A new pua (flower) has made its presence known at the house.
We have a tree in our yard, that until today, I did know its name. We have never seen this tree produce flowers, until today.
The tree straddles (up. over, around, and under) the fence on our property line. The tree’s leaves are large with pretty golden veins. For years this tree has been a great privacy producer. It also produces big soft bulbs, that otherwise resemble a large nut, The bulbs begin life as green, eventually turning dark brown. After a period of time the brown soft bulb falls to the ground.
Today, while looking at the fence I noticed flowers amongst the green leaves and brown bulbs. Soon after I decided to photograph the flower and research what kind of tree is our privacy producer.
The Portia Tree
The tree is a Portia (Thespesia populnea). It is native to Hawaii. It is a small tree or arborescent shrub. The Portia has proven to be highly adaptable. It exists on tropical and sub-tropical coastlines around the world.
The Portia Pua.
The Portia’s wood is hard with dark exotic colors. The wood is superb for making bowls. In Hawaiian culture, the ‘umeke (wooden bowl) are considered sacred. Until 1819, the ‘umekes were reserved for exclusive use and ownership by the Ali‛i (Royalty). If a commoner was found in possession of a ‘umeke, the penalty was death.
*** Jeff’s Thoughts and Other Worthless Trivia ***
We have lived at the WaimeaBeachHouse for five years. I have made a point of trying to learn about all the landscaping on the property. For some reason I did follow up on this tree.
For more information on the Portia look [here].
