Kauai 2012 Na Aina Kai Gardens ... the trees & flowers

The gardens are a treasure!
THE TREES

New plantations of hardwoods will fund the  gardens for the future. Not all trees are native Hawaiian, many are imported.

Old forests have been maintained.

These trees are HUGE! They bloom (see below) every 100 years and then die.
The tour goes very fast, it is impossible to hold all the details the guide explains ...  sorry for lack of  specific names.

Close up of bark ... note size of ferns. Two men with long arms could not reach around the trunk.

One curious addition is a desert garden - the wife was from the SW US. They planted with sand and found they needed to add irrigation :(

This is eucalyptus bark. (photo is sideways to save space).

Syzugium malaccense sheds magenta coloured flowers. Link: Syzygium malaccense 

This tree has hanging supports.

The roots also crisscross in complex patterns.

I believe this is called the monkey tree. The thorns make it hard to climb.

The amount and variety of unusual trees is amazing! The tours are a little expensive, but worth every penny!
Link to the gardens  http://www.naainakai.org/
For the scientists in the group: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/trees/index.html

THE FLOWERS:
There are many beautiful flowers, these are just a few ...

Plan on spending a full day at the garden!