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“A Collection of Rare Tropical Plants”

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Orchids at the Foster Botanical Garden

During last year’s visit to Honolulu, Martine did not want to visit the Foster Botanical Garden, which consists of 14 acres (6 hectares) of tropical plants on the north edge of Honolulu’s Chinatown. She wound up enjoying it so much that we decided to visit it again.

It was a hot, humid day; so I wound up looking for benches in the shade of large trees. Plus I consumed two bottles of water. It was the same last year. Fortunately the gardens were so drop-dead beautiful that I still enjoyed the visit.

I found it interesting that perhaps a majority of the flora that grow in the Hawaiian Islands were introduced, either by the earliest settlers from the Marquesas Islands and Polynesia, or the white settlers. Included in the “invasive” species are pineapples and sugar, which are major exports for which Hawaii is known. When you think about it, Hawaii is basically volcanic rock, something like a tropical version of Iceland.

It is because of the many introduced plants that there are so many botanical gardens in the state. I hope to visit more of them on future visits.

50-Pound Coconuts

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Look Out Below!

On our last full day in Hawaii, Martine and I visited the Foster Botanical Garden, just north of Chinatown in Honolulu. It was hot and humid day, but fortunately there were a lot of shady benches. One of the highlights of the garden was the double coconut tree (genus Lodoicea), a native of the Seychelles. Its coconuts can be as heavy as 99 pounds each (45 kilograms).

Needless to say, Martine and I did not risk going under the tree and violently shaking its branches.

Curiously, while the coconuts are edible, they are of no commercial interest.

My favorite part of the gardens was the greenhouse with its collection of orchids. It was so warm and humid that the greenhouse door was left open.

Orchids at Foster Botanical Garden

Martine and I liked the garden so much that we resolved to visit several of the other botanical gardens in the Honolulu area or on whatever islands we visit.