Upcountry

Angel's Trumpet

Black-Eyed Susan Vine

Canna - ali'ipoe

(Datura candida)

Big, beautiful, fragrant and deadly flowers. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Both white and pink trees can be seen Upcountry.

(Thunbergia alata)

This is a happy ground covering vine often seen in Kula.

(Canna indica)

Canna leaves were used to wrap food and the seeds put in rattles. Now their big, bold flowers are mostly seen in gardens.

Balloon Plant

Prickly Pear

Lantana

(Asclepias physocarpa)

This is an escaped fiber crop plant from South Africa, now an Upcountry weed. You can often see the typical milkweed flowers, the green prickly bladders and the opened puffballs on the same plant at once.

(Opuntia ficus-indica)

Are we in the right place? That's a cactus! You'll see lots of them in the pastures upcountry. The blossom falls off and the fruit ripens into a bright red pear. Tasty but you have to know how to get them off the plant and debristled before you eat them. Better left to the locals.

(Lantana camara)

A common roadside plant Upcountry with bright clusters of little red and yellow flowers growing on thorny branches. Birds like the fruit and spread the seeds.

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Silversword

(Argyoxiphiuim sandwicense macrocephalum)

Unique to Maui and special to Haleakala National Park, this relative of the sunflower, has adapted to the demanding conditions on its hot, barren slopes.

Castor Bean

Day Lily

Fennel

(Ricinus communis)

You notice the finger like leaves and the prickly seed pods more than the tiny flowers. The seeds are used to make a lubricating oil, not the laxative since they are poisonous. Mostly, the plant is just a weed along the highway or in abandoned fields.

(Hemerocallis lilio-asphodelus)

Day Lilies bloom most everywhere and all year long. The flowers and buds can be used in salads or stir frys to add a got, spicy flavor.

(Foeniculum vulgare)

Fennel is an European herb that grows wild along the roads upcountry. Its anise flavor is good for seasoning, like dill.