Variable Reactions: Palms and SO2 Exposure

[Kim]

The title sounds a bit like a scientific experiment, but be assured, there were NO controls in this "experiment."

In March of 2018 when I spent time in my garden in Leilani Estates, all was well. The garden was looking decent even though I couldn't do a lot after dealing with a medical issue with my back. It rained a lot. It was green, it was beautiful, I planted palms, I had plans for more tweaks in the garden after being inspired during a visit to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

Blink. Blink. April; news of hundreds of earthquakes shaking the Lower East Rift Zone -- also known as Leilani Estates, Kapoho, and a few more small subdivisions, plus acres of working agricultural lands -- and it becomes clear that Kilauea Volcano is in the throes of dramatic changes. Cracks in the earth appear; they grow wider, emitting copious amounts of steam. The afternoon of May 3, the residents of Leilani witness the beginning of the eruption. Stones flung high into the air, a roar of gas escaping the earth, and the shocking red lava is fountaining high in the air and flowing down the lines of steepest descent. Evacuation sirens blare, the police are going door to door. A nearly straight line of fissures open along the rift, one after another, and soon homes are being devoured by the lava pouring forth. Leilani Avenue is cut off. Our eyes and brains strain to process the events as they unfold. One fissure dominates the spectacle, pouring out an incomprehensible quantity of lava that forms a river of destruction like nothing seen on this island. The air, unbreathable; the sky, never dark. The roar, intimidating. The aerial photographs, stupendous!

All the while this spectacle is unfolding, the flora of Leilani is coping as best it can. For those plants downwind of the fissure, a hail of tephra and Pele's hair joins the gases to snuff out plant life. The plant life lucky enough to be upwind of the fissure, protected by the sheltering trade winds, suffers intermittently when the trades slack off. The eruption continues for more than 100 days, until finally the volcano sighs and... the flora are granted a "pause."

The assemblage of photos of one such lucky garden demonstrate the power of the earth's plumbing system to invade from the air. Most damage appears to be cosmetic and surmountable. Most palms will recover nicely. Many never noticed anything was happening. Some will struggle to survive. Some became crispy shells of their former glory.

Photos show pre-eruption and post-eruption comparisons.

Lemurophoenix halleuxii

Licuala peltata var sumawongii

Clinostigma samoense lawn with A. vestiaria

 

[Kim]

Dypsis pachyramea

Chitwan the elephant got an acid bath and turned white again

Rheinhardtia latisecta, right of frame with ti plant; post apocalyptic shell

 

[Steve Mac]

Kim, Amid the chaos and destruction you writing is quite poetic, you might have a book inside you. 

[John hovancsek]

I am so sorry for all the losses.  All the earthquakes have been crazy. I am all the way up in mountain view  and I still feel them. I am hoping and praying for things to go back to normal soon.. 

[realarch]

Kim, thanks for that personal descriptive account, so well written and thoughtful. 

You skillfully captured the event in so few words, not easy to do.

The photos also emphasize how variable the reactions to deadly gasses different plants exhibit.

Mahalo Kim!

 

Tim

[Kim]

2 hours ago, John hovancsek said:

I am so sorry for all the losses.  All the earthquakes have been crazy. I am all the way up in mountain view  and I still feel them. I am hoping and praying for things to go back to normal soon.. 

Others have losses to be sorry for -- me, not so much. After wandering through my garden, the losses are really very few. It's more astonishing how well some palms managed, or even thrived in the acid bath. Many large Dypsis show no signs of distress, unless producing seed is a sign of distress (?).

Losses were primarily seedlings and very slender-trunked palms such as Dypsis mirabilis, Dypsis procera, and Hydriastele pinangoides. Even so, other slim-trunked species survived without too much stress, such as Dypsis rosea. One more solid Dypsis that doesn't look so hot right now, Dypsis coursii. The leaves are green, but the center of the crown looks finito. More photos to tell the sad part of the story...

Dypsis coursii

 

Dypsis mirabilis -- some will probably survive, others are toast

In the first photo, you see seedlings of Burretiokentia grandiflora on the left and Cyphosperma naboutinense on the right (Cyphophoenix balansae behind them). For whatever reason, the Burretiokentia grandiflora didn't make it, but the Cyphosperma naboutinense will survive (I think).

 

 

[Kim]

A few more damaged, but rallying:

Beccariophoenix fenestralis

 

Dypsis 'dark mealybug'

Dypsis sp. (looks like sainteluciei, but isn't), one pushing a green spear, two suffering rigor mortis

 

Much of the mess is just neglect during the eruption period. Hauling away downed fronds and trimming the brown ones will make for instant improvement.

Same for cleaning up fallen trees, in this case a neighbor's avocado...

Perhaps the more difficult of the losses, Dictyocarium lamarckianum. 4 dead, 2 with a hint of emerging green.

 

[Tracy S]

Your photos and description of the changes are amazing. Sorry to see the plant damage but it is interesting to see the differences in the way the species reacted. Glad you and your property are ok.

[Really full garden]

Kim, I am sorry for your lost palms,but thankful for so many that will bounce back soon. There is a price to pay for living in paradise.I have learned that lesson recently as well.

[JungleGina]

Thank you for posting this Kim. It is fascinating to see the various reactions of different plants and palms, and what is already trying to recover. I'm glad you still have access to your property. I know it is heart breaking after you put your heart and soul into your garden. Nature pushes on and I look forward to seeing future updates on your garden's progress. I know I've learned a lot here in FL about cold tolerance and hurricane recovery. We will all learn from seeing the changes your garden goes through. Those palms can take a lot more than any of us thinks, for sure. I agree with the person who said you've got a book in the making here. Your writing really captured the essence of the situation with grace.

[Kevin S]

 Sorry to see all the damage that was done to your garden  but it is nice to see that a lot of your palms survived.  I always look forward to you posting new photos of your garden there hoping someday mine would be just as nice.  Right now I’m planning my trip back to the island will be there soon I have not been back there since right before the eruption started.

[Daryl]

Wow, how did I miss this thread last year? I bet most of the palms have made a full recovery by now, especially considering how fast things grow in Hawaii!