As always, words of wisdom to ponder. Need your articles once again. Please consider.
LouC aka Christi aka Princess Kilikina aka your friend
yokwe
Invading Hawaii......Polygonum capitatum: Knotweed
Well, as gardeners, we all have our weed crosses to bear! What I find fascinating is to research these invasives in the phytochemical databases. Many times they are powerful medicine plants, or have other uses.
Twenty years ago, I used to collect all the ginger flowers on the roadsides for lei making. Then I got the "bright" idea of planting the roots so I wouldn't have to drive around. Well, nowadays pulling the gingers up is part of everyday weeding.
As for Hedychium garderianum, it has set seed here in my garden on 26th in HPP. I sent them to JL Hudson Seedsman as part of their seed swap deal. The kahili doesn't spread here as much the others, though. My least liked weed is Maile pilau and a philodendron which escaped and is covering trees.
It is interesting to see what plants are invasive in one place and well behaved in others. I was stunned to see persacaria recently while visiting Hawaii. I was staying in Volcano Jon and I did wonder if the plant was as invasive as it is around here (at sea level actually) I have managed to remove it from my tiny garden with a combination of hand pulling and Round Up but I still get little bits popping up each spring.
While visiting with Carol she expressed dismay with Selaginella pallescens (although I believe you called it something else.) That one is a valuable plant here and it is not easy to keep healthy. Funny isn't it?
Most hedyciums will take over here if they have enough moisture in the soil. Our soil never goes below 55 degrees in the winter and although the tops die off the rhizomes flourish. I have seen seeds on mine but I have never tried to germinate them. I do not have to pull them up every day but it is a semi annual chore.
Watching plants establish themselves in such harsh conditions was fascinating to me. You live in a constantly changing environment.
