Torch Ginger (Photos And Video)

Torch ginger flowers are very unusual looking and remind me of fake or silk flowers.  They are also known as Philippine Waxflower and they do look like they could be made of wax.   They grow up to 20 feet tall and are native to Java, Indonesia.   The flower shown above is a peach or salmon color.   Below are some other photos of mine you might enjoy.

Torch ginger does well in Hawaii, but you don't see it as often as the other varieties of ginger.  There is also a beautiful and very rare white Torch ginger that is found in southern Thailand and it grows from 6 to 12 feet tall.  Below is a video (not mine) which has great shots of the white Torch ginger.

Here is a painting of mine of pink Torch ginger.

"Pink Torch Ginger 2"

12" x 16" acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

My reference photo for the above painting is shown below.  Torch ginger and other tropical flowers are sold locally as cut flowers at various florists as well as many lei shops, especially in Chinatown in Honolulu.

There are other types of ginger which I need to photograph first before I can post them here. For instance, there is a yellow ginger and a pine cone ginger which I have not yet seen but I know they grow in Hawaii.  Much information may be found on the Internet about various ginger plants if you are interested.   

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail - Oahu, Hawaii

This scene is found at the beginning of the trail to Makapu'u Point Lighthouse.   That mountain to the far right is Koko Crater.  This area is the eastern most point on the island of Oahu; the southeast coast or windward side of the island.   This area is hot and dry and more desert like than the rest of the island.   There were a lot of cactus along the trail.

Here we are at a higher level,  and I rather like this photo for a reference for a future painting.

The trail is paved all the way to the lighthouse, so it is really more of a walk than a hike.  People of all ages come here (with their dogs sometimes) and it is an easy walk; it is a two mile distance and uphill all the way to the lighthouse.  It took us about an hour to reach the lighthouse, but we stopped along the way to take photos.   

As we reached closer to the lighthouse and at a very high elevation, down the cliff many feet below were people enjoying the tide pools; they looked like tiny dots to us from up high, but I zoomed in with my camera and took a few shots of them.   

Makapu'u lighthouse itself is not a very tall structure, but it sits on a 600 foot sea cliff and it has the largest lens in the United States; the lens is 12 feet tall and has over 1000 prisms and the light can be seen over 19 miles out to sea.   The lighthouse was built in 1909 and automated in 1974 and is now owned by the coast guard.   Below is a video (not mine) showing views along the hike.

Below are a couple of photos of mine taken from Makapu'u Beach Park looking towards the lighthouse.  They will give you an idea of the height of the cliff where we walked.  

There is so much beauty found on Oahu as well as the other Hawaiian Islands.   I feel blessed to live here and I am constantly inspired to paint and photograph all the wonders of this paradise.

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Various Ginger Plants In Hawaii

Red And Pink Ginger

Red Ginger is a popular ornamental perennial plant seen positively everywhere in Hawaii.  It was introduced to the Islands sometime before 1930 and is native to New Caledonia, British Solomon Island Protectorate as well as various other locations.   It and the pink ginger are popular as an ornamental and cut flower.   Its Hawaiian name is 'Awapuhi 'ula 'ula .   

This dark pink ginger bract has the buds of its true white flowers.  Many mistake the various colored ginger bracts to be the real flower.  Below is a beautiful variegated variety known as "Polynesian Princess" which I photographed at a vendors display; I have not yet seen them growing as a landscape plant here to photograph them outside.  

There is also a pale pink variety shown below at a small city park at Nuuanu Stream in Honolulu.

The above photo will be a great reference for me to paint from one of these days.  

Blue Ginger

 

Blue ginger is not really a ginger at all but belongs to the Spiderwort family and is native to Brazil.  It is used in the Hawaiian islands as an ornamental garden plant and is a perennial as I believe is true of all the various ginger plants found here.   It grows to about 6 feet tall.  I love the sapphire blue to blue-purple color of this plant and in a weird way it reminds me of Texas bluebonnets.   

Shell Ginger

Shell ginger is named so because its long flower panicles resemble mussels with pink and white shells.  It is quite lovely when fresh, but as the flowers fade they turn an ugly brown.  

There are other ginger flowers to write about, but I will save that for another post real soon.   

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com