I will breathe life into Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems
I will stand tall, taking my place in the understory of Hawaiʻi’s forests.
I will ensure my parents aren’t the last.
Hāhā (Cyanea kuhihewa) is a critically endangered species known to grow in isolated forests on Kauaʻi’s North Shore and nowhere else on Earth. In 1991, NTBG discovered a dozen hāhā in a remote section of the Limahuli Preserve. However, within six years, the combined impacts of a hurricane, invasive plants, rats, and slugs had reduced numbers to just three known remaining plants. In 2003, the last known wild plant died and cultivated plants grown from seed succumbed to disease.
Fortunately, in 2017 a team of biologists from NTBG, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, and Kamehameha Schools rediscovered two mature plants, a juvenile, and several seedlings in a remote valley. In 2022, two additional plants and several more seedlings were discovered. That same year, NTBG partnered with Lyon Arboretum to propagate several hāhā with the goal of returning this special plant back to its natural habitat.
7,000+
wild hāhā seeds were collected by NTBG botanists to aid in the preservation of this rare plant
60
hāhā were propagated in partnership with Lyon Arboretum
44+
hāhā have been out planted in Limahuli Preserve, with more out plantings planned for the future