The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-09-16

seen f'INHHfff Instead VI liret hHd
.ffrfl Sc find hfsWaust. Hhlfh rcf
iain'y SUPPLY ihtif rafft tst sell ani
Hh.h maintain ihrf JHwciff ~
pfaHh n mie M ihe trade nlHi
On. tree ehlth is mnu frequently
seen boz and about ii0nniHlH iHsn any
~ ite iHftHNnp and which t frequent
lv mistaken iof c0mief BE- the iron.
wood. Casuafin equitCiii0iia. probably
originally i native ~ Australia. although
now widely distributed In tropical coun-
tries a lcanou tree with dropping fila-
mcntou. branch.cts Stimulating the foh-
age ~ the pines and with a fruit quite
as conc-lilc IN appearance certainly as
that OF the juniper. Il might With great
show OF FEASIBILITY claim relationship
with pine. cypress or cedar The heavy
black. hard wood Of the tree has been
used by the South Sea islanders for
making war clubs. and in the Fiji is
lands forks were made Of il 20 be used
exclusively in the canniba feasts Ex-
ccpt in eating human flesh they used
simply their fingers. The tree was not
known however, to the aboriginal lla-
Waiians.
One OF the finest exotic shade trees is
the samang, commonly known in Homo
lulu as the monkey-pod tree. II is one
Of the numerous leguminous trees that
have been introduced--most Of them be-
longing to the Acacia or to the Cassia
group. and having accordingly COM
pound or decompound leaves This is
a great spreading tree OF rapid growth,
throwing ont its branches as near the
ground as circumstances will permit.
Like many other plants OF the family,
il has the habit of folding together its
leaflets at night, so that after six o'clock
it presents a peculiar wilted appearance
quite in contrast with its ordinary as
pect, which is one of exhuberant vital
ity. The foliage may become little
ragged in winter, but only preparatory
to a more glorious rehabilitation, which
eliminates with its blossoming time,
when for weeks the deep. rich green OF
its foliage is seen as through a haze or
mist of rose-purple. The blossoms, like
those of other acacias, are tassels con-
sisting mostly OF the conspicuous tlla-
ments. A tree twenty years old may
have a boe twelve or fifteen feet in
girth and cover with its shade circle
a hundred feet in diameter. The samang
obviously, like the banyan, also OCCASION
ally seen in Honolulu, is a tree for the
wealthy man. For the poor-and for the
rich as well-there is the algaroba, the
character to the Honolulu landscapes.
What the elm is to those in the North
ern States, the algaroba is to the kama
alma in Honolulu. Its lank, lawless,
often contorted, branches are too con-
spcuous, but they have picturesque
ness of their own, and il we have been
inclined to take offense at them on ar
tistic considerations. there is a grace in
the poise OF its slender branchlets and a
wtchery in their swa--ing to the breeze,
and ightheartedness and abandon with
which the living tree gives itself to play
with sunlight and shower, with gale and
zephyr. that makes irresistible appeal to
that in the human life that reflects the
life universal.
Not on sentimental grounds only is
the algaroba a favorite. 1t Is tree
easily propagated and OF rapid growth.
Its diaphanous shade moderates the heat
OF the tropical sun, yet permits the grass
OF the lawn beneath it to grow perfectly
well. in dry seasons indeed saves it from
scorching. 1t supplies fuel for the kitch-
en-, fodder Gin its saccharine pods) tor
the horses, and honey of finest quality
for the beehive Finally its roots go so
deep that they find water for vigorous
growth where other trees can be kept
alive only by irrigation. The arid low
lands on the lee coasts of Oahu, Molo-
kai and Hawaii have been converted
from desert to forest bygthe algaroba
tree. And the parent tree from which
these forests have sprung still stands,
not yet an old tree, near the Roman
Catholic Cathedral" on Fort street.
In driving out into the country near
Honolulu, you are surprised to find how
few wayside flowers there are You
look in vain for anything corresponding
with buttercups, daisies, sunhowers,
goldenrods, asters or gentians You
may. very rarely, see forlorn May
weed-the plant was introduced long
ago. but does not thrive and multiply
the bright colors are almost absent.
Yes. there are white poppy thistles,
Agemone Mexicana, as fine as you will
see anywhere-and over rocky lodges
YOU may see spread mantle of convol-
vulus, with profusion of blossoms per-
haps white striped with pink, perhaps
blue. pale, but vivid, changing to pink.
Here and there the sand near the shore
may be carpeted with nohu-Zygophyl-
lum tribulum-and surely nothing could
be more gay than the gold OF its deli
cately fragrant Observation-Disclosures
violets they are called locally. But, Tor
the most part the flowers by the wayside
are inconspicuous and of dull colors.
But you have forgotten lantana! No,
THAT is another story" Lantana cam
not be counted as a wavside wild flower.
1t has taken possession OF all the land,
and would leave no road at all il perpet-
ual warfare were not waged upon it.
Gay enough it is, but with its calico
colors covering hill and dale and field,
you look in vain for the individual prize
which you could bring home as wild
flower For once nature has placed in
iuxtaposition in this plant harshly in
colorS. but who could have
thirty years ago that the care
fully tended garden novelty seen here
and there in Honolulu would within a
convert into impenetrable
thicket hall the pasture land of Oahu
Thos- who have seen only the little
plants which in temperate chimes must
he kept in pots half the year for fear of
injury from frost can hardly understand