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Continuing with the Hawaiian theme, ArborNote’s Tree of the Week is the Kona Coffee Tree (Coffea arabica, C. Kona.). The coffee that this tree produces is the most expensive in the world! That is because it can only be “Kona Coffee” if the trees grow within a 35 miles long, a mile and a half wide area on the Big Island that have an elevation between 500 to 3,200 feet. Kona Coffee trees differ from other Hawaiian coffee trees because it is cultivated on mountain slopes of Mauna Loa volcano. The volcanic-rich soil on the Big Island and unique tropical climate are contributing factors in producing these excellent coffee beans. Each one of the fruits, which are typically referred to as “cherries” because of their red color, is hand picked by workers between October and November. In February and March, the tree blooms with little white flowers that are often referred to as “Kona snow” as the hills become covered with white. Once the flower is pollinated, cherries will appear within 15 weeks. It will take another 7 to 10 months for the cherries to fully ripen! Each Kona coffee tree produces about 15 pounds of cherries, which yield an average of two pounds of roasted coffee. It takes about three years for Kona seedlings to reach maturity and they are capable of producing berries for 40-60 years. If you are ever on the Big Island in Hawaii, go check out one of the Kona coffee farms, like Greenwell Farms!

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Our Business Administrator, Chloe Whitworth, spent some time in Hawaii with her family and has chosen the Breadfruit Tree (Artocarpus altilisas) ArborNote’s Tree of the Week! This tree originated in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippines. It was further spread to other tropical regions of the world (like Hawaii) during the Colonial Era. British and French navigators introduced a few Polynesian seedless varieties to Caribbean islands during the late 18th century. Today it is grown in some 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Breadfruit is one of the highest-yielding food plants, with a single tree producing up to 200 or more grapefruit-sized fruits per season! Breadfruit is a staple food in many tropical regions. Before being eaten, the fruits are roasted, baked, fried or boiled. When cooked, the taste of moderately ripe breadfruit is described as potato-like, or similar to freshly baked bread. There is a Hawaiian myth that breadfruit originated from the sacrifice of the war god Kū. After deciding to live secretly among mortals as a farmer, Kū married and had children. He and his family lived happily until a famine seized their island. When he could no longer bear to watch his children suffer, Kū told his wife that he could deliver them from starvation, but to do so he would have to leave them. Reluctantly she agreed, and at her word, Kū descended into the ground right where he had stood until only the top of his head was visible. His family waited around the spot he had last been, day and night, watering it with their tears until suddenly, a small green shoot appeared where Kū had stood. Quickly, the shoot grew into a tall and leafy tree that was laden with heavy breadfruits that Kū's family and neighbors gratefully ate, joyfully saved from starvation.