Question: We enjoy driving and hiking through Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, which was designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood protection for Kaneohe. Over the past year, I have noticed a strange plant that is filling and choking the canal that comes out of the reservoir. I have not observed this before, in more than 30 years of living in Kaneohe. What is this plant?
Answer: The weedy plant is honohono (Commelina diffusa), a member of the spiderwort family "and common throughout the main islands of Hawaii," said Winifred Singeo, director of the city’s Honolulu Botanical Gardens.
She noted that the "Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai’i" says honohono was first collected in the islands in 1837, so it has been around a long time.
"It tends to be more prolific — and noticeable — in wet than dry seasons, and generally is found in wetter areas," Singeo said.
It is classified as an herb and is not a climber.
Asked then if there is no concern about the weed "choking" the waterway, she said, "That’s correct. The plant is not an aquatic one; it’s a terrestrial plant."
Question: Where are we on the construction of the new Target in Kailua? There is no activity going on behind the screening.
Answer: Last September we were told the retail chain was going through the permitting process and looked "forward to bringing Target to Kailua residents in 2012."
We checked again last week, and a spokeswoman told us, "Unfortunately, I do not have anything new to share. We continue to move through the permitting process and look forward to bringing Target to Kailua."
Asked whether a 2012 opening was still on the books, she repeated that she had no other details. Kaneohe Ranch sold the 311,000-square-foot former Don Quijote site to Target last year.
MAHALO
To Joe Flores, one of the groundskeepers at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl. Joe had returned to the cemetery vehicle he had been driving one day last month to find that someone had dropped five crisp $20 bills through an open window. Faced with an unexplained and difficult-to-trace windfall of $100 from an anonymous donor, some people might have chosen to pocket the money. This Vietnam veteran, however, did not hesitate, even during these hard economic times. He immediately handed the money to his supervisor to be deposited in the cemetery’s beautification fund. Joe is a credit to the cemetery, and we commend him for his judgment and good character — and for his humble nature. We had a hard time convincing him to allow us to publish his name! We wish to bring this story to the public’s attention in the hope that it may serve as a sort of antidote against bitter cynicism about human nature. — Nadine Leavitt Siak, public affairs specialist, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
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