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Tipuana tipu, Fabaceae. Tree from South America. The
winged fruits are strikingly similar to those of maples and represent an
interesting example of convergent evolution of wind dispersed propagules. |
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Tradescantia spathacea,
Moses-in-a-basket, oyster plant. A low growing herb from
tropical America with clustered sword-like purplish (less commonly green)
leaves to one foot long. Flowers white, hidden in a purple boat-shaped
bract. Location: St. John courtyard. |
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Trema orientalis, Ulmaceae, gunpowder tree, charcoal tree. Tree from S.E. Asia
and Polynesia with fine-toothed, unequal sided leaves in two rows on the long, spreading
branchlets, flowers tiny, often of one sex, fruits black, about an eighth of an inch long.
Location: Along Manoa Stream, opposite Hale Aloha. |
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Tridax procumbens, Asteraceae, tridax, coat buttons. Annual or perennial weed
from Central America, with solitary, long-stalked, yellow or yellow and white flowering
heads. Leaves used as insecticide in Central America. Location: Waste places; parking lot
makai of Auxiliary Services. |
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Trimezia martinicensis, Iridaceae, trimeza. Ornamental herb from the West
Indies with blade-like leaves folded lenthwise and clasping the stem; flowers yellow with
brownish to purplish basal markings. Location: mauka side of Auxiliary Services. |
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Triphasia trifolia, Rutaceae, lime berry. Spiny shrub from southeast Asia with
dark green, 3-parted leaves, small white flowers, and ovoid to globose reddish fruits a
little more than 1/2 inch long. Location: Between Sherman and Pope Greenhouses; Student
Health Center. |
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Triplaris surinamensis, Polygonaceae, long John. Narrow, columnar tree from
South America with hollow stems in which ants dwell. The fruits are 3-winged and are wind
dispersed like miniature helicopters. Location: Spalding side of Snyder. The green arrows
in the photo on the left point to a male tree in the foreground and the red arrows to a
female tree of this dioecious species in the left background. Pistillate flowers and
developing 3-winged fruits can be seen in the top right photo while male inflorescences
are shown in the lower right photo. |
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Tristellateia australasiae, ornamental liana from
SE Asia to New Caledonia. Location: on fence between Mid-Pac and UH
Campus, Ewa of Biomed. |
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Turnera ulmifolia, Turneraceae, yellow alder. Coarse herb or shrub from the
West Indies and tropical America with elm-like leaves and conspicuous, yellow flowers.
Becoming popular in landscaping and naturalizing in dry, disturbed sites in Hawaii.
Location: St. John courtyard, Makai-Ewa corner of Farrington and Maile Way. |
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Verbesina encelioides, Asteraceae, golden crown-beard. Herb with large yellow
flowering heads, from Mexico and S.W. U.S., first recorded on Maui by Hillebrand in mid
1800's. Now a common weed. Location: Waste places; HIG; Quarry; Diamond Head. |
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Vitex rotundifolia, Verbenaceae, beach vitex; kolokolo kahakai. Low coastal
shrub native to Hawaii and found through the Pacific to Australia and Asia. The aromatic
leaves are rounded, up to about 2 1/2 inches long, and arranged in pairs The flowers are
bluish purple, about half an inch long. At maturity the fruit is bluish-black and about
1/4 inch in diameter. The species has been used medicinally in Hawaii. Location: St. John
courtyard. |
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Waltheria indica, Sterculiaceae, hi'aloa. Bristly hairy herb or weak shrub with
tiny pale yellow flowers, commonly found in disturbed sites, possibly indigenous to
Hawaii. A root or bark concoction was used by the Hawaiians medicinally, especially for
sore throats. Location: St. John courtyard; weedy areas on campus. |
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Youngia japonica, Asteraceae, oriental hawksbeard. Slender, weedy annual herb
from southeastern Asia with milky sap; leaves clustered mostly to the base of the plant.
The flowering heads are tiny, yellow. Location: Very common weed in waste areas. |
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Zamia floridanus, Cycadaceae, Florida arrowroot, coontie. Small, trunkless or
short-trunked cycad from Florida with frond-like segmented leaves commonly less than 3
feet long. Male plants bear cones about 1-2 inches long; female plants bear cones about
six inches long. Formerly, the beet-shaped underground stem constituted the principal
starch component of the diet of Florida Indians. Location: St. John courtyard. |
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Zingiber zerumbet, Zingiberaceae, shampoo ginger. The
common name derives from the use of the fragrant fluid from the
inflorescence as a shampoo by early Hawaiians. They also used the
leaves to flavor meat and the powdered rhizome as a perfume for kapa.
Location: St. John Courtyard. |
