); Tutu (Tahiti); Vere (Fiji)RhamnaceaeIndigenous to the Hawaiian IslandsOahu (Cultivated)The common name "latherleaf" comes from the fact that the leaves are lathery when crushed and added to water used by early Hawaiians as a soap. It is still used in some Polynesian islands as soap and sometimes in native medicines.NPH00007nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Colubrina_asiatica
Kauila, KauwilaRhamaceae (Buckthorn family)Endemic to the Hawaiian IslandsIUCN: Critically EndangeredOahu (Cultivated; Oahu form)Black twig-borer (Xylosandrus compactus) are very tiny beetles (1-2mm) that cause havoc with our native Hawaiian trees and shrubs, many of these being extremely rare such as kauila. The larvae eat (bore) through the center of the twigs causing die back of leaves, stems and twigs.The brown leaf and twig die back is a tell-tale sign of their presence. If not treated soon with a systemic combination of insecticide and fungicide, the entire tree is subject to dying.Flowers & more information about this rare tree:www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/4822719738/in/photolist-...Fruitwww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/4822719484/in/photolist-...
Ceanothus decornutus. A new study establishing this species was published in Madroo 61(4):399-406. 2014. See www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.3120/0024-9637-61.4.399 for an abstract. The new species has yet to be shown in the Jepson Interchange Database or CalFlora. Photographed at University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley, CA.
Seed sample of Pomaderris oraria (Bassian Dogwood). Mature seeds are dark brown. Immature or infested seeds are pale brown. White appendage is an elaiosome.