Botanist found in wrong bed; Did tropical flower lead to his death?

Byline: BILL CHUDZIAK

THERE is a belief that making your living out of plants is a simple and safe affair.

Wrong. Brave Scots plant hunter David Douglas met a gory end while searching for new species in the paradise isle of Hawaii.

Douglas, 36, fell out with a local cattle trapper, who suspected the Scot had been having a secret fling with his sultry Hawaiian wife.

Days later, on July 12, 1834, Douglas's broken body was found impaled on lethally-sharp wooden spikes after falling into a concealed cattle pit. The death remains a riddle to this day.

Douglas, however, had already made his mark on botany. He studied at Scone Palace, Perthshire, and the Glasgow Botanics, before heading across the Atlantic in search of rare plants for the Royal Horticultural Society. The Douglas fir and the primrose Douglasia are named after him.

He made one of his greatest finds while on the ill-fated Hawaiian expedition - the silversword or argyroxiphium sandwiciense, to give it its posh name.

It is found only on the islands of Hawaii and Maui, where it grows at around 10,000ft, in volcanic cinders.

The sword-like leaves can be up to 2ft long and are rigid, erect and covered with silver hairs. They surround a narrow rigid stem and grow to form a sphere.

From a distance they look like 3ft silver balls resting on the black volcanic ash, which eventually throw out a flower spike up to 6ft tall. This impressive stalk is packed with several hundred wee purple daisies.

These glorious metallic spheres remain one of the wonders of the natural world. They grow in a specialised environment where the soil is rich in volcanic nutrients and the air is so dry that the skin on your hands and feet peels within hours. Imagine that in Scotland.

Not only is Hawaii beautiful, it is a haven for gardeners. If you are ever lucky enough to go there, you could take a trip to the Fuku Bonsai gardens, where age-old bonsai are cared for. But if, like me, you prefer your tropical flowers as gaudy as possible, Hawaii doesn't disappoint.

Anthuriums (painters' palette) grow wild in the tropical rain forest, as do hibiscus (cotton rose). Native tree ferns called hapu'u, known as the 'mother of the forest,' provide a canopy of shade for the next level of plants and is one of the first to sprout on cooled lava after an eruption.

On the underside of the young fronds is the downy brown pulu or indumentum.

Back in the mid 19th Century, this brown fluff was gathered for upholstery stuffing. They even collected the spore capsules, which provided talcum powder for early Hawaiians.