Cup of Gold (Solandra Maxima)

My husband, daughter and I were walking through the Waimea Bay Botanical Garden on the north shore of Oahu in February of 2022, after swimming in the waterfall at the base of the valley, and he spotted the bud of this glorious flower amongst the lush tropical foliage and wall of glossy green leaves along the walking path. We all recognized it as the bud of the flower that I had recently painted for my application to the Society of Botanical Artists in the U.K. and the flower that I ultimately selected for the packaging and label design for my Luca Botanica Skin Recovery Formula. We looked closer and found another giant bud and then lifted a big, long leaf-laden branch of the massive vine and to our amazement, we spotted the one and only huge golden bloom of the ever glorious Cup of Gold (Solandra Maxima) also called Chalice vine. I just happened to have the Skin Recovery Formula in my bag and with much excitement, we snapped this shot. I gave my husband a huge kiss and hug, thanking him for his astute eye for all things beautiful hidden amongst the thousands of leaves and massive plants and trees in one of our favorite botanical gardens in the world. This bloom was hidden but we found her.