USING NATIVE HAWAIIAN PLANTS IN LANDSCAPING WILL PROMOTE AWARENESS AND CREATE NEW DEPOSITS OF NATIVE FLORA Plant local!  We know there’s debate about how strongly native Hawaiian species like `ohi`a lehua should be emphasized in local landscaping projects.  Often plants are chosen based on availability, popularity, ease of growth and economics.  Here’s another consideration that hits closer to home.  Hawaii’s native plants face a multitude of threats in their natural environments (fueling our infamous title of “endangered species capitol of the world”).  Use of native species in landscaping efforts will not only showcase and promote an awareness of the unique beauty of Hawaiian flora, but done wisely can also create “repositories” of genetic stock.  However, given the findings of our research and related studies on the evolution and biogeography of Hawaii’s flora, we strongly urge the landscape industry to keep native species as local to their source as possible and leave genetic introductions to conservation managers. Hawai`i is an unprecedented natural laboratory for experiments in local adaptation and speciation (the... ...

The ‘Iliahi tree (Sandalwood) is a rem­­arkable, valuable, and fascinating plant that can play a vital role in native landscapes. ‘Iliahi trees (Santalum spp.) are hemi-parasitic and require a host plant to help them grow.  Their shallow roots graft onto roots of other plants through a sucker-like organ called haustoria which enable them to take nourishment from the host (or multiple hosts). That would seem like a big disadvantage for the host plant, but the reality is more complex and there may be shared benefits.  It could be that ‘Iliahi was an essential part of the mesic forests of Hawaii as a unifying element helping to balance resources. Four species of Sandalwood are listed as endemic to Hawaii, including Santalum ellipticum, S. freycinetianum, S. haleakalae, and S. paniculatum.  ‘Iliahi has few insect pests, is drought tolerant (particularly S. ellipticum), has attractive reddish new leaves and flowers (particularly S. freycinetianum), and has a slow to moderate growth rate with ultimate height varying between species and planting locations. Historic records and other... ...