Natural History

Koster's Curse, Clidemia
(Clidemia hirta)

Nobody's quite sure who Koster was, but the plant they call his "curse" certainly deserves the name. Clidemia is a coarse perennial shrub that can grow up to 7 feet high. A member of the rapacious Melastome family, it is a native of tropical America and was first recorded in the Pacific Islands prior to 1905 (in Fiji where it developed into a serious pest that overran pasture lands and rubber and coconut plantations.) It is widely naturalized in Fiji, Samoa, Belau and Hawaii.

The shrub can be distinguished by its bristly, hairy stems and foliage, opposite leaves with a pleated surface and five parallel veins form the base. It has short clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers, and small black, bristle-covered berries.

Clidemia was first spotted in the wild in 1941 on Oahu, near Poamoho. (It may have originally been planted in the nearby Wahiawa Botanical Gardens.) It spread rapidly throughout that island, nearly tripling its range from 77,430 acres to more than 247,000 acres between 1977 and 1988. In the 1970's and 1980's, Clidemia spread to Kauai, Molokai, Maui, Lanai and the Big Island. East Maui was invaded in the mid-1970's and by the early 1980's it was found on West Maui.

The rambunctious shrub replaces native plants of the forest understory, shading out all of the other plants below it except for a few persistent mosses. Even the native uluhe, the false staghorn ferns lose out to clidemia in the shaded areas. As it takes over the rain forests, their value as watersheds is greatly diminished. Native insects and birds lose their habitat to the invading pest.

Clidemia has become relatively common in relatively wet open or disturbed areas and have taken over native forest areas, up to the 3900 foot elevation. It is considered a pest by cattle ranchers who say it has no forage value.

The plant is obviously easily dispersed. Birds -- especially the Japanese white-eyes -- like the insipidly sweet berries, and hikers and hunters may inadvertently spread the plants as they wander around the forests. Meanwhile, feral pigs spread the weed and encourage its intensification when they dig up and disturb the soil in the forest.

The vigor of the plants is truly awesome. They can remain viable in the soil for more than four years.

Efforts to control the plants by pulling them up proved to be time-consuming. In the rain forests even the leaves of the pulled clidemia plants may form new roots and re-establish themselves. A fungus from Panama (Colletotrichum gloeosporoides) was introduced in 1986. It didn't work. Insect controls were brought in. The one that works best was the thrips (Liothrips urichi) which was introduced in 1986. It works on clidemia growing on ranchlands, but not the ones growing in the forest. Other insects that were tried were less effective.

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Arts & Culture

Honomanu Bay

Just after crossing the bridge at the 14-mile marker, an inconspicuous and very rough gravel road on the Keanae side of the Honomanu Stream heads down to Honomanu Bay. The bay is beautiful, but the water is often turbulent and the strong riptides that run seaward from the inshore areas make it dangerous for swimming during heavy surf. Directly offshore, from the beach, the bottom is very rocky. An undeveloped County Park, the narrow boulder beach lies below the Kaumahina State Wayside, and to the west side of the Keanae peninsula. It is mostly used by surfers and fisherman.

Permits are required to camp in the area. There are no amenities, but the open area in the backshore provides a nice picnic ground and is a good place to watch the surfers.

Lush and verdant Honomanu Valley was carved into Haleakala's side during its first long period of dormancy. It is the second largest valley on Haleakala's northern slope. (Keanae is the largest.) At the 7,000 foot elevation, above the timberline, the valley is still deep and difficult for backpackers to cross. Within the canyon is some of the oldest rock seen on Haleakala that have not been overwhelmed and buried by subsequent lava flows.

The valley's slopes loom up to 1,200 feet on either side. Erosion has gouged out an immense and rugged canyon. Two and a half miles inland, where the valley swells into a massive amphitheater, an inaccessible waterfall (the largest of Honomanu stepping-stone falls) thunders 400 feet into a mighty gulch. Most of the water from Honomanu Stream is tapped to irrigate sugar and pineapple fields, which explains why there is not an enormous river flowing down into the sea at Honomanu's outlet.

In ancient times the valley supported a large native population. Old terraces ran into the valley as far as the level land goes, a little less than a mile. Above the valley, on elevated flatlands there used to be some terraces and houses. Many of the old taro lo'i were probably abandoned due to a loss of water supply.

About the area above the bay, Maui historian Inez Ashdown said, "Where Kaumahina Park is now on land of that name, there stood a big temple and around it and its village grew an abundance of bananas, 'ohia-ai, rice, and taro all in and around Punalu and above there to Kolea. Four streams from above there form waterfalls over the cliffs and flow into Honomanu Bay." It is also said that there are a many burial sites in the upper part of the Honomanu Valley and, according to some folks, the ali'I walk there, especially at night.

Honomanu Stream runs the length of the valley and crosses the beach at the head of Honomanu Bay. Wading and limited swimming are possible in the stream estuary.

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Hawaiiana

MOLOKAI pt.2

Kamiloloa:
The tall Milo tree

Kawela:
The heat

Kamalo-:
The dry place

The original name was Kamalo-’o and is now abbreviated to Kamalo-

Kalua’aha:
The gathering place

In 1832, Reverend H.R. Hitchcock established the first Christian mission on Moloka’i here. Kalua’aha is also the site of Our Lady of Sorrows, a Catholic church built by Father Damien in 1874.

‘Ualapu’e:
Hilled sweet potatoes

Kamakou:
The Peucedanum herb

Pauwalu:
Eight destroyed

It is said that a shark demigod on Moloka’i killed seven children of eight and the eighth child was sent out as bait for the shark. Then the shark was caught and killed.

Ha-’upu:
Recollection

Mahana:
Warmth

Kiowea:

Kiowea is an alternate spelling of Kioea. It is the Hawaiian name for the Bristle-thighed curlew, a large brown migratory shoreline bird and got its name because of its call. Their call souds like “Kioea,” a very unique sound in the bird world.

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Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD: It's enough that you were able to find what you wanted.
BRADDAH-NICS: So long you wen' find what'chu like, nuff.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: I'll get it done for you.
BRADDAH-NICS: I go try do 'em fo' you.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: I'll see you later.
BRADDAH-NICS: Lay-tahs....

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Local Grinds

Kalbi Ribs

Ingredients: 

• 2 Pounds Beef Short Ribs
• 1 Cup Shoyu
• 1/4 Cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Small Onion
• 1 Small Asian Pear
• 1 Small Garlic Bulb
• 4 Green Onions
• Brown Sugar

Procedure:

Take the short ribs and place them on a sheet of tinfoil. Sprinkle brown sugar over each piece of ribs, sprinkling on both sides. Let the ribs set aside while preparing the marinade. Chop finely the onion, green onion, pear, and garlic. Take a large freezer bag and add the shoyu and water. Then add in the onion, green onion, pear, garlic, sesame oil, and black pepper. Finally, add the short ribs into the freezer bag and let sit over night.

The next day, grill the ribs to your preference. The ribs are thin, so it may take about 1 – 5 minutes per side depending on the thinness.

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