The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-09-16


In the Older trees the beauty 81 symmc.
Try Is lost. bui there remains an air Of
sturdy self assertion when seems 10
excuse their grotesque uglincss
Another tree doubtless imported by
the aborignes Is the ohia. or mountain
apple. Eugena Malaccensis, occasionally
seen in Honolulu but not happy where
there is so little rain a noble tree II IS
under favorable conditions. with It's
large. oval, deep green, shining leaves,
and the scarlet tasscls of It's numerous
blossoms, but II is when the fruit is ripe
that the tree is in It's glory great clus-
tiers OF the deep red luscious looking
apples clnging about its branches and
larger limbs everywhere Juicy and re-
frcshing the fruit is, although rather in
sipid.
Conspicuous by the paleness Of its
silvery foliage among the shade trees
near the city. as well as in the valleys
OF the interior. is the kuku. or candle
nut tree, Aleurites Moluccana. The
fruit looks something like the black
walnut. but is larger and frequently con-
tains two nuts These are as large as
an English walnut. with a shell nearly
as hard as that OF a hickory nut, from
which are carved effective ornaments,
black as jet, and capable OF receiving
a high polish. The oily kernels were
formerly strung on bamboo splints by
the natives for torches, whence, 10 this
day, a lamp is an ipu kukui.
Another native plant abundant in the
mountains, you will often see planted
for hedges-a Daracaena (more proper
ly Cordyine)-but with green, not red
or variagaed, foliage The natives call
it ii. and find many uses for it. The
roots which are three to six inches
thick and several feet long are roasted
or steamed in underground ovens, sugar
being produced abundantly in the pro-
cess. In this condition it is eaten. or
rather chewed and the Juice sucked from
it, but the principal use made OF it by
the natives is to produce okolehao, a
kind of moonshiner's whiskey The
leaves take the place OF wrapping paper
in the fish market Haoles (white peo-
ple) make bungle of putting up pack
ages with it, but the native Hawaiian
is very dextrous in its use, and the imi-
tative Chinaman succeeds equally well.
Banana trees YOU see everywhere, but
not generally planted for ornament. The
trade WIND blows TOO constantly 10 allow
them to keep whole leaf more than
DAY or two, unless under shelter OF
house. he stranger IS surprised at
their variety as different one from an
other as the varieties OF pear or apple.
Some grow on small trees not more
than SIX feet high, others run up fltteen
twenty and even twenty-five feet. he
rapldity OF growth IS something amaz-
ing Cut OF the trunk OF halt grown
plant-.you md that It IS made up SIM
ply OF the sheaths OF Leaf stalks, the CEN
tire occupied by the coming leat, which
Immediately begins to push forward so
that IN few minutes 1t projects; notice
ably and IN haif day 1t VIII have
grown ont several inches:
ne frult Of the different varieties
varies greatly in size, shape, color and
flavor; the fruit cluster IN some varieties
are very large. IN others always small.
OF the thousands OF blossoms produced
from each bud, only a few, fifty or
less to two hundred of the first, are fol-
lowed by fruit; seed is never develop
ed.
One variety has the fruit cluster erect
instead OF pendant Some are good to
eat uncooked, and spoiled by cooking,
oil,