Lobelias. So many, so little space. I will speak of just one, Trematolobelia wimmeri, formerly known as grandifolia before she married Mr. Wimmeri (botanist Thomas Lammers officiated). Her Hawaiian friends call her koli’i. With so many long names, you might think she was royalty, and you wouldn’t be far wrong, for she has a glorious heritage and a fabulous wardrobe.
Koli’i’s ancestors were very early inhabitants of these islands. They radiated greatly into many noble endemic lines, two of which are found only on the Big Island. Our lady is a windward native. She loves the wet forest.
Their appearance is distinctive. A tall stalk is crowned with a dense rosette of long, slender leaves. From here a spectacular display of radiating flowers forms. These flowers are yellowish-green in color with a bit of pink.
Koli’i does wonderfully in pots. So when it puts on its flowering display from August to November, you can move it to where all can see its glory. This plant also has an unusual feature. After flowering, seed pods form. In time, these seed pods become perforated in preparation for dispersal. They look like mini-baskets. Inside are lots and lots of minuscule black seeds.
Now is the time to harvest for the next generation of koli’i. There is a trick to catch the seeds as they fall from their mini-baskets like pepper from a shaker. Put a sheet of white paper beneath a branch, out of the wind and rain of course, and wait for the seeds to fall or gently shake the branch. If your koli’i is planted in the ground, you could cut a branch when you determine it is almost ready and lay it on the paper. The seeds will drop, and you can scoop them up.
There is a downside to this beauty. After seeding, the plant dies. ’Tis a very short reign.
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