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By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
This shower tree is in full bloom near the intersection
of Dole and McCully streets in Honolulu.

Heat awakens
shower trees

Hot, dry weather seems to
bring out the best in their
soothing blossoms

If city owns tree, be careful

By Suzanne Tswei
Star-Bulletin

The relentless summer heat that is turning Oahu into a giant imu and wilting the hardiest of human beings, seems to have the opposite effect on shower trees.

They are thriving during these hot and dry months as they reach full bloom with their sherbet-colored canopies of white, yellow, pink, and apricot blossoms spreading out over the parched cityscape.

"I don't think it's fully understood what's making them bloom so nicely, but I think it has something to do with the heat and the dryness," said Stan Oka, city horticulture and botanical services administrator.

The drought seems to encourage a profusion of the clusters of blossoms. The flowers appear as early as May and last well into the fall, Oka said. The white-, yellow- and pink-blossomed varieties usually are first to flower. The hybrids, better known as rainbow shower trees, will reach their peaks later, he said.

Some of the best viewings are in Kapiolani Park, along King Street between McKinley High School and University Avenue, and on the campus of the University of Hawaii, Oka said.

Among the most stunning shower trees is a hybrid, Cassia x nealiae, commonly known as Wilhemina Tenney, named after the woman who was one of the first to grow the then-untested hybrid around 1920, said Paul Weissich, director emeritus of Honolulu Botanical Gardens. This variety is one of several that resulted from cross pollination between the golden shower tree, Cassia fistula, and the pink-and-white shower tree, Cassia javanica.

Although there were other outstanding hybrids from the same cross-pollination, the Wilhemina Tenney, with its unusual yellow-and-watermelon colored blossoms, was designated official tree of the city and county of Honolulu in 1965 by Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell. Other than its beautiful blossoms, this tree offers the added advantage of having no seed pods, which can be smelly and messy after they drop to the grounds.

A 50-foot-high specimen, an offshoot of the original tree Tenney grew in her Makiki garden, is still thriving at Foster Botanical Garden. Tenney's tree grew to about 30 feet feet tall before it was cut down in 1947, Oka said.

If city owns tree, be careful what you do Don't be quick to cut down the tree in front of your home -- even if it's infested with termites and bees. It may be a criminal offense. Stan Oka, city horticulture and botanical services administrator, said infested trees should be reported to his office. The problem will be investigated and a course of action determined, he said. Oka declined to comment on the arrest of a man who allegedly cut down a shower tree in front of his Moiliili home because it was infested with bees and termites. The man was arrested for second-degree criminal property damage, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Tree problems should be reported to his office, 971-7151. A tree growing in the planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb often is the property of the city, and destroying the tree -- or even trimming it without proper approval -- is a criminal offense, he said. The city is responsible for pruning the trees. Residents are responsible for watering and cleaning, Oka said. Suzanne Tswei, Star-Bulletin