Puakala ele by Melissa Chimera

Oil on canvas in white frame
36" h x 48" w

"The Hawaiian poppy called pua kala (thorny flower) has sharp spines at the tips of the leaves.  It thrives in some of the most dry and desolate areas near sea level. Archibald Menzies, a visiting botanist in the 1800s, found a Hawaiian woman manipulating the flowers of this native poppy. And when he asked what she was doing, she informed him that by taking the `ehu, that is the dust, the pollen from one flower to another would increase the number of edible seeds.  This is a glimpse of the intimacy of the empirical science of the Hawaiians and their living landscape.” -- Dr. Sam Gon

Provided by Melissa Chimera