February is Invasive Species Awareness Month in Hawaii, a time to consider the threat posed to Hawaii’s unique and irreplaceable flora and fauna. The Hawaiian Islands are famous around the world for the high level of endemism—plants and animals found only in a specific location and nowhere else. Of Hawaii’s roughly 1,300 native plants, 90% of them are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Many are single-island endemics, for example, found only on Kauai or only on Maui. Others are restricted to a single valley, ridge, or other small geographic area.

Throughout the last century or two, the number of humans and introduced plants and animals have rapidly and dramatically altered ecosystems and affected species to the point that 85% of Hawaii’s land has lost its native flora.

Invasive species continue to take an enormous toll on Hawaii’s natural world. Everything from Himalayan ginger and guinea grass to Coqui frogs, little fire ants, feral ungulates, rats, slugs, and domesticated animals are over-running Hawaii’s vulnerable native flora and fauna.

NTBG is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to plant discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education. Our network of five botanical gardens and four preserves serve as living laboratories and our team of staff and scientists perform an important role in the fight against the damaging effects of invasive species in our communities and native ecosystems. Our efforts to slow and stop the spread of invasive species begin at home in our gardens and preserves throughout Hawaii and Florida, and make a global impact.

Kauai Island (McBryde, Allerton & Limahuli Gardens)

Our extensive collections of palms, Rubiaceae, Heliconias, orchids, and many others have been wild-collected by botanists and biologists from throughout tropical regions around the world and transported to our gardens to research, cultivate and thrive. Living collections staff and volunteers monitor our collections regularly to identify species for invasive tendencies to ensure these introduced plants do not become harmful to the surrounding environment. Once identified as invasive, species are deaccessioned and removed. 

Threats from outside NTBG’s Living Collections also exist. Invasive species often make their own way into our gardens and it can often be hard to recognize their invasive tendencies among the veritable botanical ark of tropical flora. The Kauai Invasive Species Committee (KISC) assists with monitoring the gardens and have so far helped to identify and remove two taxa that were invasive to Lawai Valley. These taxa have been added to their database for further monitoring. 

Maui Island (Kahanu Garden)

Invasive species like nutsedge, inkberry, turkeyberry, honohono, and African tulip trees present an ever-growing threat to Kahanu Garden’s collection of Hawaiian and Pacific heritage and agricultural plants as well as the Piilanihale Heiau cultural site. Each year Kahanu Garden staff remove thousands of young plants that arrive as airborne seeds and quickly set deep roots, leave seed banks in the soil, and require months or years of active management. This requires an ever increasing commitment by staff and volunteers to keep the aggressive invasive plants in check.

In the Field

In addition to KISC, NTBG scientists work with agencies like Hawaii Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land and Natural Resources to provide field observations and reference collections that can be used for specimen identification as well providing population and occurrence information on invasive species.

When our botanists are in the field and observe an invasive plant they’ve never seen on the island before, they document the observation and notify the KISC Early Detection Program. These early detections can mean the prevention of a new invasive species on the island from becoming established.

Conservation of threatened and endangered flora is our highest priority, but stemming the spread of invasive species and the threats they pose to native ecosystems is a big job we can’t do alone. In addition to our team, we rely on dedicated volunteers and curious visitors to help save plants and people. You can help by planning a visit to an NTBG garden, volunteering your time, or making a donation. 

Want to make a difference in your own community? Learn more about your native ecosystem and the plants that keep it healthy and thriving. Don’t miss our upcoming webinar spotlighting the fight against invasive species and efforts to propagate native plants for horticulture trade. Register today. 

Little Wing: Discovering new forms of life in the Limahuli Preserve

By Jon Letman, Editor

The Hawaiian Islands are often associated with big, dramatic natural events (volcanic eruptions, powerful ocean swells) and large, complex ecosystems (dense tropical forests, dynamic coastlines), but it’s Hawaii’s earliest, smallest, least known creatures that offer one of the most important lessons about evolution, diversity, and interdependence.

Hawaii is home to a genus of micromoth called Philodoria which is believed to have first reached the Hawaiian Islands 21 million years ago (some 8 million years before Hawaiʻi’s largest plant clade, the Lobeliads). Like the larvae of some beetle and fly species, Philodoria are leaf miners. They’re also extremely small — about as long and as thick as a human eyelash.

When the tiny moth lands on the leaf of its host plant, it lays eggs which produce microscopic caterpillars that burrow through the leaf, forming tiny tunnels and caverns as they eat their way through the tissue of their thin, green home. There they grow into larvae safely sheltered from predators like parasitoid wasps which are known to use Philodoria larvae as a host.

After several weeks, the caterpillar grows until it pupates, emerging from the leaf in a cocoon before metamorphosizing into a moth. The whole process takes up to six weeks.

Survival of the Philodoria, which are endemic to Hawaii, depends on the moth-host plant relationship. If the host plant goes extinct, it stands within reason that the moths that depend on them will disappear too.

Barely known, rarely seen

Earlier this year, researchers from Osaka Prefecture University and the Florida Museum of Natural History (University of Florida) published a monograph (in depth study) with names, descriptions, and the conservation status of 13 new Philodoria species and their host plants. In total, researchers confirmed 51 Philodoria species, many of which hadn’t been seen in over a century, and 13 of which were new to science.

Among the newly described moths, Philodoria limahuliensis, is known from a single location in the Upper Limahuli Preserve. Biologist Dr. Chris Johns, a co-author of the paper, first saw the moth in 2016. Johns, a self-described micromoth enthusiast, says even this tiny creature plays an important role in the ecosystems they inhabit.

Studying Philodoria can help us understand many other forms of life, including our own, says Johns. “Philodoria moths can teach us a lot of things about life on this planet and evolution.”

When Johns teamed up with entomologist Dr. Akito Kawahara at the University of Florida in 2013, Philodoria hadn’t been studied closely in over a century and their conservation status was poorly understood. Johns, who had previously done conservation work in Hawaiʻi, jumped at the chance to join Kawahara for what would be a five-year study searching for some of the world’s smallest moths inside of the world’s rarest plants.

Over the course of six trips to six Hawaiian islands, Johns partnered with local scientists to search for Philodoria living among host plants including ohia (Metrosideros spp.), mamaki (Pipiturus spp.), and Hesperomannia, an extremely rare native member of the sunflower family. As a genus, Philodoria are diverse feeders though they tend to develop a very specific host plant relationship. One species lives among Wollastonia integrifolia, a coastal plant, while another lives within the greenswords (Argyroxiphium grayanum) of west Maui’s high elevation bogs where it was described as Philodoria wilkesiela by English entomologist Lord Thomas de Grey Walsingham in 1907. Johns found the same moth in that exact location in 2013. Philodoria’s historical range has been well-documented, Johns said, but it was difficult to find intact habitat that hadn’t been developed or entirely replaced by invasive species.

In 2015, based on Kawahara’s past collaboration with NTBG staff, Johns was introduced to then-NTBG field collector Natalia Tangalin, from whom he learned of known leaf miners suspected to be Philodoria in the Limahuli Valley. That year Johns and Tangalin helicoptered to a weatherport (in the Upper Limahuli Preserve to provide shelter for multi-day fieldwork) in the Upper Limahuli Preserve. Based on a hunch from Tangalin, they hiked down to a place where a small stream flows into a waterfall. Just above that spot, a lone shrub — Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae — grew out of a sidewall in the stream. There they collected ten moths which Johns believes were unique to the location and to date is the only known habitat of what has been named Philodoria limahuliensis. Johns says P. limahuliensis is one of the rarer species but a second Philodoria species was found in Limahuli Valley living with its host ohia (Metrosideros sp.).

Why does it matter?

Some might question the significance of finding a tiny moth on a Critically Endangered plant in the back of a remote valley. Johns explains how such a discovery sheds light on the origin and age of organisms in Hawaii, a place that has informed much of our scientific understanding of evolution on islands. Philodoria may be the oldest extant lineage in the archipelago. “As far as things that remain alive in Hawaii today, Philodoria seems to be one of the first to get here,” Johns says.

And because, like the Galapagos, Hawaii is a storied natural laboratory for evolution, identifying a new micromoth found nowhere else on earth opens a new chapter of scientific inquiry and can address the same questions asked about other organisms, offering a new perspective and more comprehensive understanding of evolution and life on earth.

To study an insect as small as Philodoria, scientists must go to great lengths to identify and understand how species are related to one another. One method of identification is a morphological examination of the genitalia of each species which is challenging given the moth’s size. Another technique is the molecular analysis of tissue to compare DNA among differing species.

Using phylogenetics and a technique called ancestral reconstruction (DNA analysis to understand how species are related to one another), Philodoria researchers have gained new insights to what ancient moths might have been feeding on when they inhabited now sunken Hawaiian Islands that predated the islands we know today. Johns says it’s likely those ancient host plants belonged to Ebenaceae, Malvaceae, and Primulaceae. “That paints a really interesting picture of something we didn’t know before about this place,” Johns says.

A treasure trove of discovery

Even for the non-scientist, Johns says people are drawn to anything that creates a deeper, more complex picture of a place revered for its natural beauty. “What is it that comprises that natural history?” he asks. “It’s biodiversity. Who doesn’t love a new angle to a beloved story or character?”

The discovery of Philodoria limahuliensis near a small waterway that feeds into the Limahuli Stream underscores the importance of protecting and studying this pristine riparian habitat. The unique conditions found along the stream led to an NTBG-led project to restore the health and function of the stream. Selective tree trimming, outplanting, and extensive monitoring are expected to benefit native flora and fauna while helping preserve whole-ecosystem biodiversity in the Limahuli Valley.

Having found and identified Philodoria limahuliensis in the Limahuli Valley, Johns was elated to have had the chance to work in a native forest that remains largely intact and relatively weed-free. He calls Limahuli “among the very best of privately held land with robust environmental protection” in Hawaii.  

“NTBG has something really, really, really special,” Johns says. “In terms of moth diversity and the potential for future discovery and protection… Limahuli is one of the best places. I think the work that’s being done there is top notch.”

By Dr. David H. Lorence, Senior Research Botanist

The saga of the Flora of Samoa began on January 16, 1968, when W. Arthur (Art) Whistler arrived in Samoa as a Peace Corps volunteer. Known locally as Pisikoa, Peace Corps volunteers were often assigned to teach in host country schools, and Art taught biology in Samoa for three years. With a master’s degree in botany, Art soon developed a keen interest in Samoan plants. One year after his Peace Corps stint ended, Art returned to pursue botanical collecting in earnest, eventually botanizing on every island in the archipelago. For the next half century, Art visited Samoa every year but one. His 4,900 collections of herbarium specimens include over 90 percent of the known flowering plants and ferns of Samoa. 

Art’s first set of specimens are stored at the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s herbarium (known as PTBG based on Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden) with duplicates (especially early collections) sent to many other herbaria, including the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and the Smithsonian Institution. 

After earning a PhD in botany in 1979, Art met Dr. William Theobald, NTBG’s former director, who offered him the position of ethnobotanist which he held from 1983 to 1992. Art also lectured in botany at the University of Hawaii and, for many years, worked as an independent botany consultant in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific. Art published numerous articles and books on Pacific botany and ethnobotany and always dreamed of publishing a Flora of Samoa that would serve as a definitive compilation and identification guide.

In 2015, NTBG commissioned Art as a McBryde Fellow to prepare a written Flora of Samoa for publication. In what was to be the culmination of a career dedicated to bringing knowledge of the flora and conservation by local communities to a scientific audience, Art had nearly completed the flora’s manuscript, but passed away in April 2020 from Covid-19 complications before it could be finalized.

Following this tragic and unexpected loss, Dr. Warren Wagner, curator of botany with the Smithsonian Institution, and I agreed we would complete the final scientific editing and updating of the manuscript to ensure the flora was published.

Racing to save knowledge

Publication of the Flora of Samoa is urgent as the plant life (particularly in upland ecosystems) is rapidly being lost to invasive plants and animals, land degradation, and threats from climate change. The Flora of Samoa has long been recognized as a priority by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is consistent with Global Strategy for Plant Conservation goals, including Target 1 of developing an online flora of all known plants.

Samoa is located in the South Pacific, between 500 and 700 miles north and east of Fiji and Tonga. Samoa (formerly called Western Samoa) is comprised of two main islands with the U.S. territory American Samoa to the east. Samoa occupies an important place in the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot, but until now, no published flora existed as a source of essential data for managing and conserving Samoa’s biological diversity.

The Samoan archipelago plays a central role in the Pacific region and the argument for a published flora is strong. First, although the islands’ plants have historically been under-explored, thanks to decades of research by Art, organizational and research infrastructure is in place, and a wealth of preliminary information has been previously published. Additionally, Samoa’s plant diversity is threatened by development, land conversion, and other human activities with Pacific islands and atolls among the first places to be impacted by sea level rise.

Culturally and biologically, Samoa is a cohesive area that would benefit from a single, modern plant diversity resource for studying the effects of climate change. With comparable floras published for Fiji, Hawaii, and the Marquesas Islands, it’s time Samoa had its own printed flora. The completion of this work will greatly aid biologists, ornithologists, vegetation ecologists, and resource managers. A detailed synopsis of the plants is the first step needed for the study and preservation of rare or threatened endemic Samoan species and habitats.

A rich and diverse flora

With 541 native species (186 of which are endemic) and nearly 300 naturalized flowering plant species and 225 ferns and fern allies, Samoa has the second largest native vascular flora in Polynesia after the Hawaiian Islands. About 34 percent of Samoa’s native plants are found nowhere else, compared with 90 and 47 percent endemism among the floras of Hawaii and the Marquesas respectively.

Compared with the flora of Fiji, the Samoan flora is about one-third as large, but they share many floristic affinities due to their relative proximity. The largest family of flowering plants in Samoa is the orchid family (Orchidaceae), with 101 native species. No other Polynesian islands have such a rich orchid flora. Samoa’s second largest family is Rubiaceae, the coffee family, with 47 native and five naturalized species.

NTBG’s role

In 2002 and 2003, NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute director Dr. Diane Ragone and I participated in botanical and ethnobotanical inventory field trips in the National Park of American Samoa for a project funded by the U. S. National Park Service. In 2016, Art accompanied NTBG scientists Tim Flynn, Ken Wood, myself, and two young botanical researchers on a six-week, grant-funded botanical expedition to Samoa’s two largest islands, Savaii and Upolu. Special emphasis was placed on searching for populations of 15 poorly known or “lost” flowering plant species, some not collected in over a century, as well as documenting populations and distribution of additional rare plants. Although the lost species were not rediscovered, two new fern species were. Collaboration with Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment staff was an essential component of the field work.

From the early 1980s until Art’s untimely passing in 2020, he dedicated himself to studying, collecting, and conserving the plants of Samoa. Art’s manuscript included a considerable number of taxonomic treatments with an emphasis on finalizing all remaining work in recent years. Over those four decades, parts of the original manuscript fell out of sync with other new Pacific botany publications. In the final phase of the peer-review process, Warren and I were in discussion with Art about updates and changes. In Art’s absence, we completed these necessary changes to reflect the latest taxonomic classifications.

Ultimately, the style, format, and content of the manuscript remain in accordance with Art’s wishes and intent. We are deeply honored to get this extraordinary body of research across the finish line, publishing what represents Art’s magnum opus, a definitive publication on the plants of Samoa that will be used for generations to come.

An enthusiastic photographer, Art had selected nearly one thousand plant photos, mostly taken by him, for inclusion in the flora which will also feature over 150 beautiful color figures by Smithsonian illustrator Alice Tangerini, based on Art’s photos. As of the summer of 2021, work on the manuscript is nearly complete and slated for publication by NTBG in 2022 (depending on funding). The published book will comprise nearly 800 pages and represents a milestone in the study of Pacific Island floras as well as the embodiment of Art Whistler’s life-long love for the people and plants of the Samoan Islands.

December 27, 2021 (Kalaheo, Hawaii) — The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is saddened to learn of the passing of two legendary figures in the world of natural science and conservation, Professors Thomas Lovejoy and E.O. Wilson. Both Lovejoy, who died on December 25, and Wilson, who died on December 26, were recognized as pioneers who made sweeping and monumental contributions to the study of nature, and both are credited with popularizing the concept and importance of biological diversity, which they called “biodiversity.” NTBG CEO and Director Janet Mayfield described Lovejoy and Wilson as “towering figures in the world of biology and conservation.” She added, “their life’s work and convictions have been enduring sources of inspiration for us at NTBG. The contributions they have made will continue to guide millions around the world as we grapple with our planet’s most urgent challenges.” NTBG President Charles “Chipper” Wichman praised Lovejoy as a scientist and environmental activist who changed the world saying, “his writing and passion brought awareness to the urgency of saving our planet’s biodiversity.” Wichman worked closely with Lovejoy in securing the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s 2016 World Conservation Congress which took place in Hawaii. Lovejoy played a critical role in securing the Congress, a gathering noted for its diversity, size, and impact. “Tom Lovejoy and E.O. Wilson have inspired a whole culture of dedicated citizens around the globe to continue their visions of a healthy and sustainable planet,” Wichman said. NTBG extends its deepest and most sincere condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of both Thomas Lovejoy and E.O. Wilson.

Using a combination of modern technology and a wealth of human knowledge and experience, NTBG has been exploring the Pacific, discovering, and saving plants for more than fifty years. As 2021 comes to a close, take a moment to reflect and celebrate some of the exciting rare plant discoveries we made this year.

When you spend a lot of time in one place or ecosystem, your subconscious mind becomes very familiar with what is around you. When we are flying the drone, that subconscious awareness bubbles up and gives us a good idea of where to look for these endangered plants.

Field Botanist, Ken Wood & Drone Specialist, Ben Nyberg on searching for and discovering rare plants

Euphorbia eleanoriae – akoko

Growing on the knife-like edges of Kauai’s iconic cliffs, Euphorbia eleanoriae was down to just one known population with less than fifty individuals. Using drone technology, NTBG discovered new populations in multiple locations from Honopu all the way up to the North Shore of Kauai. Multiple samples were collected for storage and cultivation. The Hawaiians named Euphorbia species, akoko, for it’s white, blood-like sap. Koko is the Hawaiian word for blood. These recent drone related discoveries have led to this species being removed from the Plant Extinction Program list, an encouraging development.

Melicope nealae – alani

Surprising discoveries still occur in the botanical world and Melicope nealae is a great example of one. Prior to its recent re-discovery, this species had only two recorded sightings in over 100 years. Originally collected around 1909 in the center of the canyon of Kauai, it wasn’t seen again until 1960 and remained elusive through the end of the century. In 2015, NTBG received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to search for Melicope nealae. While Field Botanist Ken Wood made other plant discoveries during his search for Melicope, he never found the intended species. All that changed a little over a year ago when one individual of Melicope nealae was rediscovered. This single individual flowered and went into fruit (pictured here), but conservationists have not yet been able to cultivate it. NTBG has teamed up with the Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP) and are currently working on a cultivation plan.

Lysimachia scopulensis – kolokolo kuahiwi

Speaking of looking for one thing and finding another…while Wood and Nyberg were exploring an area of Waimea Canyon searching for Hibiscadelphus distans, Nyberg spotted what he thought might be Lysimachia scopulensis through his drone camera. Continued surveys of the area with PEPP and State of Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife revealed eight new populations of this species with more than one-hundred plants. These new discoveries led to seed collections which are now growing in our Conservation Nursery.

Euphorbia remyi var. hanaleiensis – akoko

What’s really distinctive about this species is the wooly-like hairs on its fruit capsules. It was collected once sometime between 1864-1865 and was never seen again. Behind a waterfall surrounded by echoes of a raging stream, Ken Wood recently discovered a small colony of these Euphorbias. He was able to collect an herbarium voucher and seeds at the time of discovery. Although the seeds collected were not successfully grown, this is an exciting discovery with future opportunities for seed collection. 

Cyanea asarifolia – haha

While surveying the wet cliffs of Kauai looking for Lysimachia iniki, Nyberg spotted dark green, heart-shaped leaves growing out of a rocky outcropping. Cyanea asarifolia was  known to occur in one area a few valleys away prior to this discovery. One day of drone surveying nearly doubled this species’ abundance with a really robust and vigorous population. This species has been difficult to locate as it is one of the few species of Cyanea that prefers to grow on vertical cliffs.

Cyanea kuhihewa – haha

Even though there are a lot of sad plant stories, there’s also joyous ones and Cyanea kuhihewa was one of those. This linear leaf cyanea species was first discovered by NTBG staff in Upper Limahuli Preserve. Unfortunately, the species went extinct after the population was destroyed by the 1992 hurricane. Although Cyanea kuhihewa had never been successfully cultivated, another population was recently discovered. “It was like water on a dry leaf,” said Wood. With PEPP cooperation, Wood went back to the newly discovered colony several times to bag and protect flowers and fruit and eventually collected several thousand seeds giving NTBG and it’s conservation partners hope for this species in the future.

Want to learn more about plant discoveries? Check out the webinar recording below. For decades, NTBG has been roaming the mountains and valleys of the Hawaiian island of Kauai by foot, helicopter, rappelling and more recently, using drones. Field Botanist Ken Wood & Drone Specialist Ben Nyberg share their stories, methods and experience during this special webinar.

Approximately one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction worldwide. Now more than ever, the need is upon us to protect plants and unlock solutions to the environmental challenges we face. With your help, NTBG has been meeting the need to save plants and stemming the tide of extinction in tropical regions worldwide for more than 55 years. When you support National Tropical Botanical Garden, you help save plants and people. This story is part three of a three-part series. Follow along to learn more about your impact and NTBG’s plant-saving science, conservation, and research initiatives. Read part I | Read part II

Taking in the scenic view of the Lawai Valley from the overlook at NTBG’s administrative headquarters in Kalaheo, Hawaii, is a singular experience. Stretched out before you in the verdant valley below lies McBryde Garden. Home to the most extensive ex-situ collection of native Hawaiian plants, McBryde is a veritable botanical ark of tropical flora. 

Researchers, botanists, and plant collectors have gathered thousands of species from throughout the tropical world in McBryde Garden to form a living collection that is unparalleled. Visitors can roam through 200 acres of endemic (only occurring in Hawaii) ethnographic and other tropical species, many of which are threatened, endangered, or even extinct in the wild. 

In addition to native Hawaiian, Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian species, NTBG’s living collections include tropical palms, Rubiaceae (coffee family), Zingiberales, Erythrina, breadfruit, fruits, flowering trees, ficus, bamboo, and many more. McBryde and all NTBG gardens in Hawaii and Florida provide a haven for imperiled plants. They also present a mesmerizing display of tropical color, shape, and texture to explore and serve as living laboratories for scientists, classrooms, and inspiration for students and visitors. 

The Future of Saving Plants Depends Upon Us All

As we prepare for the future and adapt to our changing climate, the relationship between plants and people will become increasingly important. NTBG is committed to bridging the gap between contemporary science and cultural plant knowledge so humans can better understand their impact on the natural environment and unlock solutions to challenges we may face. Inspiring and training the next generation of plant protectors and conservation enthusiasts is up to us. 

That is why part of the NTBG mission is dedicated to providing educational opportunities and training programs from kindergarten through university and beyond. To share more about how NTBG is preparing students to be the scientists and plant protectors of the future, we asked Randy Umetsu, former KUPU member and current Horticulture Technician at Limahuli Garden & Preserve, to discuss his unique experience transitioning into a conservation-focused career and what the future of plant conservation looks like through his eyes. 

In Conversation: Randy Umetsu, Lead Horticulture Technician, Limahuli Garden & Preserve 

Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: What sparked your interest in plants?

RU: It’s a long story. In 2015 I was working in Japan in international relations and decided it was time to move home to Hawaii and consider a career change. I decided to look into farming [yes, farming], discovered the Biology and Tropical Agriculture Program at Kauai Community College (KCC), and enrolled. One day the NTBG Nursery Manager came to one of my classes to advertise internship opportunities and said no experience was necessary, so I jumped at the chance. I did not have any experience working with native Hawaiian plants, but I discovered I like growing native species more than food. Growing a part of Hawaii connects me to the place where I was born and raised, and that connection is what has kept my interest.

Q: Why is plant conservation important?

RU: Biodiversity is a crucial marker for ecosystem health, and plant conservation is essential for maintaining biodiversity worldwide. Plants provide the foundation for food, building and clothing material, and habitat for people, animals, insects, and microorganisms. Hawaii would not be what it is today without plants. Ancient Hawaiian society evolved and thrived without using metal tools and modern construction materials. Much of their life-sustaining food, tools, medicine, and cultural practices came from plants. This is why plants and plant conservation is essential. When we save plants, we save people and traditions too. 

Q: You started your career path as an intern at the NTBG nursery, and now you are a professional horticulture technician at Limahuli Garden & Preserve. What is it like to work in the Limahuli Valley every day?

RU: Honestly, it is a whirlwind. You might be surprised by how exciting and fast-paced working in a garden can be. One moment we are harvesting kalo, and the next moment we’re building retaining walls or clearing debris and assessing damage after a storm. Caring for culturally important places, plants, and endangered species is always exciting. 

Q: At Limahuli Garden, we are fortunate to have staff who can trace their ancestral roots to the Limahuli Valley. What’s the biggest lesson you have learned working with them in this Hawaiian place?

RU: The biggest takeaway is learning what commitment to a place really means. To them, stewarding this valley isn’t just a day to day, week to week, or even year to year job. The long-term vision is much bigger than that. Taking care of this place and its plants is a lifelong commitment, and I like seeing it that way too. 

Q: How should someone interested in pursuing a career in conservation get started? 

RU: Volunteering with NTBG is a great way to get started. I started volunteering in the nursery, and now I’m working at Limahuli. Look for internship opportunities or programs that provide hands-on experience. For example, I joined the KUPU Program, which helped me get the experience I needed. The NTBG Fall Internship Program, Hawaii Youth Conservation Core, and Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES UH Hilo) summer internship programs are great options too. 

Q: What can people learn from Limahuli, and how can they apply it to everyday life?

RU: Even though Kauai is an island, we are not alone. Everything on our planet is connected. What we do at Limahuli Garden & Preserve and how we do it can be a model for conservation practices worldwide. We’re not just taking care of a beautiful garden people can visit; we are protecting resources from ridge to reef and combining ancient knowledge with cutting-edge science to do it. 

Forever Upon Us

Fostering the next generation of conservation enthusiasts and professionals is just one of the many ways NTBG is meeting the need to protect plants now and forever. The Breadfruit Institute’s Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry demonstration in McBryde Garden serves as a model for agriculture that can sustain and restore land and decrease food insecurity in tropical regions worldwide. 

Our seed bank and herbarium collections help safeguard and propagate rare and endangered plants so they can be returned to their natural habitats. Staff and volunteers at the NTBG nursery care for and produce more than 100,000 plants per year, many of which are rare and native to Hawaii and the South Pacific region. Annually NTBG invites more than 30,000 visitors to wander our gardens, take in their majesty, and learn how saving plants saves people. 

It is a responsibility we don’t take lightly or carry alone, thanks to thousands of visitors, volunteers, members, and supporters like you. The need to protect plants is upon us now and forever. So please visit, volunteer, or support NTBG with a gift today, and you’ll help us protect plants and people for generations to come. 

NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute Director Dr. Diane Ragone and co-authors at the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR) and the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and University of Guelph have recently published research papers based on findings using NTBG’s breadfruit conservation collection in Hawaii. The UH-CTHAR paper is entitled Breadfruit and Breadfruit Diseases in Hawaii: History, Identification and Management can be read in its entirety here.

The second paper, South Pacific cultivars of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg and A. mariannensis Trécul) and their hybrids (A. altilis × A. mariannensis) have unique dietary starch, protein and fiber, appears in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. The abstract is available here.

NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute promotes the study, conservation, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation. Learn more at https://ntbg.org/breadfruit.

Approximately one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction worldwide. Now more than ever, the need is upon us to protect plants and unlock solutions to the environmental challenges we face. With your help, NTBG has been meeting the need to save plants and stemming the tide of extinction in tropical regions worldwide for more than 55 years. When you support National Tropical Botanical Garden, you help save plants and people. This story is part two of a three-part series. Follow along to learn more about your impact and NTBG’s plant-saving science, conservation, and research initiatives. Read part I | Read part III

Botanical history is rarely boring. Often full of tall tales, larger-than-life personalities, exploration, and discovery, the establishment of the National Tropical Botanical Garden as we know it today is no exception. With support from some of the biggest names in botany and pressures of the precarious geopolitical landscape of the early to mid-20th century, the need to establish a National Tropical Botanical Garden and home base for the study and conservation of tropical plants located within the United States was critical. Find out how a group of committed citizens, visionary botanists, and philanthropists made it possible and how NTBG continues to address the need to save plants and people in the 21st century. 

Fairchild and Rock

Dr. David Fairchild (1869 – 1954) and Dr. Joseph Rock (1884-1962), two internationally famous plant explorers, ‘planted the seed’ that would one day become NTBG. Fairchild, an American botanist and one of the most famous plant explorers in history, created the Section of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction of the United States Department of Agriculture. He spent nearly 40 years traveling the world, searching for plants that would serve the American people. As a result, Fairchild is credited with introducing hundreds of important plants to the United States, including mangos, alfalfa, nectarines, dates, cotton, soybeans, pistachios, and flowering cherries. Today, Fairchild’s personal estate in Coconut Grove, Florida, is home to NTBG’s Kampong Garden.  

Joseph Rock emigrated to the United States from Austria in 1905. With a keen interest in botany, he ended up in Honolulu, where he lived for 13 years and became a leading scholar on Hawaiian flora. He helped create the first herbarium in Hawaii for the USDA and published seminal works on Hawaiian flora, including The Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands. Rock was mentored by and formed a friendship with Fairchild, who instilled the importance of establishing a botanical garden in Hawaii to conserve rare plants and serve as a center for scientific research. From 1920 to 1949, Rock dedicated his time and work to botanical exploration and ethnographic research in China. While abroad, he continued to correspond with other notable botanists, Dr. Harold Lyon, and Dr. Harold St. John, about the need to establish a national garden in Hawaii. 

When Rock returned to Hawaii in the 1950s, he noted that many of the Hawaiian species he documented and collected early in his career had disappeared. This species decline and political instability in some tropical regions where most botanical research was conducted meant the need to create a facility to study and protect tropical flora accessible from the United States was more urgent than ever. 

The Garden Club of Honolulu

Lyon and St. John wrote prolifically about the need for a national garden in Hawaii and helped bolster much-needed support from the scientific community; however, Rock found his greatest ally in Mrs. Elizabeth Loy McCandless Marks. Mrs. Marks was a leading member of Honolulu society and president of the Garden Club of Honolulu. She championed the idea of creating a national garden and earned the support of community leaders and philanthropists Robert Allerton, Henry Francis duPont, Paul Bigelow Sears, Horace Albright, and Deane Malott. She even garnered the attention of the influential Garden Club of America in Washington D.C. In doing so, Mrs. Marks nationalized the need to create a garden in Hawaii. As a result, she was elected as a founding Trustee of the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens Foundation, which began to build the case for congressional charter in 1959. 

“As time passes, we will need to depend more and more on the plants of the tropics and now is the time that information about them should be accumulated rather than waiting until the need is upon us and the information not at hand.”

– Dr. William J. Robbins, Director, New York Botanic Garden (1937 -1958), quoted from the U.S. National Tropical Botanical Garden Proposal

To Charter by Act of Congress

In the spring of 1964, The Hawaiian Botanical Gardens Foundation submitted a proposal to American citizens. In it, they urged, “The need is upon us.” To that point, there was not, nor had there ever been a comprehensive Tropical Botanical Garden established in the United States. American scientists and students relied upon research facilities abroad to conduct tropical botanical studies and understand conservation needs. They argued that there would come a time we would depend upon tropical plants and should accumulate knowledge sooner rather than waiting for the moment of need.

In August of that same year, Congress determined a compelling case had been made and enacted a federal charter that established the private, nonprofit Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, now known as National Tropical Botanical Garden. Senator Daniel K. Inouye was instrumental in guiding this effort to its successful conclusion. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Law creating and incorporating the institution by charter on August 19, 1964. 

Saving Plants, Saving People Today

To this day, NTBG is the only tropical botanical garden with a charter from the United States Congress, five locations, and a more than 55-year history of documenting, studying, and protecting tropical plants. Our network of gardens, preserves, and research centers encompass more than 2,000 acres with locations in Hawaii and Florida. Thousands of species from throughout the tropical world have been gathered, through field expeditions, collaborations with other institutions, and researchers to form an unparalleled living collection.

Our collection includes the largest assemblages of native Hawaiian plant species and breadfruit cultivars in existence. Unfortunately, many of the species in our collections are threatened and endangered, or have disappeared from their native habitats entirely. In our preserves and beyond our garden boundaries, NTBG is working to restore native habitats and save plants facing extinction. Our gardens and preserves are living laboratories and classrooms for staff, scientists, researchers, students, and visitors worldwide.

When you support NTBG with a gift or membership, you support critical conservation and research that saves plants. You become part of a legacy of plant protectors, botanists, and environmental enthusiasts who have made the world a better place for plants and people for generations, and safeguard our future.

How Biocultural Conservation Helps us Learn from the Past to Protect Plants Today

Approximately one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction worldwide. Now more than ever, the need is upon us to protect plants and unlock solutions to the environmental challenges we face. Looking to the past and learning from ancient Hawaiian sustainability practices may reveal the answers we need to safeguard our future. With your help, NTBG is stemming the tide of plant loss in tropical regions worldwide. When you support National Tropical Botanical Garden, you help save plants and people. This story is part one of a three-part series. Follow along to learn more about your impact and NTBG’s plant-saving science, conservation, and research initiatives. Read part II | Read part III

With approximately 1,300 native plant species, 90% endemic to the islands, conserving Hawaii’s flora presents an urgent challenge. Since 2000, 30 Hawaiian plant species have been classified as extinct, bringing the total of Hawaiian flowering plant and fern extinctions to about 130. This and the recent news that officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed eight bird species and one plant known only to Hawaii from the Endangered Species List due to extinction are sobering reminders that the need to protect plants and restore wild habitats is upon us. 

Learning from the Past

Protecting biodiversity is foundational to Hawaiian culture, and scientists and staff at National Tropical Botanical Garden have been dedicated to documenting, studying, and protecting the unique flora of the tropics for more than 50 years. While news of species loss and human impact on our changing climate seems bleak, looking to our past provides hope for the future. 

Hawaii is home to the most diverse set of ecological conditions on the planet. Most life forms on Earth could find their preferred habitat within the 27 life zones located within the island chain. Tucked between towering emerald peaks on the north shore of Kauai, the Limahuli Valley is one of the most biodiverse valleys in the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to dozens of endangered plants and birds found nowhere else on Earth and has been a Hawaiian place for at least 1,500 years. Today, Limahuli is one of the last easily accessible valleys with intact archaeological complexes, ancient agriculture and aquaculture infrastructure, native forest, and pristine stream. It’s also home to NTBG’s Limahuli Garden and Preserve, where science and conservation staff work to protect the biodiversity the Hawaiian culture was built upon and model conservation practices founded in cultural values. 

Biocultural Conservation

Biocultural Conservation is an approach to conservation that recognizes the inherent relationship between nature and people. 

“It builds conservation efforts based on the best available science and grounded in cultural knowledge, values, and practices,” said Sam’ Ohu Gon III, Ph.D., NTBG Trustee, and Senior Scientist & Cultural Advisor, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii. 

“Instead of viewing people as separate from nature, this people-in-nature approach leads to long-term success because it involves the communities connected to the natural resources of concern and builds a broad community of support for conservation,” he continued. 

One of the most well-known land management systems implemented by ancient Hawaiians is the ahupuaa system of ridge-to-reef resource management. Today there are few places where this connection between the Hawaiian people and nature is better demonstrated, or systems preserved than the Limahuli Valley. 

“The ahupuaa is a social, ecological unit of land designed to meet the material and cultural needs of the human population living within it while minimizing resource conflicts between neighboring human communities,” said Gon. 

The ahupuaa approach recognizes the interconnection between the mountains, ocean, and the role that freshwater plays in linking the two and sustaining life. Each ahupuaa followed the natural boundaries of the watershed and provided the resources needed to cultivate food such as fish, shellfish, shrimp, and crops of canoe plants like kalo (taro), ulu (breadfruit), banana, sweet potato, and others introduced to Hawaii by the first wave of Polynesian voyagers. Archeological evidence of at least a dozen kalo loi (agricultural system for farming taro) has been discovered at Limahuli Garden and dated to more than 800 years ago. 

“One thing that makes the Limahuli Valley so special is that we have a historical footprint left for us here,” said Lei Wann, Director of Limahuli Garden. “The work we do in the garden and preserves, as well as the curriculum we teach, is inspired by those who came before us,” she continued.  

It’s not just the biodiversity or cultural significance of the valley that makes Limahuli so unique, but the potential it has to inform and change the way we practice conservation and resource management in the 21st century and beyond,” she continued.

Applying Ancient Knowledge to Solve Modern Problems

At the height of ancient Hawaiian society, this resource management system could have provided food for a population of up to a million people without external resources. Today, approximately 90% of the food consumed in Hawaii is shipped in from elsewhere, and more than 80% of the world’s hungry live in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. Breadfruit, a canoe plant, and crop cultivated by people indigenous to Oceania for millennia, is an ancient staple ideally suited to inform and provide for a modern world. NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute combines traditional farming methods, ancient knowledge, and contemporary science at the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforest (ROBA) demonstration in NTBG’s McBryde Garden. 

“Breadfruit has nourished people for thousands of years and affords the opportunity to cultivate an abundance of nutritious and delicious food in ways that help, rather than harm, people and the planet,” says Dr. Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute.

NTBG has been involved in the conservation of breadfruit since 1977, and The Breadfruit Institute was established in 2003 to promote the conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation. NTBG’s unique breadfruit collection represents a global resource to support efforts to advance regenerative agriculture and agroforestry, food security, and economic development. 

“We’ve lost some of our understanding of how limited our natural resources really are,” said Mike Opgenorth, Director of NTBG’s Kahanu Garden and home to the most extensive collection of breadfruit varieties and species in the world, preserving some varieties that no longer exist in their native lands. “By looking into our history and utilizing traditional ecological knowledge, we have the opportunity to compare important metrics of well-being and resource availability over time which can inform community-centric approaches to conservation today,” he continued.

Together for Nature 

Today 85% of the land once home to diverse ecosystems, and native flora before human contact in Hawaii has been lost to the human footprint. Human activities such as deforestation and land clearing for agricultural purposes contribute to the loss of biodiversity and our changing climate. However, we have the knowledge and ability to change and minimize our impact. Now is the time to look to the past to protect our future and take responsibility for the need that is upon us. Support biocultural conservation efforts at NTBG with a year-end gift today. Together we can make a difference, protect biodiversity, and restore nature. Donate now. 

Additional Resources

Are you interested in learning more about biocultural conservation? Check out these resources. 

Biocultural Conservation, NTBG

Webinar: Biocultural Stewardship and Restoration, NTBG

A Hawaiian Renaissance That Could Save the World (Gon, Winter)

Biocultural Conservation with Sam ‘Ohu Gon Webinar, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii and Palmyra

by Kenneth R. Wood, Research Biologist

Botanists and enthusiasts of the Hawaiian flora may recognize the genus Geniostoma by its older name, Labordia, or by its melodic Hawaiian name kamakahala. The genus includes Geniostoma helleri, a divinely beautiful and Critically Endangered Kauai endemic tree species in the Logania family. Long ago, the seed of the original founder was likely carried to the Hawaiian Islands by a bird. Over millennia, kamakahala evolved in isolation into a lineage of 19 extraordinarily unique taxa, eight of which are federally listed as endangered, each a masterpiece of evolution.

The conservation of kamakahala can be difficult since plants are either male or female and require the presence of both sexes in the colony. Insect visitation of flowers is also needed for pollen exchange. Where there are highly fragmented and separate individuals, biologists need to gather pollen from males and hand-pollinate the isolated female when she is with receptive flowers.

Over the last few decades, NTBG’s Science and Conservation team has mapped all seven species of kamakahala on Kauai, including over 100 Geniostoma helleri individuals throughout Kokee’s mesic forests and Kauai’s western canyons. This phytogeographical (referring to the geographical distribution of plants) knowledge of distribution and abundance has been fundamental in our conservation efforts, and we are thrilled to report that we have exceeded our expectations for the conservation of G. helleri.

In the spring of 2021, collections were made from five separate female trees, with one of those collections rendering over 1,000 seeds, the total number of seeds collected for this project increased to approximately 2,800. These are by far the best collections we’ve ever acquired from Geniostoma helleri. Portions of seed are being cultivated by NTBG’s Horticulture team, and significant numbers are being preserved in our seed storage facility under the curation of seed bank and laboratory manager Dustin Wolkis.

Another single-island endemic kamakahala on Kauai is Geniostoma lorencianum. In the early 1990s, while searching with entomologists in remote interior canyons for the rare endemic fabulous green sphinx moth (Tinostoma smaragditis), NTBG staff discovered a new species of kamakahala which was described and ultimately named in honor of Dr. David Lorence, NTBG’s senior research botanist. 

Only a single colony of this kamakahala species has ever been found, which included three males and one female tree. Lorence’s kamakahala is a wonderful example of inter-agency conservation. The collaborative efforts of NTBG, along with the Kauai Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP), and the Hawaii State Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) have resulted in successful seed collections of G. lorencianum, followed by nursery propagation, and finally reintroduction back into the forests where the species was originally discovered. Many dozens now occur in their natural habitat and are protected within a fenced exclosure from goats and pigs. DOFAW has made great efforts to maintain that exclosure.

In Kauai’s rugged, wet windward and northern forests, another extremely rare and strikingly beautiful kamakahala occurs. Named in honor of Reverend John Mortimer Lydgate (1854-1922), Geniostoma lydgatei has exquisitely delicate flowers and the smallest fruit capsules of any kamakahala. Geniostoma lydgatei also occurs in the Upper Limahuli Preserve where NTBG biologists are methodically mapping and monitoring individuals and have been collecting seed for conservation.

During the spring and summer of 2021, PEPP and NTBG have made significant observations of Geniostoma lydgatei in lowland wet ohia forest, but this extraordinary species is still only known from several hundred individuals. NTBG plans to maintain and enhance viable populations of this federally endangered species in the fenced Upper Limahuli Preserve.

Currently NTBG’s director of science and conservation, Dr. Nina Ronsted, has partnered on a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study the phylogenetic relationships and diversification of the entire Hawaiian lineage of kamakahala. The grant will also include 11 other Hawaiian plant radiations in need of molecular and taxonomic work. This NSF research is in partnership with Washington University, University of California-Los Angeles, UC-Berkeley, Smithsonian Institution, and involves several NTBG staff who will be collecting and organizing leaf material for the proposed gene sequencing.With approximately 1,300 native plant species, 90 percent of them endemic, the challenge to conserve the Hawaiian flora can be overwhelming. It’s sobering to think that around 30 Hawaiian plant species have gone extinct since 2000, raising the number of extinctions to approximately 130 species of flowering plants and ferns.

This fact should leave us with a deeper appreciation of the need for greater focus and funding to secure and build populations of the Hawaiian flora. NTBG secured a grant to conserve Geniostoma helleri from The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, but further expansion of horticultural facilities, staff, and increased funding is recommended to successfully manage our endangered plants and forests. Like the concept for the Ark of Noah, we are gathering Hawaii’s rare plants together to be preserved, grown, and planted back into the wild.