A. It may be orange bauhinia, or Bauhinia corymbosa. Looking closely at the flowers and fruits is something professional botanists do to help identify a plant, so you have a natural aptitude. The Hong Kong orchid tree, B. blakeana, has fragrant flowers and is a natural hybrid (like the rainbow shower tree, Honolulu's official street tree). It doesn't use its energy in making seeds and devotes itself to profuse flowering.

The orange bauhinia or phanera can be trained as a vine, bush or flowing shrub. It has been well used by the state Department of Transportation along high concrete freeway embankments such as the Wahiawa exit.

It flows so well over the wall that it helps prevent graffiti. It is native to Asia. I have also seen it well used in concrete "stair-step" planters, and the natural flow of the plant lends itself well to this use.

We also have a pretty species, the alibangbang or B. binata, which is native to the Philippines and Thailand.

This is used as a pretty street tree along Nu'uanu and University avenues. The white petals are set off by the bright red stamens.

Boiled soybeans are a delicious and easy-to-prepare snack that actually is good for you. Advertiser library photo

A. Edamame are soybeans, and yes, they are 'ono and we can grow them in our gardens. Long popular in Asia, it was the great world-exploring horticulturist David Fairchild who brought them to the United States in 1902.

In Japanese, edamame means beans on branches.

This describes how the beans grow — on a short bush in your garden. The scientific name of the soybean plant is Glycine max.

In China, it can be called mao dou, and it has been cultivated for centuries. It has lots of other names including "beer bean" because a cold brew goes so well with edamame as a pupu. It is a great snack.

Soybeans are picked young, and each pod has two to three green beans. They are a nutritional powerhouse. Edamame are full of plant estrogen and protein. Soybeans are rich in calcium, phosphorous and vitamin A.

They are as easy to grow as any bean. The University of Hawai'i has developed varieties especially suited for our growing conditions. Plant them in full sun in well-drained soil and water daily. You can pick them often because they keep bearing for a few months. When the plant are pau, till them back into your soil. They are rich in nitrogen and will benefit your other plants.

Fresh edamame, in the pods, are boiled for 10 to 15 minutes in salted water, drained and allowed to cool. Eat them by squeezing the pods so the beans pop into your mouth. You can refrigerate them after cooking.

For future use, the pods also can be frozen if you blanch them quickly after picking to retain flavor and optimum nutrition. Frozen edamame, also sold in stores, need only about 8 minutes of simmering.