Other interesting names include, blood flower, hierba de la cucaracha, redhead, and Mexican butterfly weed. Latin Name: Asclepias curassavica Family: Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae) Location: Wyndham Bali Hai Resort in Princeville Native to: Tropical (mainland)Americas Fun facts: With milky sap and flowers with corona (crown) lobes they are a beautiful representative of the family, or of anything referred to as a “weed” as they make an impressive ornamental. There also is a rare yellow flowered version. Also is called “Flame Tree” and “Flamboyant”, it reaches a height of 12 meters, but is a wide spreading tree like other acacia-like trees from the same family. The picture above depicts the shape of leaves and flowers but does not do justice to the giant flowering flagship it can become. Latin Name: Delonix Regia Family: Legume Family (Fabaceae) Location: Wyndham Bali Hai Resorts in Princeville Native to: Madagascar (widely introduced to tropics) Fun Facts: This breath-taking flowering tree can brighten any landscape. Very comely and popular ornamental on Kauai. Bottle Palm Latin name: Hyophorbe lagenicaulis Family: Palm Family (Arecaceae) Location: Poipu Beach Native to: Round Island, Mauritius Fun Facts: Can't handle freezing temps and only found in southern Florida and Hawaii when it comes to the U.S. The colorful claws seen above are not flowers, but bracts which contain the flowers rich in nectar for our hummingbird friends. Fun Facts: Heliconias rely on hummingbirds and bats for pollination. bihai is also found in Northern South America.
'jaquinii' (this is a cross-bred cultivar) Family: Heliconia Family (Heliconiaceae) Location: Secret Beach in Kilauea Native To: Both species are native to West Indies, but H. Lobster Claw Heliconia Latin Name: Heliconia caribeae x H. Tree gets up to 70 ft tall and both fruit and seeds are edible. Jackfruit Tree Common Name: Jackfruit Tree Latin Name: Artocarpus heterophyllus Family: Fig Family (Moraceae) Location: Princeville Botanical Garden Native To: Southeast Asia, Rainforests and Coastal Areas Fun Facts: This is the largest tree-born fruit, getting as big as 35 kg and each tree can produce 100-200 fruit in a year. Never a dull moment for tropical plant aficionados on the Island of Kauai.