About sunshiiine
View all posts by sunshiiine:
Leaf Descriptions
Golden Pothos •• Epipremnum aureum:
The Golden Pothos or Epipremnum aureum is a small plant that is commonly used as a house plant. The leaves are heart-shaped and have a waxy texture. The colors vary with various shades of green as well as the leaves often being marbled with a creamy yellow or white color.
These can be planted in soil or grow with their roots submerged in water, which is how I’ve chosen to grow mine. The leaves are no larger the palm of my hand. The colors for each leaf vary as shown below. About half of the leaves are solid colored in various shades of green and the other half contain the marbled pattern. This plant, in particular, has leaves that are on the smaller end of the spectrum. I’ve had this plant since June of 2019 and it has about doubled in size since then.
Ti Leaf •• Cordyline fruticosa:
The Ti Leaf or Cordyline fruticosa is a woody plant that can grow up to 13 feet tall. It’s leaves vary in size and can be anywhere from 1-2 feet in length. The leaves contain bone that runs from the stem through the end of the leaf. The colors vary as well. They can be any shade of green and they also come in a dark red, burgundy shade.
The Ti leaves that I am observing come from my yard. They have been planted in my yard for about 20 years now. The stock is about 10 feet tall. The leaves are about 15 inches in length. The leaves are thin and waxy. They are thinner than other ti leaves that I’ve seen. The color of the leaves are a very vibrant, light, green color. Some leaves are yellowing and some spotted with brown.
Gardenia •• Gardenia jasminoides:
The Gardenia or Gardenia jasminoides is a bush that is comprised of leaves and fragrant white blossoms that somewhat resemble roses. The leaves are thick and have many veins running throughout. the bush can grow in many shapes and sizes, typically 2- 8 feet tall.
The Gardenia bush that I am referencing is one that is in my neighbors yard. It is about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. The leaves are all in elliptic shapes that sit in bunches together. The leaves are thick and hearty. The color varies from various shades of green to multiple shades of yellow. The leaves vary in size, the smallest ones being a few inches large, up to 8-10 inches in size.
Bottlebrush •• Callistemon:
The Bottlebrush or the Callistemon is a bush that contains small oval-shaped leaves and bright red blossoms. The leaves are a light grey or green color and often stiff and brittle. They are a woody plant and grow in bushes that can grow to become 20-30 feet tall and 10 -15 feet in width.
The Bottlebrush that I have in my yard is averaging 11 feet in height and 4 feet in width. The leaves of the Bottlebrush are very small and brittle and are on the more green end of the spectrum for this plant. They snap when you break them. The leaves have this white dusty residue on the surface of each leaf. Each leaf is about the same size of 3 or 4 cm.
Garden croton •• Codiaeum variegatum:
The Garden croton or Codiaeum variegatum is a woody plant that has large leaves that are painted with many different colors: various shades of red, green, yellow, and orange. They can grow to be about 3-8 feet in height and 4-6 feet in width.
The Garden croton that I have is a smaller bush averaging only about 3 feet in height and 1 foot in width. The leaves on my Garden croton are all rather large, 8-10 inches on average. These leaves have waxy face and a veiny underside. The leaves are rather thick and sturdy.
Signs of Spring
While the only two distinguishing seasons on O’ahu, Hawai’i are summer, spanning from May to October, and winter, spanning from November to April, there are some things to take note of at the typical dates season are meant to change. The weather doesn’t change much, but where I live on the east side of O’ahu, the rainfall increases and the weather becomes humid during the day and clear and cooler at night. Most plants grow year-round, but some plants that bloom specifically in the spring season include Jacaranda trees, which are tall trees that often grow up to 40ft tall, and are abundant in delicate lilac blossoms.
The tree that I visited is in my neighborhood and it on a slight slope. The natural habitat of the Jacaranda tree includes bushlands, grasslands, wooded ravines, and riverbanks.
Date: April 8, 2020
Time:12:10 PM
Location: 27.2038° N, 77.5011° E
Weather conditions: cool, sunny
Topography: grown on a slope
Natural Habitat: bushlands, grasslands, wooded ravines, and riverbanks.
Watercolor Flowers. www.pinterest.com/pin/224194887670601663/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Govisithawaii.com. www.govisithawaii.com/2016/09/19/flowers-bloom-hawaii/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
keys.lucidcentral.org. keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/
Jacaranda_mimosifolia_(Jacaranda).htm. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Grey Hibiscus, Grey Lady, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
This hibiscus is a large faced hibiscus that can be about 5 inches in diameter. There are multiple colors on the face of the Hibiscus petals including grey, purple, pink, yellow, and white. The petals are very delicate and thin. They have a very bumpy texture. They typically grow on a bush that can be anywhere from 3 to 7 ft. tall and 2- 3 ft. in width.
This was found around my neighborhood, (hikes aren’t open in Hawai’i, so I had to just take a walk around where I live) in my neighbors front yard.
Date: March 26, 2020
Time: 5:20 PM
Location: 21°26’02.9″N 157°50’10.1″W
Weather conditions: cool, sunny
Topography: grown on flat ground
Natural Habitat: Subtropic and Tropics regions
Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia reginae
The Strelitzia reginae or Bird of Paradise grows in a small bush type of form. It consists of leaves that are thick and hard. The flower that grows is multi-colored consisting of orange, blue, and a darker pink shade. this particular type of Bird of Paradise can grow to about 5 ft. in height, but it does depend on the type of Bird of Paradise, as there is more than one type.
This is from my yard. We have had this Bird of Paradise growing for nearly 17 years now, and it doesn’t follow a seasonal growing pattern, but the flowers grow about every 2 months and last for about 3 weeks each time.
Date: March 27, 2020
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: 27.2038° N, 77.5011° E
Weather conditions: cool, sunny
Topography: grown on flat ground
Natural Habitat: Native to the subtropical coastal areas of southern Africa
"Growth Space Required for Birds of Paradise." Homeguides.sfgate.com, homeguides.sfgate.com/
growth-space-required-birds-paradise-41764.html. Accessed 6 Apr. 2020.
"Bird-of-paradise Strelitzia sp." animals.sandiegozoo.org, animals.sandiegozoo.org/plants/
bird-paradise-0. Accessed 6 Apr. 2020.
Ti Leaf, Cordyline fruticosa
he Ti Leaf is an oblong-shaped leaf with a short stem. They come in colors of green and red. The green Ti leaves are often large and smooth. The whole plant can grow to be up to 10 ft. tall and have a very thin, woody stock type.
I have these Ti leaves growing in my yard. They have been growing for about 17 years when we planted them they started at about a height of 2 ft. tall, and have grown to their full height of 10 ft.
Date: March 27, 2020
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: 27.2038° N, 77.5011° E
Weather conditions: cool, sunny
Topography: grown on flat ground
Natural Habitat: Rainforest
Espiritu, Kevin. "Hawaiian Ti Plant: Growing Cordyline Fruticosa." EpicGardening.com, Mar. 2019,
www.epicgardening.com/hawaiian-ti-plant/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2020.
Kalo, Taro, Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia esculenta, more commonly known as Taro, is a short plant that is often green with a heart-shaped leaf. The leaves are resistant to water, which beads off of the surface.
This was found around my neighborhood, (hikes aren’t open in Hawai’i, so I had to just take a walk around where I live) in my neighbor’s front yard. The location is near the bottom of the Ko’olau mountain range in the Kahalu’u land division of the island of O’ahu.
Taro, or in the Hawaiian language is known as Kalo, is a starch plant, similar to a potato, that grows as a root. Above the soil grows a large leaf from a sturdy stock. It is a staple food source for Hawaiians throughout history.
Date: March 26, 2020
Time: 5:15 PM
Location: 21°26’02.9″N 157°50’10.1″W
Weather conditions: cool, sunny
Topography: grown on flat ground
Natural Habitat: Marshes
‘Awapuhi Kuahiwi, Bitter Ginger, Zingiber zerumber
A flower that can grow to be 1.2m. It is often red in color and is very sturdy. Petals are thick and stiff, similar to the sturdiness of the stock of the plant.
This was found around my neighborhood, (hikes aren’t open in Hawai’i, so I had to just take a walk around where I live) in my neighbors front yard. The location is near the bottom of the Ko’olau mountain range in the Kahalu’u land division of the island of O’ahu.
The Hawaiian name for the Bitter Ginger is ‘Awapuhi Kuahiwi. The Ginger originates in India and was a canoe plant or a plant that was brought to the Pacific islands by Polynesian by way of the canoe by early settlers. It has been in Hawaii for many decades and was often used for its medicinal purposes, which include toothache. The root of the ginger would be cooked and softened and adhered to the site of the pain until it subsided.
Date: March 26, 2020
Time: 5:10 PM
Location: 27.2038° N, 77.5011° E
Weather conditions: cool, sunny
Topography: grown on flat ground
Natural Habitat: Tropical Regions
Canoeplants.com. 24 June 2005, www.canoeplants.com/awapuhi.html. Accessed 6 Apr. 2020.
Hello world!
Welcome to your brand new blog at University of San Francisco Sites.
To get started, simply log in, edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.
For assistance, visit our comprehensive support site, check out our Edublogs User Guide guide or stop by The Edublogs Forums to chat with other edubloggers.
You can also subscribe to our brilliant free publication, The Edublogger, which is jammed with helpful tips, ideas and more.
