DLNR: Critically rare native plant on Kahoʻolawe finds success in cultivation

Native Hawaiians have tended a relationship with the critically endangered native Hawaiian plant—Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa (Kanaloa kahoolawensis)— for over a thousand years. Now the rest of the world can experience and learn about it online at a new website dedicated to telling its story of resilience. 

Once widespread until disappearing from pollen records around the 16^th century, the species was rediscovered on a rock outcropping on Kahoʻolawe in 1992 by botanists Ken Wood and Steve Perlman of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. The two wild plants represented a plant genus that was completely unknown to botanists at the time. The living plant’s pollen matched a previously unidentified fossil pollen, unlocking the history of this species.

The new website dedicated to the plant was by the Kapalupalu o Kanaloa Hui, which includes the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission, the Plant Extinction Prevention Program, the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hoʻolawa Farms, Lyon Arboretum, and Maui Nui Botanical Gardens.

The hui’s vision is to restore Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa across Hawaiʻi to resume its ecological and cultural roles.

The rediscovery of this plant was particularly notable in that it was found on Kahoʻolawe, an island that has faced many ecological challenges after being used for bombing practice by the US Armed Forces. The endurance and resilience of this plant has special significance for Native Hawaiians, as Kahoʻolawe is a kino (sacred form) of Kanaloa, Hawaiian god of the ocean and marine life. These stories and meanings are imbued in the plant’s name, Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa, which translates to “the flexibility and the gentleness of Kanaloa.”

Following its rediscovery, horticulturalists worked to propagate Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa, but found limited success. The two wild plants died by 2015, and by 2020 only two plants remained in cultivation, according to a DLNR news release.

Then both plants, the only ones remaining in the world, bloomed simultaneously. One produced seeds, providing a lifeline for the species to continue. Today, through the efforts of the Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa Hui and many hands, the total population of this plant is around 20.

“This partnership is vital for the survival of Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa because even the best horticulturist in the world will not have success 100% of the time,” said Dr. Mike Opgenorth, Director of NTBG’s Kahanu Garden and Preserve on Maui. “There is great benefit to having multiple perspectives working with such a rare plant. It’s not any one organization, agency or individual—it’s a team effort that shares the responsibility for perpetuating the plant.”

“What we are doing in plant conservation is working. Over the last 20 years, more plants have been saved in cultivation than ever before,” added DOFAW botanist Dr. Matt Keir. “Together we can grow a brighter tomorrow for Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa,”

The new Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa website tells the story of this species through botanical and cultural information as well as photos and a downloadable coloring sheet. The site also suggests ways that residents can support the resurgence of Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa and help ensure a future for this resilient member of our ʻohana.

“The launch of this website marks a significant step forward in our collective effort to restore Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa,” said Michael K. Nāhoʻopiʻi, executive director of the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission. “This plant’s resilience reflects the strength and spirit of Kahoʻolawe itself, and by sharing its story, we hope to inspire greater awareness and action to protect Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa for generations to come.”