ecosystem. Nori and some of her fellow graduate students have cre-ated opportunities for their younger protégés to experience first hand how scientists study forest birds, hunt for invertebrates, and assess the landscape. This wonderful rela-tionship gives the University stu-dents real teaching experience, and provides elementary students the opportunity to experience real sci-ence in action. It’s a great connec-tion between the University and the community, bringing science out of the walled classroom and fostering stewardship for our island environ-ment. –Jill Laughlin

Lyon Arboretum and the University of Hawai`i have been partnering on a project designed to place graduate students in an environment where they are able to inspire transforma-tion in the K-12 classroom. For the last two years, this National Sci-ence Foundation funded program has placed graduate students at Lyon Arboretum, where they work with our education staff to create rich and meaningful learning op-portunities for students on our school field trips. This fall, Nori Yeung, a UH graduate student, has been sharing her expertise with

hundreds of elementary students who are studying the relationships between plants and animals in our rainforest

University of Hawai`i-Mänoa Harold L. Lyon Arboretum

Spring 2008 Volume XXXII, No.1

The Kukui Leaf

Fostering Science & Mālama `Aina at Lyon Arboretum

The Kukui Leaf is published quarterly by the Lyon Arboretum, 3860 Mānoa Road, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96822. This newsletter is available in an alternate format upon request. Editors: Alice Kitajima and Kathryn Turner

Wish list: Flower vases (no plastic), 2 small portable fans, handheld dust buster, Ziploc sandwich bags, Eva-dry dehumidifier, Air wick air freshener (no sprayers), lighters, reusable water bottles, EZ- up canopy tent, hand sanitizer

We are very grateful for generous donations from:

Jan Elliott, Jan Henderson, John McGrath, Diane Mura-kami, Toki Murakami, David Orr, Chipper Wichman, Foodland ‘Give Aloha’ donations

Nori Yeung and Kira Krend explain to a class about their bird observation techniques.

(even some that flower only in the winter). If you miss them in real life you can see them on our website. Check out www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum under "Plants at Lyon" - Monocots - Zingib-eraceae. -Ray Baker

Spring in colder climes means daffo-dils, hyacinths, and tulips springing up magically from the ground, covering with color what

recently had been cold, dead ground. Our tropical counterpart is the dormant ginger. You have

to be quick to spot many of them, since some may flower for less than a month, soon changing to plain green foliage. The observant visitor can spot Curcuma, Globba, Siphonochi-lus, and Zingiber, but you have to look down, since they flower low. Some, like Kaempferia, look like orchid flowers springing right out of the ground, with the patterned leaves following later. Most other gingers keep their leaves year-round but flower seasonally

Gingers Spring to Life

Curcuma comosa Curcuma bicolor

I am occasionally asked if the Lyon Arboretum would ever be-come a botanic garden that con-centrates on native Hawaiian spe-cies. That is a fair question and one that I have pondered. At the risk of sounding like a politician

(or an aspiring one), let me equivocate. The short answer is both “no” and “yes.” The long answer requires some discussion as to what a botanic garden is and some re-spect for any particular garden’s history.

Why “no”: The Lyon Arboretum was developed, in part, to reduce the soil erosion following previous agricultural and cattle grazing activities on this site and to demon-strate the value of watershed restoration, test tropical tree species for reforestation, and to collect and display plants of economic value. An explicit decision was made to use plants from other parts of the tropics, largely because it was assumed that native forest species would not fare well on such a disturbed site. What we see now is an incredi-ble diversity of plants from all parts of the tropical world. In fact, some say that our palm collection, featuring more than 700 species, is one of the finest in the world. Add to that our collections of gingers, heliconias, bromeliads, ferns, and other plants and you have a place of stunning beauty and diversity.

Why “yes”: It is true that some of these non-native spe-cies are now known to be invasive. Believe me, we will cull those from our collections and replace them with ap-

propriate native species. One example would be replacing Australian tree ferns with the native Hawaiian tree fern (hapu`u). The Lyon Arbore-tum will continue to be a showcase of all that is beautiful about the tropical flora– native and non-native- and can engage visitors and the com-munity in many aspects of what is becoming the most threatened flora in the world.

A botanical garden is, in large part, a display of the extraordinary variety of plants from around the world. In our case, the diversity of the tropi-cal flora. Furthermore, we also appreciate the diversity of our visitors. One look at a week’s worth of names and addresses in our visitor log shows guests from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Australia, Samoa, and elsewhere. If they can connect emotionally to one or two species that are familiar from back home, imagine how effec-tively we can connect them to the wider scope of tropical plant diversity and conservation. Of course, we also want visitors to appreciate and cherish our native plants. To that end, our na-tive Hawaiian Garden, Ethnobotanical Garden, and the expanding Hawaiian Section, will be our celebration of the native and cultivated plants that have enriched the lives and communities of these islands from pre-history to the present day. We hope you join us in this exploration.

-Dr. Christopher Dunn

From the Director’s Desk

Page 2 Volume XXXII, No.1

This summer Lyon Arboretum is offering unique learning opportunities through our ten-week internship program (June 2 through August 8, 2008). Program areas include Education, Ethnobotany, Horticulture, and Research. Preference for the 5 available positions will be given to current undergraduate and graduate students in plant related disciplines. Interns will receive training in their program areas by their respective managers and will be expected to complete a summer-long project. We have received many inquiries from prospective interns, nationally and interna-tionally, and look forward to a great summer. Due to our current facilities renova-tions, we are not able to offer intern housing here on site. If you are interested in housing an intern, or have a room for rent, please feel free to contact rsears@hawaii.edu or 988-0461. -Richard Sears

Summer 2008 Internship Program

2007 interns (Dougie Monaghan, Ikaia Leleiwi, and Neeva Shrestha) ob-serve a barrel cactus on a field trip to Koko Crater

Botanical Garden.

Construction News

Page 3 Volume XXXII, No.1

ners of O`ahu to explore our gar-dens in a new light and capture the elements of design often missed in a flower, leaf venation, or the moss on a tree’s trunk. Though most often used during our elementary programs, the Pentax digitals will be put in the hands of Mid-Pacific Institute 7th

In April 2007, the Educa-tion Department received a generous donation from The Garden Club of

Honolulu to purchase four Pentax Op-tio W30 digital cameras, along with cases and memory cards, for use in our Children’s Programs. This gift has allowed visiting students from all cor-

graders for a photography project during their visit in March. And fear not! These new cameras are waterproof! Once again, mahalo nui to The Garden Club of Hono-lulu for opening a whole new world of possibilities to the rain-forest photographer! -James Krolikowski

Picture This!

Close-up calathea leaf photo by an observant student. A native plant is also an inspiration for the students.

We are on schedule to start work on cottages A and G ( for educa-tion and grounds), set to begin in mid- March. This work will cre-ate permanent offices for our staff, and bathrooms for our chil-dren’s programs. We are looking forward to sharing our new spaces with each other and our supportive community. -Ken Seamon

Over the last several months, we have all been eagerly watching renovations happen inside and around our visitor’s center- main office. Two new trails (in accord with the American Disabilities Act) has been paved, and we have new electrical wiring and plumbing installed inside the building. The contractor re-placed the roofing on the greenhouse, teaching greenhouse, and the entrance to the gift shop. We are hoping the construction will be completed by early April so we can open the visitor’s cen-ter.

Above: This newly paved trail will allow access to future Arbore-tum classes and events at our up-stairs and downstairs classrooms.

Please come and visit our accessible and newly painted visitor’s center in April, after all of the construction

dust has settled.

Right: The new greenhouse roof, beaming in the morning sun. The roof is a new polycarbon-ate material that reflects 99.5% of ultraviolet waves. The material is much more durable

than the typical fiberglass substance.

University of Hawai`i-Mänoa Harold L. Lyon Arboretum

3860 Mānoa Rd. Honolulu, HI 96822 Phone: 808-988-0456 Fax: 808-988-0462

Send to:

Arboretum operating

hours:

Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Free docent-led tours available at 10 a.m.

Please call 988-0461 for reservations.

A Bountiful Display at the State Capitol

www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum

Non-profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Honolulu, Hawai`i

Permit No. 278

Left: After delivering a notable address to an empty hall, Ray Baker surveys the room and the flower arrangement from the podium to ensure proper placement of the massive clusters of Heliconia vellerig-era, Dracaena reflexa variegata, Aechmea blanchetiana, Zingiber spectabile , and Aspara-gus densiflorus.

Save the trees!

If you’d like to receive future newsletters in pdf format via email,

please contact alicekit@hawaii.edu or keturner@hawaii.edu.

Right: In preparation for the Hawai`i Legis-lature’s Opening Day ceremonies on January 16, 2008, we were requested to make a flower arrangement for the front podium of the Senate Room. Ray Baker, Alice Kita-jima, and Kathryn Turner assembled a vi-brant display with a variety of Arboretum flowers and foliage.