Bali Botany

On vacation to Bali, Indonesia I was keeping my eyes peeled for interesting plants. On one of the first walks that I took, I noticed a couple of P. vitifolia plants at some restaurants. It had no pollen; probably 'Scarlet Flame'. Additionally, I noticed a Dysosimia growing with some other road side weeds in a trash heap (as is common). It was P. foetida I think, but none of the flowers were fully open and the fruit were all green.

On Mt. Batur, a volcano on Bali, I tasted a fruit that fascinated me. Snake fruit (Salacca zalacca) has a scaly brown skin that flakes and chips away. The meat of the fruit has milky white garlic like appearance and a sweet but tangy taste. It's a bit astringent, but I like that effect. The palm tree, which I didn't see in person, has 6" long spines and the fruit grows at the bottom of it. I've never seen it in the States. Another first for me was soursop (Annona muricata) which tasted exactly like a green apple flavored custard. It's a big, green, spined fruit that grows on a large tree.

Pergola-tory in Maui, Hawaii

I've been in Maui, Hawaii for about a week now. I come home soon, but before I check on my own little paradise, I have some pictures to share. Truth be told the foliage here in Kaanapali is all staged. There are regions of the island that I would have liked to explore if I had a partner with which to do it, and perhaps they have more intrigue. At the hotel though, it's all hibiscus, bromeliads, bougainvillea, and plumeria.

My family and I did venture a little out of the resort area. We stopped in a little pull-off and traipsed through some forested areas where there were many plants with which I'm unfamiliar. The area wasn't a rain forest though, so it wasn't as exotic as I had hoped. Here are some pictures.

There wasn't a single passiflora in sight. That might have something to do with the strict agriculture regulations which prevent the import of passiflora to Hawaii. Oh well, looks like I'll have to wait until I get home to enjoy my California flowers. But, until then...pineapples!