No longer existing in the wild, a rare Hawaii tree finds a home in Waikiki

Hawaii News Now

By HNN Staff

April 21, 2021

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - One of Hawaii’s rarest trees found a new home in Waikiki.

In an effort to make Waikiki a greener place, hotel workers at the Embassy Suites Waikiki on Wednesday planted an alula tree on property.

The alula is a rare member of the lobelia family and was once found on the steep sea cliffs of Kauai. The tree sported a full head of succulent leaves sprouting from the top of a thick stem.

The species is one of Hawaii’s rarest trees — it can no longer produce seeds in the wild because its native pollinator moth became extinct.

The hotel’s general manager said it’s an honor to house the plant.

“Because it was in the cliffs on Kauai, it was very very hard to take care of and now we have it here in Waikiki. And as we know, this is probably the first alula plant in Waikiki,” said Simeon Miranda, general manager of Embassy Suites Waikiki.

As part of the hotel’s efforts with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, guests can also plant their own native trees through a program called Malama Hawaii. Guests can select from a wide variety of native and endemic species and can plant their very own “Legacy Tree” at the Gunstock Ranch Legacy Forest on Oahu’s North Shore.

To further honor Earth Day, workers at the Kahala Hotel also planted its 10,000th tree in partnership with the Hawaii Legacy Reforestation Initiative.

The hotel has a goal of planting 200,000 native milo trees near Gunstock Ranch.

This effort by both hotels was part of a project to reestablish critical habitats for many of the state’s rarest plant and bird species.

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Source: Hawaii News Now