248 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



perhaps a half-dozen or more of these South American shrubs from which several 

 varieties have been propa<4ate(1. Tlic uiuue was ti'iven in honor of Bougain- 

 ville, an eni-ly French navigator. 



Allamanda. 



The Allamanda. with two or three species, one of which -^ is a conspicuous 

 vine especially eonnnon about verandas, is easily recognized by its thick, green 

 leaves ;iii(l large, fragrant yellow flowers that are always blooming. Another 

 favorite is the trumpet-creeper or fire-cracker vine.-- Its orange-red flowers 

 are the coloi- of living flame of varying shades and tints. When in blossom 

 (and it blossouLs for weeks at a time), the green of its foliage is often completely 

 hidden from view, and the porch, barn or out-V)uilding over which it runs is a 

 magnificent sliow of flowers. 



Other Vines and Shrubs. 



A favorite especially suited to stone walls and to some extent as a climber 

 in trees, is the Bignonia or bird-claw vine.--^ The Bishop ]\Iuseum is literally 

 overrun with this rich, glossy-green climber, and at certain seasons the beautiful 

 yelliiw blossoms transform its otherwise uninteresting exterior into a palace of 

 gold. The masses of this flowering vine as they hang pendant from the tallest 

 trees about the city produce a vision of airy, golden loveliness that lingers long in 

 the mind's eye. More prized perhaps than any of the foregoing, but unfortu- 

 nately less common, is the Stephanotis,^"^ known as "Kaiulani's flower." Its 

 fragrant white blossoms at certain seasons transform the trellises of the city into 

 veritable banks of snow. With the Stephanotis will often be seen a fragrant 

 climber, known as the wax-plant,-"* so named on account of the thick, waxy 

 leaves and wax-like star-shaped flowers. 



Here and there in old gardens one sees various species of ConvolvuliLS, giv- 

 ing a touch of the familiar morning-glory blue to the scene, or, with as much ease 

 a dash of yellow '-'' from India and the Orient. The pretty climbing Mexican 

 creeper or mountain rose,-" "Rosa de la jMontana de jNIexico," with its delicate 

 sprays of pink l)lossoms, and the more obscure though wonderfully fragrant 

 Chinese violet -"^ with greenish yellow blossoms, are both always in evidence. 



Several species of jasmine are common. The beautiful climbing snow- 

 white -'• is a favorite, as is the perpetually blooming Arabian jasmine,^'^ with 

 handsome white flowers that turn purple as they die. The beautiful purple 

 wreath •■! is one of the most striking of the rarer climbers; the five-pointed 

 deep-lilac flowers hang in graceful racemes and come into full liloom in Ajiril 

 and ]\Iay, lasting several weeks. 



More conspicuous and tro])ical than any of the foregoing are the several 

 species of arboreal plants with large foliage leaves, the number of which 

 growing in Honolulu is too great to receive more than passing notice here. The 



'^^ Allamanda ratfiarfira. --Bignonia renasta. -^ Bir/nonia iini/is-rati. -* Stephanotis florihinida. 



2^ Hot/a carnosa. -" Ipoemoea rhri/xi'idi's. -~ Antif/oiion l/'iitojiiix. -^ Xative name 'Pakalani.' 



^^ Jasminttm yrandiflorum. '^o Jasmin inn Sambac. ^^ Petrca voluhilis. 



