ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS

Landscaping with native Hawaiian plants

By Kevin Whitton Photos Darryl Watanabe

Rick Barboza and Matt Schirman, coowners of native Hawaiian plant nursery Hui Kū Maoli Ola, are on a mission to reintroduce native Hawaiian plants into the suburban landscape. Since 2005, they’ve been growing them at their He‘eia nursery in Ha‘ikū Valley and educating landscapers and backyard-gardening enthusiasts about the care and importance of these environmentally and culturally significant species. To this day, they hear the same gripes about native Hawaiian plants—that they’re ugly, slow growing and difficult to keep alive.

The two native Hawaiian plant specialists are adamant that these misconceptions stem from a lack of knowledge about the specific growing conditions that native Hawaiian plants require. Most residential areas have been cleared of their naturally occurring native vegetation. If you’re looking to landscape with native Hawaiian plants, you need to pick them based on where you live. You wouldn’t want to plant beach plants in the back of Mānoa Valley, and you would definitely kill a hapu‘u tree fern if you planted it on the windward side of a beach house. The trick to maintaining a beautiful landscape of native Hawaiian plants is to learn about the plants that once grew in the area, so you can then mimic that biodiversity. Done properly, nature will take care of most of the plants’ needs once they are established.

ALULA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: BRIGHAMIA INSIGNIS

DESCRIPTION: Small to medium shrub with a fat, succulent stalk—sometimes branched—that produces a rosette of large, rounded, light green leaves. Grows up to six feet tall and three feet wide. Small, star-shaped yellow flowers protrude from the leaf axis on long stems. Blooming is sporadic. When in bloom, its fragrant flowers can completely encircle the top of the plant, resembling a crown.

LANDSCAPE USE: Shrub, accent, container. Plant alula in dry areas with full sun. Soil should dry out completely between watering.

INDIGENOUS VS. ENDEMIC

Hawai‘i is home to approximately 1,500 native plant species, 90 percent of which are endemic.

Hawai‘i indigenous plants are native to Hawai‘i as well as other parts of the world— think naupaka kahakai.

Hawai‘i endemic plants are native only to Hawai‘i—think koa trees. Hawai‘i’s endemic plants arrived by wing, wind or waves before the arrival of Captain Cook and gradually evolved into new species shaped by its environment, predators and pollinators.

Of the approximately 20,000 plant species introduced into Hawai‘i over the last 200 years, 8,000 have become naturalized—they are established and growing on their own in nature.

‘UKI‘UKI

SCIENTIFIC NAME: DIANELLA SANDWICENSE

DESCRIPTION: ‘Uki‘uki has two forms: short, compact growth with dark green leaf blades about a foot tall and less compact growth with lighter green foliage up to three feet tall. When in bloom, the short form sends up a short, central stalk covered with small purple and yellow flowers that develop into dark purple berries. The taller form sends up a stalk with many small white and yellow flowers. Both forms bloom year round.

LANDSCAPE USE: Ground cover, accent plant, container. Plant ‘uki‘uki in full sun to partial shade. Requires light to moderate watering.

‘O HAI

SCIENTIFIC NAME: SESBANIA TOMENTOSA

DESCRIPTION: Partially woody, lowsprawling shrub with extremely soft, silvery-pubescent pinnate leaves that help reflect sunlight and retain moisture. Leaves at the stem tips are highly aromatic in full sun. Striking pink and yellow pea flowers, each about one to two inches in length, form in clusters under the leaves. ‘O -hai blooms sporadically throughout the year with peak blooming periods following heavy rain in winter and spring. Long, greenish bean pods form after flowering.

LANDSCAPE USE: Shrub, tree, accent, hedges, screening. Plant ‘o -hai in full sun in well-draining soil. Prefers dry growing conditions and is generally tolerant of wind. ‘O -hai enriches the soil with nitrogen, benefiting neighboring plants.