PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 6:13 PM by Luigi

Thieves take off with rare banana plants

By Christie Wilson, Honolulu Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor

KAHULUI, Maui — Thieves uprooted and removed about a dozen young variegated banana stalks from the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens last week, setting back production of the rare native plant by two years.

The plants' leaves and fruit have a striking green and white coloration that is highly prized. The plant's unique striping was the result of a mutation that occurred "who knows how many hundreds of years ago," said Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond, executive director of the nonprofit gardens.

"During ancient times, it was perpetuated by Hawaiian farmers and reserved for ali'i consumption because it was so unusual."

Thieves apparently used a machete and hammer to dig up and separate the banana keiki from the mother plant, which was on public display. "The fact that this rare and valuable banana variety was targeted leads us to believe that it is someone familiar with the gardens and involved with the landscaping industry," Schattenburg-Raymond said.

There were two reported break-ins at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. The first occurred Sept. 4, when five 70-pound bales of Sunshine No. 4 potting mix, several large pots and a large container of Roundup herbicide were reported stolen. The following night, security gates were damaged, doors on pesticide and tool sheds were broken, and $1,000 worth of chemicals, a drill, a new radio and a wagon were reported stolen.

The wagon, loaded with some of the items, was found the next morning hidden in some bushes at adjacent Keopuolani Park, Schattenburg-Raymond said. Also inside the wagon were shade cloth and items reported taken from the county's plant nursery, located behind the botanical gardens, she said.

Maui Nui Botanical Gardens sells variegated banana plants to the public when they are available. Two such plants were offered during the organization's August plant sale, with a 5-foot specimen selling for $125, well below its commercial value.

"It's still very rare and not a lot of people have them. We're trying to make them available. That's our mission: to get rare and unavailable plants back into the community so they can be enjoyed and perpetuated," Schattenburg-Raymond said.

Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens at (808) 249-2798 or the Maui Police Department nonemergency number, (808) 244-6400.



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DIVA-GIS	Tuesday, September 12, 2006 Posted 6:13 PM by Luigi Thieves take off with rare banana plants By Christie Wilson, Honolulu Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor KAHULUI, Maui — Thieves uprooted and removed about a dozen young variegated banana stalks from the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens last week, setting back production of the rare native plant by two years. The plants' leaves and fruit have a striking green and white coloration that is highly prized. The plant's unique striping was the result of a mutation that occurred "who knows how many hundreds of years ago," said Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond, executive director of the nonprofit gardens. "During ancient times, it was perpetuated by Hawaiian farmers and reserved for ali'i consumption because it was so unusual." Thieves apparently used a machete and hammer to dig up and separate the banana keiki from the mother plant, which was on public display. "The fact that this rare and valuable banana variety was targeted leads us to believe that it is someone familiar with the gardens and involved with the landscaping industry," Schattenburg-Raymond said. There were two reported break-ins at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. The first occurred Sept. 4, when five 70-pound bales of Sunshine No. 4 potting mix, several large pots and a large container of Roundup herbicide were reported stolen. The following night, security gates were damaged, doors on pesticide and tool sheds were broken, and $1,000 worth of chemicals, a drill, a new radio and a wagon were reported stolen. The wagon, loaded with some of the items, was found the next morning hidden in some bushes at adjacent Keopuolani Park, Schattenburg-Raymond said. Also inside the wagon were shade cloth and items reported taken from the county's plant nursery, located behind the botanical gardens, she said. Maui Nui Botanical Gardens sells variegated banana plants to the public when they are available. Two such plants were offered during the organization's August plant sale, with a 5-foot specimen selling for $125, well below its commercial value. "It's still very rare and not a lot of people have them. We're trying to make them available. That's our mission: to get rare and unavailable plants back into the community so they can be enjoyed and perpetuated," Schattenburg-Raymond said. Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens at (808) 249-2798 or the Maui Police Department nonemergency number, (808) 244-6400. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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