More Articles
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- June 2007
- April 2007
Pua Kala — The Native Poppy
Posted: January 4, 2008
Pua Kala can be found on the parched coastal plains and dry leeward mountain slopes of all the main Hawaiian Islands. Known as the prickly poppy for its sharp prickles and spines, Pua Kala is one of the few plants endemic to Hawaii that has both thorns and toxins.
Pua Kala (Argemone glauca) has a thick yellow sap that is poisonous. It grows to about 4 feet high and has jagged leaves and throny stems that have an unusual cyan tinge to its foliage. During the summer months, they put out multiple sharp thorny buds that open into large attractive flowers 3-4 inches across. Pua Kala flowers have 6 delicate white petals, multiple yellow stamens, and a deep purple stigma at the center of the flower.
Here is a photo of Pua Kala with a honey bee gathering pollen from its many stamens. If you look closely you can see how the bee uses the hairs on its legs as a basket to carry pollen. This Pua Kala specimen grows in the Heiau near the mouth of the stream in Kalalau Valley on Kauai.
This closer shot of Pua Kala shows the sharp spikes on the stem of the flower. The large white petals of Pua Kala are thin, delicate and easily bruised.
This even closer shot of Pua Kala shows the multitude of stamens containing pollen and the deep purple stigma in the very center of the flower. So thorny is Pua Kala that even the flowers of this prickly poppy have thorny structures within it.