Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 12, 1 December 1987 — On Native Plants and Trees [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

On Native Plants and Trees

By Clarencc F.T. Ching Trustee, O'ahu

When I first saw them, the two were standing there, no more than 18 inches separating them. They seemed no different than a lot of other trees, their branches intertwined in a dance spanning numbers of decades. They had survived the grass fire of September, 1986, and turned out to be, on closer

inspection, some of the special trees that I had eome to see. I was in Kona for the November Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees meeting. Earlier, 1 had made arrangements with Hannah Springer, a part-Hawaiian descendent of Big lsland alii, to show me around some of the dryland forests on the slopes of Hualalai. 1 was excited to have such a teacher. In late April she had guided Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, through the same area. 1 was very lucky.

1 had read about the kauila, a tree whose hard, dark red heavy wood that sinks in water was formerly used by Hawaiians for spears, weapons and tapa beaters. It was also a mystical wood through whieh, it was believed, the energy of the universe could be conducted and transferred to humans. As I stood in front of this kauila, 1 appreciated seeing this special, living tree in its naturai habitat — a habitat that continues to be threatened by man, wild pigs, goats, deer and sheep sometimes, and even by the lowly rat.

The kauila's partner was another rare tree — the uhiuhi. Its hard and tough wood was ideal for holua (sled) runners. A few seed pods were on the tree and some empty pods were strewn on the ground below, but no seeds could be seen. It is possible that the large (3/4" in diameter) seeds could have been used for food by a rat. However, there they were embracing eaeh other, two of the hardest Hawaiian wood trees. It was as though eaeh of them was there to protect the other. For them as individuals, so far, so good. These two trees had survived. Many of our native trees and plants have not.

The question facing us: How do our native trees and plants fit into the Hawaiian situation? Are these plants Hawaiian because they were here when the first Hawaiians arrived? Have they been associated with Hawaiians so long that they have become part of our Hawaiian culture? Should we really be eoncerned about their survival? The answer to eaeh of these questions should be a definite "YES." In a lot of ways, our plants and trees, our birds and tree snails and mueh that ean be identified as Hawaiian are as endangered as we po'e Hawaii are. As our plants and trees are being crowded out and as they eome under seige by foreign things, so are our Hawaiian people. It is clear. We are as mueh a part of the environment as it is of us. We are inseparable. Just like the plains Indians and the buffalo; if our plants and trees and culture go, we go, too. We cannot let the exotics (the aliens)

take over. We must remain in control. The next time you go over Nuuanu Pali, take the '01d Pali Road." Almost every eucalyptus tree growing there provides support for banyan trees whose aerial roots grope for the ground below. In 201 or more years we will have a splendid banyan forest. This has not always been so.

When the banyans first arrived, none of their pollinators were present and they were sterile. But 1 have been told that in the 20's or 30's someone in the State Department of Agriculture for some idiotic reason brought an insect pollinator to Hawaii. Being able to reproduce without their natural enemies, banyans could very well Jake over this plaee. And they are. Look at the ridges on both sides of Nuuanu, they are there. And they will eonhnue to multiply and spread with the help of the birds who carry their seeds from plaee to plaee in their digestive tracts. As the habitats of our native birds disappear, so will our birds. Because many of our birds are specifically adapted to the flowers from whieh they collect nectar, they are also specifically adapted to act as those plants' pollinators. Without the birds (insects too) to pollinate them, the plants will not produce seeds for the next generation. The result is a vicious cycle from whieh there will be few survivors.

Many of the different plants and animals that live together seem to beneficially affect eaeh other. The interconnections between native plants help eaeh of them to survive. Because of these interconnections, complete ecosystems have to be saved. Every time a species of plant or animal is lost, we lose part of our culture. And as we lose a part of our culture, we lose a part of ourselves. To survive as Hawaiians, these losses must stop. Efforts must be made to control the plant pests that are already here. Other efforts must be made to keep new pests from coming in and establishing a foothold. Our rare and endangered plants must be protected. They must be protected from things that eat them and from things that keep them from reproducing. To aid their survival, their seeds may be collected and planted and their branches air-layered. And if the situation becomes drastic, the technology we are beginning to develop that ean elone an entire plant from a few surviving cells may eome to the rescue.

Encouraging people to plant Hawaiian plants in their yards is good idea, since our native plants were the original plants in our environment, they should do as well as some of the exotics that some of us try to grow. In many cases, native plants may do even better. And what is more "exotic" today than a rare Hawaiian plant? So why shouldn't Hawaiians plant Hawaiian plants? There are Hawaiians at the head of the campaign to save our native plants and trees. There are others who are starting to realize the seriousness of the situation. We all need to join together with those in government on every level, the researchers in our universities and conservation groups throughout our communities in protecting and preserving the many native Hawaiian plants and trees that will become extinct if we fail. Our Hawaiian future depends on it.