Native Hawaiian Plant Month

Did you know that April is also Native Hawaiian Plant Month? From the ʻaʻaliʻi to the wiliwili, there are so many plants endemic to Hawaiʻi nei and unfortunately, many of them have gone extinct or are endangered. For example, the ʻakoko of ʻEwa is critically endangered and can only be found growing wild in a few areas in ʻEwa, including at the Kalaeloa Heritage Park. There are also many popular plants that we think are native, but were actually introduced to Hawaiʻi, such as the pīkake (Arabian jasmine), pakalana (Chinese violent), kiele (gardenia) and kiawe (Algaroba tree).

For more information about Native Hawaiian plants, check out the resources below!

Books

• Growing Native Hawaiian Plants: A How-to Guide for the Gardener by Heidi Bornhorst
• Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants by Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott
• Plants in Hawaiian Medicine by Beatrice Krauss

Websites

• Hui Kū Maoli Ola
• Native Plants Hawaiʻi database

[About the image: ʻĀhihi is an endemic species of the ʻohiʻa lehua.]