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Sri Lanka

The teardrop-shaped island of Sri Lanka was connected in ancient times by land bridge to the subcontinent of India. Formerly named Ceylon, the island was a crossroad for centuries in the spice trade with the Far East. The earliest myths refer to it as “the land of Serendip”. At one time it was a powerful Buddhist center of learning that sent missionaries as far as Japan. With so much culture exchange, many exotic plants of ethnobotanic importance have been introduced into cultivation, tea, fruit, spices, timber, and a vast number of medicinal plants.

Many of the lowland flora are similar to those found in India. However, threatened, endemic flora remain in the central highlands, now largely given over to tea plantations. Some of the plants in this collection have grown from seeds and cuttings collected from the 170 year old Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Mascarene

The Mascarene Islands are located about 500 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The two main islands are Mauritius and Reunion.

The isolated position of these islands has produced unique forms of both plant and animal life. But, the islands have suffered from the ravages of introduced animals (mainly goats) and from land clearance for tourist and agricultural purposes. Most of the plant and animal life depended on undisturbed habitats and are now facing extinction.

The once abundant, flightless Dodo Bird of Mauritius was one of the early casualties of man’s interference in the islands. It became extinct in 1681 because of over-hunting.

Some of the rarest and most unusual plants in the world are found on these islands. A characteristic of many species is the presence of two distinct leaf shapes on the same plant (called heterophylly). This is especially noticeable in the hibiscus on these islands.

Ginger

Gingers-Zingiberaceae

 There are over 1000 species of Gingers in the Zingiberaceae family.  They are widely scattered throughout the tropical regions of the world, with the heaviest concentration in the Indo-Malaysia area.  Some species are grown for their ornamental foliage and flowers, while others are used to make dyes, perfumes, medicines, spices, and condiments.  Flowers are borne either on the leafy vegetative stems or on a separate leafless flowering stalk.

Heliconia

Heliconia-Heliconiaceae

Most of the over 150 species of Heliconia, in the family Heliconiaceae, are native to central and South America.  A few are found on various islands in the South Pacific.  Different species range in height from 2 to 20 feet and are easily distinguished by their long leaf stems.  The colorful, boat-shaped bracts are on either erect or pendant stems and usually conceal the small true flowers within.  The leaves are used for roof construction and wrappings for food, while the long lasting ornamental bracts are prized for cut flower arrangements.

Musaceae

The economically valuable banana originated in the Old World tropics; Musa is the main genus in the family and has over 40 species and some 300 clonal varieties. Used for food and fiber, the banana is widely cultivated throughout the warmer parts of the world. Less sweet varieties intended for cooking are called plantains.

A banana plant cannot be called a tree, as it has no wood. It flowers only once and then dies. Though a few species produce viable seeds, most are cultivated by replanting the new keikis that form at the base of the parent plant. Bananas were first brought to Hawai`i from the South Pacific by migrating Polynesians. Some of the cultivars bred by generations of Hawaiian farmers can be seen in the Hawaiian Ethnobotany Collection.

Strelitziaceae

The beautiful bird-of-paradise flower from southern Africa is the most familiar member of this family. Also included are the South American Phenakospermum which can grow to a height of 35 feet and the distinctively fan-shaped Travellers Tree, Ravenala, from Madagascar. Thirsty travelers could tap water from closed cavities that help support its leaf blades.