Our Polynesian guide spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem, but some of his word mappings were interesting. Weeds were called grass (ie, carpets of low plants), and the people who introduced these invasive exotics were called botanists.
Our safari guide called this a ginger flower. It was huge, maybe 15 cm across. Pretty sure I found the species (Etlingera elatior, aka Phaeomeria magnifica, Torch Ginger) -- it is indeed in the ginger family. Native to the Phillipines (possibly elsewhere), widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the tropics. It was the occasion for a bit of culture shock. The guide said, "Wait here, I have something special for you," and disappeared into the underbrush. He returned carrying two of these huge flowers, complete with ~1 m stalks -- one for each of the ladies on the safari. I was shocked -- pick it, instead of leaving it to grow?? But to Polynesians, flowers are meant to be picked. In fact, the only plant introduced by foreign 'botanists' that the guide had anything good to say about was the hibiscus (IIRC), because it is good for decoration (women wear the flowers in their hair, etc.). Fresh flowers are used to decorate everything, and they grow in such profusion that they are viewed as a sustainable resource. Anyway, I followed him back into the underbrush and took this photo in situ.
These came in 2 flavors: little white flowers & larger blue ones (still pretty tiny, maybe ~1 cm). Our Polynesian guide spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem, but some of his word mappings were interesting. Weeds were called grass (ie, carpets of low plants), and the people who introduced these invasive exotics were called botanists.
These came in 2 flavors: little white flowers & larger blue ones (still pretty tiny, maybe ~1 cm). Our Polynesian guide spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem, but some of his word mappings were interesting. Weeds were called grass (ie, carpets of low plants), and the people who introduced these invasive exotics were called botanists.
