Archive for the 'Culture' Category

I happened to be in Wahiawa again today. It seems that what I saw last week and this Sunday was only the beginning of the blooming cycle, as the trees that featured prominently in the last entry were just about at their peak. More of the trees that were bare had sprouted flowers, but were still not fully involved. I’m thinking this weekend is going to be about the best. I actually saw a couple of “secret trees” that were in full bloom, and even several that were tapering and actually had already gone to fruit! When I drove by previously, I didn’t even notice the flowers on the trees at the Wahiawa Hongwan-ji. It could have been the lighting, tunnel vision, or not even expecting there to be cherry trees that far downhill. Those also look like they’ve been there a while, as the trees have already thrown out a good head of new spring leaves. Continue reading ‘More Wahiawa Sakura’

It’s that time of year for the sakura (flowering cherry trees) to bloom in Hawai’i. Sakura? In Hawai’i? The answer of course is “yes”! The plant in question is the Formosan (Taiwan) Cherry (Prunus (sometimes called genus Cerasus) campanulata) and was introduced to cooler parts of Hawai’i from Okinawa. Called kanzakura (カンヒザクラ/ 寒緋桜) this is the warmest climate adapted species found in Japan. Although it will survive at lower elevations, it typically will only bloom if it is growing where the temperature drops below around 7 to 10C (45 to 50F). Flowering examples exist in Koke’e, Kaua’I, Wahiawa, O’ahu, and Waimea, Hawai’i (there may be some on Maui too). This species is considered an invasive species in New Zealand, but because of the warmer overall climate in Hawai’i, it can’t spread naturally, since fruiting/seeding is restricted to specific, rare climate zones, and there are fewer seed transporting vectors here. Continue reading ‘Wahiawa Sakura’