New Introductions for Hawaiian Landscapes
Posted on Jan. 11, 2025 / Nursery / Subscribe 0
By: David Fell
The first new introduction is a bromeliad in the genus of Alcantarea. Alcantarea glaziouana is a large to medium bromeliad with a maximum size of 4-6’ in diameter. It is a lithophytic plant naturally growing near sea level on rocky cliffs. The foliage is light green and coated with trichomes which appear gray. When the plant flowers, it produces a large well-branched inflorescence with a height up to 10’ above the plant! The flowers are snow white with a lovely, sweet floral fragrance that matures over several months. The inflorescence can last longer than 6 months!
The cultivar being introduced is Alcantarea glaziouana `Golden Boy’. This plant was discovered as a partially variegated seedling in a tray of seedlings. Over several years this unique seedling was cultivated until flowering. After flowering several fully variegated pups were obtained. These grew for a few more years until additional pups were obtained. Now there is a sufficient quantity of material to release into the trade. `Golden Boy’ is a variegated plant with rich yellow variegation on a gray-green leaf. This eye-catching and large plant is suitable as a focal point in any landscape. Viewed from above they have a pleasing geometric form. Growing requirements are full sun to partial shade, moderate watering (underwatering is better than over watering), and fertilizer in the landscape is not required unless additional growth is desired. Inadequate watering can lead to the browning of the leaf tips or entire lower leaves. No diseases have been noted.
Figure 1. Alcantarea glaziouana `Golden Boy’ top view.
Figure 2. Alcantarea glaziouana `Golden Boy’ side view.
The next introduction is a Ficus sp. It is very similar to and probably related to Ficus sp. 'Green Island'. Both appear to be cultivars of Ficus macrocarpa. What sets this apart from Green Island Ficus is its smaller, glossy, cup-shaped leaves and its low growing habit. After several years of testing, it has only grown to a maximum height of about 18” tall. It is a reasonably fast-growing plant and will flow around rocks in the landscape. It is suitable for use as a ground cover where it is desirable to keep the height low. It can be trimmed and shaped to control the height and width. Trimming to keep it confined in a specific bed can be done easily with hand pruners. Growing requirements are full sun to shade (it does not stretch in 50% shade), and it is tolerant of a wide range of water regimes but will drop leaves with excessive under or over-watering. No specific fertilizer has been tested but 14-14-14 Nutricote has been used in potted production with good results. No diseases have been noted.
The following 2 pictures will give an idea of the speed of growth. The first photo was taken in May of 2024 and the second was taken in December 2024.
Figure 3. Ficus sp. photo taken in May 2024.
Figure 4. Ficus sp. photo taken in December 2024. The plant size is approximately 4-5 feet in diameter with an estimated age of 2-4 years from planting from a single 6” pot.
Figure 4. Ficus sp. growth without fertilizer.
David Fell,
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