By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

The reason for my improved physical condition, superb muscle tone and healthy appetite is 150 anthurium. Let me inject a word of explanation at this point. The way to get the most out of 150 anthurium is not to admire them but to plant them. That's how you achieve excellent physical condition, superb muscle tone and a healthy appetite.

Frankly, anthurium are a symbol of a revolution in my value system. Until recently, I paid hardly any attention to anthurium. If anybody had told me two years ago that I would spend two weekends on the Big Island planting 150 anthurium, I would have said he was out of his mind.

But that was before I built a vacation house at Volcano Village within shouting distance of the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. My house is situated in half an acre of tree fern and 'ohi'a forest. No matter what window you look out of, you see giant tree ferns and 50-foot-high 'ohi'a trees.

Walking in my forest is an education in Hawaiian natural history. As soon as I saw it, I made up my mind not to plant things like chrysanthemums or roses that aren't native to Hawai'i. Then I struck up a friendship with John Verbiske, an old-timer at the volcano, who works as a landscape gardener for people who appreciate him.

Verbiske cleared out the staghorn fern and kahili ginger that were choking everything else. A miracle happened. Little sprouts of maile vine (the lei of royalty) popped out of the ground to get some sun. We found sprigs of moa, a rare, archaic fern, hiding bashfully in a shady corner. A baby forest naupaka (there's a legend about it) sprouted beside an 'ohi'a tree. My forest is a native botanical garden. I'm still trying to tell the difference between all the species of fern and indigenous trees and remember their names.

Now we come to the anthurium. Anthurium are not native to Hawai'i but they have become a tradition on the Big Island and most of them are red, Pele's favorite color. Also, anthurium have taught me a profound secret: how to take the curse off a scar on my forest.

There's a big pile of dirt along the road in front where the road builders of Cymbidium Acres bulldozed a right of way through the forest and left the rocks and dirt. That was more than 10 years ago. Hapu'u (tree ferns) shade the dirt pile but it's still unsightly. To haul it away would cost a fortune.

By planting anthurium on the dirt pile, I've added a subtle touch of color under the giant, green tree ferns. It looks like I paid a landscape architect $5,000 for the project. But there's one problem: It takes a lot of anthurium to decorate the dirt pile.

For each anthurium, you have to dig a hole, put in some cinders, stick in the plant, put the dirt back and sprinkle on some time-release fertilizer.

I discovered that the biggest benefit wasn't removing the curse of the dirt pile. It is excellent physical condition, superb muscle tone and a healthy appetite.

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.