Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 3, 1 March 2004 — Going Native [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Going Native

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By Sterling Kini Wong Rick Barboza points to a group of hibiscus plants in the Waimānalo nursery he co-owns. Several of the young plants display a stunning, thumbsized pink flower. Barboza explains that this hibiscus, called koki'o 'ula'ula, is a federally listed endangered native Hawaiian plant, with just four individuals remaining in the wild, all found in dry forest on Kaua'i. Habitat loss is the main reason for the collapse of the koki'o 'ula'ula population, he says. Like this plant, mueh of Hawai'i's native flora, devastated by urban development and the introduction of feral animals and alien plants, is in jeopardy of extinction. According to the Center for Plant Conservation, about 600 of the roughly 1,300 native plants in Hawai'i fulfill the criteria for listing as federal endangered species, but only 282 are listed. Of those that are listed, 133 have 20 or fewer individuals left in the wild. Many of these survive in just one location. Amid this hleak scenario, native plant nurseries offer growing hope. Barboza's nursery, for example, has been successful in propagating thousands of koki'o 'ula'ula from cuttings and then selling them through Home Depot. The nursery, called Hui Kū Maoli Ola, is one of

three on O'ahu that are ushering in a native plant revival in home gardens. This renewal was made possible, in part, by a 1998 state law that allows individuals to grow endangered plants in their yards without a permit. Around the same time, the three nurseries — Pisces Pacifica, the Native Plant Source and Hui Kū Maoli Ola — sprouted up and began to cultivate the public's interest. "There is a misconception that native plants are finicky or intolerant," said the 28-year-old Barboza, who graduated with a degree in zoology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. "Granted, some

are — but some are very hardy. Some plants are really rare, but we grow them so well that we forget they're even endangered." Dennis Kim, owner of the Native Plant Source, said that people are reluctant to grow natives in dry and hot urban areas. He said, however, that Hawai'i's dry-forest regions,

whieh now have the highest eoneentration of urban development, were at one time the most diverse botanieal habitat in the islands. "Many native plants have evolved to flourish in those conditions," Kim said, adding that there is a large variety of native plants to choose from. "You just have to grow the right ones in the right places." Jeff Preble, co-owner of Pisces Pacifica, a store specializing in tropical fish and native plants, said that Hawai'i needs to capitalize more on its unique botanical identity. Preble explained that tourists want to experience Hawai'i and its culture, yet they don't realize that

what they are often seeing in urban and resort landscaping is alien tropieal plants that ean as easily be found in San Diego or Miami. In addition, some of the principal flowers used in lei making, such as pikake, pakalana and pua kenikeni, are not native, but were in fact brought to Hawai'i after Western

contact. Kim, who has been in the landscaping industry for more than 35 years, said there are about 50-75

native Hawaiian plants that he believes could be commonly used in landscaping. For example, Kim thinks the native Hawaiian gardenia, nā'ū or nānū, has the potential to be one of the most eommon landscaping plants in Hawai'i because of the appeal of its white, fragrant flower. When he first started propagating it, he said, the nā'ū was on the verge of extinction, with less than 20 left in the wild. Today, it's being grown by the thousands. And the popularity of such native plants is escalating. Hui Kū Maoli 01a's sales have doubled every year since its creation, and Barboza and his friend and nursery co-owner Matt Kapalikū Schirman are looking to expand their quarter-acre operation by another half-acre. Preble, too, said he has a difficult time keeping up with demand, often turning people away. As Kim put it, "Native plants are not a fad — they are here to stay." For more information on the nurseries, eall Hui Kū Maoli Ola at 259-6580; Pisces Pacifica at 239-8044; or Native Plant Source at 227-2019. U

I H Clockwise from top: koki'o 'ula'ula; nō'ū; ko'oloa 'ula; Rick Barboza and Matt Kapalikū Schirman at their Waimōnalo nursery. Photos: steriing Kini wong