ARCH 696 ⮑ Spring 2022
CHRISTINA MCWHORTER
- Field Investigations of and Speculations on Hawai'i's Botanical Future-
On Behalf of Plants:
01 Collect 1A
Chronicle
1B
Chart
1C
Tree Portraiture
1D
Tree Phenology + Morphogenesis
02 Collaborate 2A
Plant Practices + Cultural Production
2B
Plant Perspectives
2C
Plant Products
2D
Dimensions of Production + Performance
03 Speculate 3A
Dimensions of Plant Potential
He keiki aloha nā mea kanu. Beloved children are the plants.
1A
Chronicle
Ohi’a ai Common Name: Mountain Apple, Malay Apple, Malaysian Apple Scientific Name: Syzygium (formerly known as Eugenia) malaccense Native to Malaysia and Indonesia, it arrived in Hawaii as a canoe plant believed to be with the first wave of Polynesian settlers around 200AD. Ohi'a ai is very fast growing and has a hardwood erect trunk. The flowers are very vibrant pink and magenta and grow in clusters on the branches, the shape of the flowers are cupped pom- poms with numerous stamens with tiny yellow tips. The tree bears fruit that is succulent, edible, pear shaped with a red or white skin and white flesh. In Hawaii, the fruiting season is from June through November.
~200 AD: Polynesian settlers brought Ohi'a ai to Hawaii Ohi'a ai trunks were used for posts and rafters in early Hawaiian houses. The wood was considered sacred by Hawaiians and Polynesians whom used it to carve into idols and enclosures around temples. Medicinally: the flowers and leaves were used for lung troubles, the bark was mashed and used as an astringent.
1793, Captain Bligh brought Ohi'a ai, along with breadfruit and other tropical plants from the Pacific to Jamaica. 1836, Aina malo'o, Kona, Hawaiidrawing by Persis Goodale Thurston depicts the different rainfed farming zones. 1839, a specimen tree was grown under glass in Cambridge, MA. 1870-1876, H. Eggers who studied the flora of St. Croix, reported seeing naturalized trees growing in shaded valleys. 1938, Botanists Elmer D Merrill and Lily May Perry moved Eugenia malaccense to Syzygium malaccense after studying differences in fruit structure.
ARCH 696 Ѡ Spring 2022 1B Chart0 Polynesian Migration to Hawaii
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ON ES IA
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McWhorter
POLYNESIA
Polynesian migration Ohi'a ai native to Maylasia/ Indonesia came as canoe plant with first wave of settlers in Hawaii.
1B
Chart- Syzygium malaccense migration to Jamaica
Captain William Bligh was born in 1754 in Devon, England. At the age of 16 he joined the navy and in 1776 was appointed by James Cook for the position of sailing master and accompanied Cook on his third voyage of discovery. It was on this voyage that Bligh witnessed the slaughter of Cook in Hawaii. In the 1780s, there was a devastating hurricane in Jamaica that resulted in a food shortage. British Colonial plantation landowners were concerned their slaves would revolt because of the lack of food. In 1787, Bligh was appointed by the Royal Navy for the botanical mission to bring breadfruit and other fruit trees, as an experiment, from the Pacific to Jamaica, to stablize the food supply. Bligh's first attempt on the Bounty failed when it was ended by a mutiny in the Pacific in 1789 where all the cargo was thrown overboard and destroyed. It wasn't until 1791 that a Bligh would attempt a 2nd Breadfruit voyage. In June 1792, after spending several weeks loading breadfruit and the other trees onto the ship, they set said for the Carribean. The voyage back to the Carribean would take almost one and a half years and in February of 1793. The breadfruit and other fruit trees (including Syzgium malaccense) was taken to the Hope Botanical gardens for the experiment.
Commemorative stamps of Captain Bligh's two voyages from 1787-1793
ARCH 696 Ѡ Spring 2022
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St. Helena- December 17
2nd Breadfruit voyage- 1791-93
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McWhorter
Jamaica- January 23
Aitutaki- July 25
Fiji-August 7
Tahiti- June 1
1C
8'
Ohi'a ai (Syzyg Ohi'a ai is autotrophic- the process of p water, mineral salts and carbon dioxide
Portraiture
CO2
6'
4'
2'
0
Lateral root extends horizontal, provides anchorage and participates in uptake and transport Tertiary root- formed by secondary roots, these roots grow in different directions and help fix the tree securely in the soil
gium malaccense) preparing the it's food simply through e in the presence of the sun.
O2
H2O
Secondary root- side branches of main root Tap root- provides stability and absorbtion
10'
8'
6'
4'
2'
0
Ohi'a ai (Syzygi
Makiki V
ium malaccense)
Valley Trail
10'
8'
6'
4'
2'
0
Ohi'a ai (Syzygi
Makiki Va
ium malaccense)
Valley Trail
Leaves: Foliage- Elliptical, oblong Type- Simple, unfoliated V- Pinnacle/ net Margin- entire
Fruits: Fleshy, ellipsoid Typically dark red with white or pink streaks, can also be white
Flowers: Bright reddish pink, pom-pom shaped flowers that cluster on branches
Flesh- dark red with white or pink streaks, flesh could also be white Seed
1D
Plant Phenology + Morphogenesis
Sepal Petal Leaves Flower Bloom Flower Bud
Fruit
Stem
Ohi'a ai exhibits cauliflory, a botanical term referring to plants/ trees that produce flowers and fruits directly from the trunk or larger branches
Bud Development
The process of anthesis is the flowering period from the opening of the flower bud
Fruit Set is the transition phase from the flower to develop fruit
Fruit
10'
8'
Chinese Rose Beetles (Adoretua sinicus Burmeister) Is a reddish brown beetle about 1/2" long and feed on the leaves at night, leaving the leaves looking like lace. They can decimate a juvenial Ohi'a ai tree.
6'
Pigeons aka Rock Dove: (Columbidae Iivia) Comes in a wide variety of colors, usually about 19-25" long. They feed on the Ohi'a fruit as they ripen on the tree.
4'
Pigs aka. Pua'a Thought to have been brought over by canoe by Polynesian voyagers to Hawaii.They feed on the ripe and over ripe Ohi'a ai fruit on the ground.
2'
0
Fruit Bat (Pteropus Maiannus) They are an indigenous animal to the Pacific and are considered an endangered species. They feed on the Ohi'a fruit as they ripen on the tree.
Humans Feed on the ripe Ohi'a ai fruit straight from the tree. Also, there is a variety of recipes using the fruit for apple sauce, apple pie, pickled fruit and more.
10'
8'
6'
4'
2'
0
0 Months
3 Months
6 Months
Establishment StageSeeds can be planted directly into the soil at 1.5" below surface and will germinate in approximately 4-6 weeks. Seedlings will sprout approximately 6 months.
1 Year
2 Years
Vegatative Stage Seeds can be planted directly into the soil ta sprout. The growth rate is moderate and will
3 Years
aking approximately 6 months to grow approx. 30" per year.
4 Years
5 Years
Maturity Stage The tree will flower Fruits begin to produce around year 5. Flowering usually occurs in early summer followed by fruit ripening 3 months later.
Sequence of germination: A: breaking of the integument (bi) B: opening of the cotyledons (oc) C: beginning of the emission of the primary roots (pr) D: primary roots (pr) E: plumule (plu), hypocotyl (hp) F: primary leaf (pl), nomophylls (nm), epicotyl (ep) G: second pair of leaves under expansion (sl), secondary roots (sr)
oc
bi A
C
B
D
pr
pr
sl nm ep plu pl E hp
G
F sr
2A Plant Practices + Cultural Production
Ulu
Ohi'a ai Coffee Common Name mountain apple. ohi'a ai coffee banana, mai'a breadfruit, ulu
Mai'a Botanical Name Syzygium malaccense (myrtaceae)-grows in a variety of soil conditions, mid-high story tree that provides shade to lower trees and produces medium term fruit crop. Coffea arabica (rubiaceae)- middle story tree, fast growing, short term fruit crop. Musa spp. (musaceae)- middle story tree, fast growing short term fruit crop. Artocarpus altilis (moraceae)- mid-high story tree that provides shade to lower trees and produces medium term fruit crop.
EMERGENT
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW
The practice of agroforestry has sustained peoples in Hawaii for centuries. Agroforestry is a an intentional mixing of plants and trees in order to create a productive food source, the intent is to mimic a natural ecosystem where trees and crops create supportive relationships. Agroforests create microclimates that increase carbon storage, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling, resulting in lower air temperatures and higher soil moisture.
2B Plant Practices + Cultural Production
Materials:
Bark
Mortar and Pestle
Bowl
Steps to make dye:
Gather Ohi'a ai bark Shave Ohi'a ai bark with sickle
Mash bark with water in mortar and pestle
Place cloth into dye until desire color is obtained
In ancient Hawaii, the inner bark of the Ohi'a ai and water would be mashed together to create brown dye for kapa cloth.
Kona Field System
2C Plant Products N
500
750 1500
1000
750
1500
Agricultural zones
'Apa'a/ Ama'u Kalu'ulu Kula 0
Annual rainfall (mm) 5 10 Kilometres
1000
Kona Field System3 trees/ plants in the agricultural zones: Apa'a- ~600m: dryland crops- 'uala (Sweet potatoe), Kalo (Taro), Mai'a (banana), Ki (Ti plant), Ko (Sugar cane) 'Amau- up to ~900m agroforestry zone: above the Apa'a with an under story of Mai'a (Banana) and Uhi (Yam) under a native canopy. Kalu'ulu- agroforestry zone between ~150m- 300m: Ohi'a ai (Mountain Apple), Ulu (Breadfruit), Kukui with an understory of 'uala (Sweet potato) and Mai'a (Banana). Associated with Kuaiwi walls and cleared fields. Kula- from coast to ~150m- small household gardens and agricultural plots consisting of Wauke (Paper Mulberry) plantations
1836, Aina malo'o, Kona, Hawaii- drawing by Persis Goodale Thurston
Kala' ulu is the agroforestry zone of the Kona Field System at an altitude level of about 150m- 300m.
Ulu (Artocarpus altilis)
Ohi'a ai (Syzygium malaccense)
Mai'a (Musa paradisiaca)
150m
'Uala (Ipomea batatas)
Wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera)
2D Dimensions of Production + Performance
Alahe'e
Lowland Mesic Forest are an ecological system found on mesic slopes of Hawai'i, Moloka'i, Maui, Kaua'i, and O'ahu and typically between 8203000 feet and get an annual average rainfall of 47-98 inches.
'Ope'ape'a (Hawaiian hoary bat) maintains its highest densities in the lowland mesic forest
Loulu Ohi'a ai
Mai'a Kukui Ko
3A Dimensions of Plant Potential
Coffee Farm Entrance
Coffee Farm with Ohi'a ai windbreak Ohi'a ai trees can function as a windbreak around Kona coffee farms and tasting deck to protect precious coffee plots from strong winds and erosion protection.
Coffee Farm tasting deck In the spring time, visitors can sit back and enjoy the white flowers and green cherries of the coffee plants marking the beginning of the coffee season while coinciding with the Ohi'a ai trees blooming from greenish pink buds into vibrant pink pom pom shaped flowers.
Coffee Farm Entrance
Coffee Farm with Ohi'a ai windbreak
Coffee Farm tasting deck with Ohi'a ai windbreak As the coffee cherries continue to ripen, the flowers of the Ohi'a ai tree will drop it's stamens covering the floor below in a carpet of vibrant pink for visitors to enjoy and celebrate its beauty.
References:
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