Makawao Na Ka Oi

Dear Makawao,

Na ka oi. You are the best. Every day you have some new little gem. Today it is fragrant, blooming, bright Kahili ginger. It wasn't here yesterday, but today suddenly it has appeared along the top of the trailhead.

The word kāhili means the feather standard (large bunch of feathers on top of a tall staff) used in the presence of royalty and it is obvious that this is where Kāhili Ginger inherited the name. Ginger is seasonal in Hawai'i and starts blooming in August and continues into the fall.

Hedychium gardnerianum (Kahili ginger, Kahila garland-lily, or ginger lily) is a plant native to the Himalayas in India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

The good news:

It grows to 8 ft (2.4 m) tall with long, bright green leaves clasping the tall stems. The very fragrant pale yellow and red flowers are held in dense spikes above the foliage. They appear towards the end of summer.

The bad news:

The plant is a serious invasive species in certain areas. It is known as 'wild kahili ginger' and is listed as a weed of concern on conservation land in New Zealand, Hawaii and the Azores. It has been recognized as one of "The World's 100 Worst Invasive Alien Species" by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group.

http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Plants.kginger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium_gardnerianum