| Author | Content |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
 July 29, 2009 1:31 AM Post #6877845
| Meet Dr. Alexei Oskolski. A senior researcher at the Komarov Botanical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia.
He was in Hawai'i this past week to study plants in the Ginseng Family, Arailiaceae. I helped him find those plants.
Here he is in the Kilauea Forest.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
RachelLF
Rural Retreat, VA
July 29, 2009 1:33 AM Post #6877856
| Wow! Looking forward to more.
Rachel |
rjuddharrison
Houston, TX (Zone 9a)
July 29, 2009 1:33 AM Post #6877857
| very cool! |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 1:45 AM Post #6877914
| This is a silhouette of Tetraplasandra oahuensis; one of the main species of Alexei's study. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 1:58 AM Post #6877961
| Here is a seedling of Tetraplasandra kavaiensis. It is very rare, and may soon become Listed Endangered. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 2:10 AM Post #6878002
| Of course Alexei was fascinated with the unusual plants of Hawai'i's Rainforests. He took several photos of this Mamaki bush Pipturus albidus, in full bloom! It is a member of the Nettles Family, Urticaceae. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 2:28 AM Post #6878154
| I quickly figured out, what makes Russian folks happy. Show them Hawaiian plants!
This was a hit! Clermontia lindseyana, a Listed Endangered member of the Lobelia Family, Campanulaceae. The Kilauea Forest is one of the few places that the plant still exists.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 2:46 AM Post #6878290
| We also went to Volcanoes National Park to see plants.
This is a rare sedge found only on new lava flows, Fimbristylis hawaiiensis.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
RachelLF
Rural Retreat, VA
July 29, 2009 2:54 AM Post #6878333
| Chuckle! What plant from Hawaii does not catch the interest of out-sider's!! ;-)
Carry on...
Rachel |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 2:59 AM Post #6878359
| Another plant restricted to new lava flows on Hawai'i Island is 'Akia, Wikstroemia uva-ursi. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 3:16 AM Post #6878418
| Some of the plants that Alexei is studying are found right in my garden. Such as this, Ozmoxylon linearis. It contains pseudofruit that the plant produces to attract pollinators to the true flowers. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 3:40 AM Post #6878509
| Alexei's English was not very good, and I have no Russian to offer; but when he would say something like: "Vat ease Cyanea?" I knew what to do.
Here is Cyanea tritomantha in the Pu'u Maka'ala Wildlife Sanctuary.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 29, 2009 4:07 AM Post #6878604
| Alexei left, well pleased with the research he did while here. He said that he had enough research material to help write several papers on rare tropical Arailiads, and other members of the Apiales Order.
Alexei has a lot of material available for viewing and study. He is involved with a large amount of plant research.
Google: Dr. Alexei Oskolski, and Komarov Botanical Institute to find out more.
Here is another view of Clermontia lindseyana with an open flower!
Aloha, Dave
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
lorien4
Camarillo, CA
July 29, 2009 4:09 AM Post #6878610
| Must have been an interesting excursion. Oddly enough there is a tetraplasandra growing in the gardens of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Barbara, California. Until I saw that specimen I thought they could not survive out of doors in California. |
tropicbreeze
noonamah
Australia
July 29, 2009 11:29 AM Post #6879140
| Those Russians get around. Some of the early work done on New Guinea flora was by a Russian botanist. Had to check what exactly Araliaceae were. We only have 3 here in the Territory, although of them the Umbrella Tree (Schefflera actinophylla) would be the most widespread these days.
I can't imagine your Russian coming up with "Cyanea", though. It would have been in Cyrillic script. ;O) |
tropicbreeze
noonamah
Australia
July 29, 2009 11:53 AM Post #6879191
| Would have looked more like this: Cуяныя |
rjuddharrison
Houston, TX (Zone 9a)
July 29, 2009 7:45 PM Post #6881063
| Sounds like he hooked up with the right guy there in Hawaii! |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC (Zone 9a)
July 30, 2009 2:15 PM Post #6884438
| Dave, what a fun, engaging and enriching opportunity.
Thanks for that picture of the Akia; now I can ID the photo I took of it.
How about this one? 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 30, 2009 4:43 PM Post #6885061
| Hi Ardesia, where exactly did you photograph Akia?
The photo is Ohelo, Vaccinium reticulatum, the Hawaiian Blueberry. Beside it is Pukiawe, Styphelia tameiameiae.
Here is another shot of Ohelo in HNVP.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC (Zone 9a)
July 30, 2009 7:10 PM Post #6885652
| I photogtaphed it in the HV National Park; l was so fascinated how plants could just grow out of lava. Here is still another shot of the "blueberries". 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC (Zone 9a)
July 30, 2009 7:14 PM Post #6885656
| This was amazing to me. I had zoomed in as far as I could for this. The poor little thing was just out by itself, growing in nothing but lava.
This message was edited Jul 30, 2009 3:14 PM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 30, 2009 7:22 PM Post #6885683
| Hi Ardesia, your new shot of "blueberries" is 'Akia, Wikstroemia uva-ursi.
The tree on the lava is 'Ohi'a, Metrosideros polymorpha var. polymorpha.
Nice photos! |
westraad
Xai Xai
Mozambique
July 31, 2009 10:50 AM Post #6888465
| gorgeous photos, i didn't really know that some plants grow on lava. you don't get any volcanoes near here! ;-)
westraad |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC (Zone 9a)
July 31, 2009 12:41 PM Post #6888728
| Some plants are survivors. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 31, 2009 9:10 PM Post #6890775
| Nice photo of Nephrolepis multiflora in a lava crack! |
westraad
Xai Xai
Mozambique
August 1, 2009 6:49 AM Post #6892895
| cool photo! |
ardesia
Saint Helena Island, SC (Zone 9a)
August 1, 2009 11:45 AM Post #6893102
| Thanks, others were taking pictures of the ocean and I was wandering the lava completly fascinated by how plants could grow in that most inhospitable of materials.
|
