Ka palupalu o Kanaloa (Photo credit: Zachary Wingert) |
Ka palupalu o Kanaloa is a densely branched shrub with thin oval leaves and produces large clusters of small white flowers. The plant was historically found to grow on the rocky cliffs of Kahoʻolawe, but fossilized pollen from the species has been found on Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi. Two Ka palupalu o Kanaloa plants were discovered in 1992 growing on a sea stack off the coast of Kahoʻolawe. Fortunately, seeds were collected from the last two plants before they died in 2015.
Conservation efforts through propagation to save Ka palupalu o Kanaloa were led by Doug Okamoto, a greenhouse technician with UH Mānoa’s Lyon Arboretum, and Anna Palomino from UH Mānoa’s Center for Conservation Research and Training, who is also a Department of Land and Natural Resources Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR-DOFAW) and Plant Extinction Prevention Program horticulturist.