PUA LOKE — At least five threatened or endangered species, three common native species and an equal number of “canoe plants” will be available starting at 8 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. Friday. The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division
PUA LOKE — At least five threatened or endangered species, three common native species and an equal number of “canoe plants” will be available starting at 8 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. Friday.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife invites the public to its Pua Loke Nursery for its annual plant sale in celebration of Hawai‘i’s Arbor Day, states a press release from the DLNR.
Located at 4398-D Pua Loke Street in Lihu‘e, the nursery is located behind the Department of Water and the Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Station.
In addition to celebrating Hawai‘i’s Arbor Day, the event celebrates 40 years since the first DOFAW plant sale was held in 1968.
Galen Kawakami, the Kaua‘i DOFAW forestry management supervisor, discovered that at the first sale in 1968, a variety of trees were grown by the DOFAW and sold by the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce for 10 cents apiece. These included Norfolk Island pine, monkeypod, mango, eucalyptus, Bermuda juniper and Mexican cypress.
“There were no native species at that first sale,” Kawakami said. “We have come a long way in expanding the number of species we are able to grow and sell as well as what we have been outplanting in forest reserve lands.”
One of the threatened and endangered species which will be on sale is the ma‘o hau hele. This endangered hibiscus is the state flower, and according to the treehawaii Web site, is one of the gorgeous Hawaiian hibiscus that lives in one of the rarest of all the Hawaiian ecosystems — the dryland forest.
Local floral enthusiasts and rare plant collectors look forward to the annual event, especially since the DOFAW began offering federally listed threatened and endangered plants, plants native to Hawai‘i and used for the state’s conservation programs.
In addition to the ma‘o hau hele, aloalo, a small red hibiscus, hau kauhiwi, or mountain hibiscus, uhiuhi and loulu are some of the species which are endemic to Hawai‘i and available for sale. All of these will bear a numbered tag for authenticity.
Some of the more common native plants available include another subspecies of ‘aweoweo, kou and wiliwili.
Lynlie Waiamau, one of the nursery workers, was busy preparing for the Friday event, and pointed out that she discovered that the use of systemic insecticide on some of the wiliwili plants have some success in holding the gall wasp at bay.
However, she pointed out that the stock at the nursery is already crying out to be put into the sun and needs to be put into the ground.
“Canoe plants,” or plants which were brought over by the Hawaiians in outrigger canoes when they settled here include kamani, milo and noni which are all used in la‘au lapa‘au, or Hawaiian herbology.
Additionally, to encourage the use of native species in home landscaping, DOFAW will offer puakenikeni, a non-invasive exotic ornamental whose fragrant blossoms are used for making lei.
Plant prices range from $3 to $10 depending on the species and size.
For more information, call 274-3433.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
