Cereoid-UR12- wrote:

Those ARE the flowers, you knucklehead.

The whitish "pods" are actually the flower buds.
Flowers that are bird pollinated do not open widely.

I never claimed to be a gardener, but I'm definitely willing to learn. Up to
now my only experience has been with container citrus, palms, and the like. I
inherited this stuff from the people who used to live here.

Its a "Shell Ginger", Alpinia zerumbet.
Its a very common plant in cultivation in the tropics and subtropics,
invasive and a potential weed.

Thanks for the links and the info, I assume since it's considered an "invasive
plant" in Hawaii that it's fairly easy to propagate? I wouldn't mind having one
for my own when I move out of here in a year or so.

Now you get back to all those "authorities" in your SoCal neighborhood that
didn't know what it was and straighten them out. Its should have been in one
of your garden books.

Thanks for the info, despite your semi-abrasive attitude... ;-)

--

GregR