Dry forest plants

The endangered Halapepe (Pleomele hawaiiensis) looks kind of like a truffula tree...

Fruiting Ulei (Osteomeles anthyllidifolia). It's fun to say. Try it!

Beautiful dry forest mural

This is some of the best artwork on Hawaiian dry forest plants I have ever seen...all done by kids! See their signatures in the last picture.

Pictures by Susan Cordell of the USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.

Dried out in the dry forest

Things were looking extremely dry at the dry forest this month. I saw this last summer too, but didn't get pictures of it then. I wonder if the species wilt every summer, or only during drought years like this year and last?

Alahe'e (Psydrax odorata) looking pretty dry and wilted.

The new growth on lama (Diospyros sandwicensis) also looked wilted.

Mamane (Sophora chrysophylla) leaflets has turned brown.

 
This is an adult iliahi (Sandalwood; Santalum paniculatum) tree with wilted leaves.

I guess I was feeling pretty wilted by the end of it. It was a really hot day...but I got my seeds!. 

Leila Kekuewa, however, still managed to look cool. 

Preparing plant specimens

Excellent Olapa specimen (Cheirodendron trigynum)...fruits, flowers, and everything.

A whole table of lovely native plant specimens from the Hawaiian forest.