Care for an autograph-meet the autograph tree

The autograph tree, botanical name Clusia rosea was introduced in Hawaii as an ornamental plant. The plant is a close relative of Mangosteens tree and belongs to the family ‘Clusiaceae,named in the honor of 16th century Netherlands botanist Carolus Clusius.

The plant is native to Florida and the Caribbean. Other names for the plant are signature tree, pitch apple, and monkey apple tree.

The tree gets its name from the ability of its leaves to retain any scratch or writing for a very long time. Each leaf is 5-8 inches in length, oval, thick and sturdy and shaped like a paddle. The leaves resemble that of Magnolia. If you scratch the leaf with your nails or a sharp object, the upper dark green layer is peeled off and the lighter greenish/white underneath layer is exposed, creating a contrast that is retained till the life of the leaf.

Another unique thing about this species is it is part of the only genus of plants capable of absorbing carbon dioxide at night.

The plant is long-lived perennial that can grow to 25-30 feet in height, but it really depends upon the trimming and potting and the ground conditions. Its drought and salt tolerant nature makes it an ideal choice for landscaping in areas with less rainfall or sea-side homes.

The flowers are white or pink and mostly bloom during the night, they sometimes remain open all morning, especially on a cloudy day. The flowers turn orangish-brown as they mature and fall.

By Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada - Clusia rosea, the Autograph Tree flower., CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34450558

The flowers are followed by green to tan, fleshy, rounded, up to 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter fruits. They turn brown to black on maturation and split open like a wood rose to reveal bright red seeds between black resinous material.

The fruits 

Dried Fruit on the ground

The black resinous material was used in the early days to fill in the seams and crack of the boats. The red seeds are very attractive to birds which also help in the dispersion of the seeds.

The seed pods open up

The autograph tree is a strangler tree. The tree is hemiepiphyte and can grow as an epiphyte or from the ground. The seeds are dispersed by birds in the crotch of other trees sometimes as high as 20-25 feet. The seeds germinate and send long banyan-like aerial roots toward the ground and establish other roots into the interior of the host tree. Slowly the host tree is cut-off from receiving nutrients and perish eventually.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/starr-environmental/24549985985/

[[File:Starr 011205-0021 Clusia rosea.jpg|Starr 011205-0021 Clusia rosea]]

Hence, the Autograph tree is classified as an invasive tree in Hawaii. Gardeners are advised to remove autograph trees from their property and not to plant new ones.

According to the Food and Drug Administration database, Clusia rosea is a poisonous plant. The green fruits are mildly poisonous, and so are the leaves. Consumption of fruits and sap will lead to stomach and intestinal irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The autograph tree

The autograph tree

Lower East Rift Zone eruption continues unabated

View of Fissure 8 and channel during the morning overflight on July 7.

Lava entering the ocean as seen through steam and rain early this morning.

Fissure 8 continues to erupt lava steadily into the perched channel leading northeastward from the vent. Disruptions to the mid-channel occurred yesterday afternoon producing localized overflows along the margins of the flow field, mostly atop earlier lavas. A significant overflow north of the cinder quarry advancing yesterday and last night towards Cinder Rd. has stalled. An overflow lobe moving around the west side of Kapoho Cone remains active this morning and small brushfires are reported along the margins. Downstream, lava appears to be reoccupying the channel leading to the ocean entry were multiple fingers of lava are active. The southern margin of the ocean entry shows little sign of movement.

Yesterday's channel disruption and overflows were caused by blockages that developed along the channel. Additional blockages and resulting overflows are likely to occur as long as the activity continues.

Fissure 22 continues to exhibit weak spattering. No other fissures are active.

Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from the lava fountain at Fissure 8 continue to fall downwind of the fissure, dusting the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the vent. High winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances. Residents are urged to minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation similar to volcanic ash.

Near the Kapoho Crater, in the area called Four Corners, the lava channel makes a 90-degree bend. After lava exits the bend, it makes a short drop to form a lavafall. A side channel makes a short surface diversion before rejoining the existing channel.

Southern end of the active fissure 8 flow margin north of the Ahalanui Beach Park, known as the warm ponds. The flow margin is estimated to be about 500 m (0.3 mi) from the par

Wall collapse at Halema‘uma‘u crater continues as Kīlauea vent lava unabated

This recent United States Geological Survey Video on June 13, 2018, filmed details of the dramatic changes occurring within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at Kīlauea's summit since explosive eruptions of ash and gas and ongoing wall collapse began in mid-May.

The video shows steep crater walls that continue to slump inward and downward in response to the ongoing subsidence of the summit area. This video was taken from a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). Limited UAS flights into this hazardous area are conducted with permission and in coordination with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

The video is used to assess hazards at the summit and the information is shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers.

Fissure 8: The journey of lava from vent to sea

The journey: From vent to the sea.

A helicopter overflight video of the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea eruption on June 14, 2018, around 6:00 AM. The video shows lava fountaining at fissure 8 feeding and feeding the channelized flows that flow into the ocean. Lava is still flowing out of fissure 8 unabated and the channel is full.

At the start of the video, standing waves in the lava channel can be seen near the vent exit. The channel appears crust-free from vent to the bend around Kapoho Crater. A surface crust forms over the channel as it spreads out during its approach to the ocean. The overflight along the ocean entry is from north to south along the coastline. The ocean entry is active along the whole length - approximately 1 mile. Small litoral explosions are occurring and there are several plumes of laze.

Recent photo updates on Kilauea eruption

As of 6:30 a.m. HST today, fissure 8 continued to feed a vigorous channelized lava flows to the east of the vent. Overnight, fountain heights were generally 40–50 m (130-160 ft) high, with occasional bursts up to 60 m (just under 200 ft) high. The fallout from the fountains has built an asymmetric cinder-and-spatter cone around the vent, with the southwest side of the cone slightly higher (about 115 feet) than the northeast side (about 65 feet). This asymmetry reflects the prevailing trade winds, with more lava piling up on the downwind side of the fountains.

Fissure 8 and lava channel in the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano during this afternoon's overflight, with no apparent slowing in the eruption rate. The lava channel remained incandescent all the way around Kapoho Crater before entering the ocean.

An aerial view of the Kapoho ocean entry, as of 6:30 a.m. HST today, shows the extent of the lava delta, now about 200 acres in size, that has formed over the past six days (lava first entered the ocean on the night of June 3). Across the front of the delta, plumes of laze—created by molten lava interacting with seawater—appeared diminished this morning, but was probably due to a change in atmospheric conditions rather than a change in the amount of fissure 8 lava reaching the ocean. Laze, a mixture of seawater steam, hydrochloric acid, and tiny volcanic glass particles, can irritate eyes, lungs, and skin, and should be avoided.

Cracking and slumping of the Halema‘uma‘u crater walls are clearly evident in this aerial view captured during HVO's overflight of Kīlauea's summit this morning. Steam plumes have been rising from within the crater, as well as from cracks adjacent to the crater. 

Fissure 8 lava fountaining as viewed from Kupono Street at 8:00 p.m. HST on June 9. The incandescence to the left is from the active lava channel.

Updates on Kilauea Eruption

Around 3:00 a.m. HST today (June 8), lava fountains erupting from fissure 8 on Kīlauea Volcano's Lower East Rift Zone were reaching heights of 180–220 feet.

Here are some of the recent photos and videos about Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) activity of Kilauea, Fissure 8, Summit activity and slumping of Halema‘uma‘u crater.

Vigorous eruption of lava continues from the LERZ fissure system in the area of Leilani Estates.

Lava continues to erupt from Fissure 8, with vigorous fountains reaching heights of about 200-220 feet. Observers on the late afternoon overflight reported no significant changes in the Fissure 8 flow field, which continues to supply lava to the ocean entry at Kapoho. Two vigorous steam plumes are rising from the ocean flow front and being blown inland. Strong thermal upwelling was noted in the ocean extending up to 1000 yards out to sea from the visible lava front. Heavy gas and steam emissions were noted at fissures 9 & 10, but lava emission is occurring only at Fissure 8.

Outgassing from Halema‘uma‘u produced twin pillars that rose in the still morning air and merged into a towering cap above the summit of Kīlauea just after sunrise.

Low-level ash emissions continue at the summit with slowly increasing seismicity, indicating that another small explosion is likely in the next several hours. Inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halema`uma`u continues in response to ongoing subsidence at the summit.

Sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano's summit, while lower than those recorded in early-mid May, remain high enough to impact air quality in downwind regions. Additional bursts of gas released with intermittent explosive activity are also transported downwind and may temporarily affect air quality as well.

The Kapoho ocean entry (as of 6:30 a.m. HST), where the interaction of fissure 8 lava and seawater produces a white plume called "laze." Laze is a mixture of condensed acidic steam, hydrochloric acid gas, and tiny shards of volcanic glass, and can be irritating to the lungs, eyes, and skin.

HVO's early morning helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone showed that lava continues to flow into the ocean in the vicinity of Kapoho Bay and Vacationland.

Dramatic changes at Halema‘uma‘u could be seen through gases rising from the crater during HVO's overflight of the summit this morning at 10 a.m. HST. The view here looks to the southwest, with the former overlook parking lot barely visible to the left of the gas plume.

This is a video compilation from a helicopter overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone on June 6, 2018, around 6:30 AM. The video shows the fissure 8 lava fountain feeding a channelized lava flow that travels northeast around the Kapoho cone, and then flows toward the south to enter the ocean at Kapoho Bay and Vacationland. The ocean entry has completely filled Kapoho Bay with lava, building a delta that extends 0.8 miles from shore.

King Kamehameha the Great adorned in leis at the annual lei draping ceremony

King Kamehameha the Great adorned in leis

The 146th Annual Lei Draping ceremony of the King Kamehameha statue took place today at the Ali'iolani Hale at 3PM - June 8th, 2018 to honor King Kamehameha the Great.

Keeping in with the Hawaiian tradition, beautiful handmade leis were draped on the outstretched arms of King Kamehameha. A Honolulu Fire Truck was used to drape the leis. City crews and volunteers started sewing the 30 feet plumeria lei on Thursday morning.

The Lei draping ceremony also incorporated a royal court performance, Hawaiian music, and entertainment!

Musical guests this year featured the Royal Hawaiian Band and Raiatea Helm.

The Royal Hawaiian Band 

The plumeria lei

King Kamehameha the Great is also known as Kamehameha I and Kamehameha the First, was the monarch of Hawaii between 1782 and 1819. He is well-known and respected for uniting and establishing the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. Kamehameha Day is held in his honor on June 11 each year.

In 1871, Kamehameha V who is the great-grandson of Kamehameha the Great, passed a royal decree that Kamehameha Day should be celebrated. The first Kamehameha day was observed on June 11, 1872, and was one of the first State holidays celebrated after Hawaii became a US state in 1959.

Today, Statues of Kamehameha the Great are in 3 cities in the state of Hawaii, namely Honolulu, Kapaau, and Hilo. Outside the state, there is one statue in the National Statuary Hall on the US Capitol in Washington DC. 

During the Kamehameha Day ceremonies, all these statues are draped in lei.

The statue of King Kamehameha in front of Ali‘iōlani Hale was commissioned in Florence, Italy. 

King Kalākaua, the seventh monarch and last king of the Hawaiian Kingdom ordered to commission a statue in Florence, Italy to commemorate the  founder of the Kingdom, King Kamehameha the Great 

On its way from Europe, the ship carrying the bronze statue sank off the Falkland Islands. As the statue was insured, King Kalākaua ordered the second statue.  In the meantime, the first statue was recovered, and Honolulu soon had two statues. To honor the birthplace of Kamehameha, King Kalākaua gifted the original statue to the people of Kohala. The second statue stands proudly in front of Ali‘iōlani Hale.

Ali‘iōlani Hale is home to Hawai‘i’s Supreme Court and the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center.

The regal women of ‘Ahahui Ka‘ahumanu society string the 30 feet long plumeria lei which serve as a base of lei on the statue – Other leis are adorned on top of these plumeria lei. The Kaʻahumanu Society (official name: ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu) is a civic club in Hawaii formed by Princess Victoria Kamāmalu in 1864 for the relief of the elderly and the ill. The club celebrates the life of Queen Kaʻahumanu and the preservation of Hawaiian culture at special events like Kamehameha day parade.

Kamehameha Day is officially on Monday, June 11, 2018. The celebrations of the day kicked off today by the lei draping ceremony. This will be followed by a floral parade on Saturday morning, fairs, carnivals and running, horse and cycle races and Hula competitions.

Some of the photos during today ceremony

The lei is ready 

The lei in making 

Carefully getting the lei on the outstretched hand of the statue

The fire truck to adorn the lei 

Blessing of the Lei by the Hawaiian priest 

Carefully lifting the lei from ground 

Draping the statue 

The lei Queen 

The plumeria lei ready to be adorned 

Waiting for adorning the lei 

People watching the ceremony 

Plumerai Lei