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Ferns are a very primitive group of flowerless, spore-bearing plants divided into about 20 families and 300 genera. The nearly 10,000 species we know of are survivors among the millions that evolved and went extinct long before flowering plants appeared on earth. Coal deposits are the carbonized remains of the vast fern forests of the Devonian era.
Most ferns have fronds, which uncurl as they grow. Spots on the undersides of these leaves called sori produce millions of single-celled spores, which are carried like dust by the wind. Ferns depend on water to complete their life cycle, so most are found in moist areas.
This family of perennial herbs and shrubs is found in every tropical region of the world. Begonias can usually be recognized by their asymmetrical leaves and succulent jointed stems.
Their tiny seeds account for their wide dispersal, even to places as remote as Hawai`i. The endemic genus Hillebrandia is endemic to the islands. Begonias have been extensively hybridized for their ornamental leaves and clusters of white, pink, red or yellow flowers.
Scattered across the vast Pacific Ocean, unhabited, isolated islands allowed the plants to evolve in strange and wondrous ways. Rapid geological changes from volcanic activity, storms, and tsunami were as effective as the shower of forces of erosion, coral accretion, and sea level change in shaping these often-ephemeral land masses. On most islands, prevailing winds account for widely varying climatic zone.
The Marquesas Islands and French Polynesia are ancestral homes to the voyages who found and populated Hawaii, way to the north. Some of the oldest flowering plants in the world are found in Fiji. As human traffic spreads to still-pristine Pacific habitats it is importaant to protect what remains. Aside from all of our Hawaiian gardens, four other collections at Waimea Valley focus on Pacific plants: Fiji, Guam, Lord Howe Island and the Ogasawara Islands.
The islands of Fiji lie about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. There are about 500 named islands, rocks, and atolls with a total land area of more that 7000 square miles. The two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the land area.
Around 100 of the islands are inhabited. Most of the people are either the original Melanesians or descendents of plantation workers brought from India 100 years ago. Most of the islands are volcanic and mountainous, but some are low limestone or coral formations. There is a tremendous diversity of climatic zones, soil types and elevations resulting in very different floral habitats.
Like Hawaii, the islands are isolated from large land masses, and unique flora and fauna have evolved which can be found nowhere else. Many are already threatened by the burgeoning human population.
Lord Howe Island lies near the midpoint between Sydney, Australia and the northern tip of New Zealand.
This narrow, seven-mile strip of land with a few neighboring islets is an important nesting area for migrating birds. Two weathered volcanic mountains in the south tower over a central lagoon, and much of the windy island is bordered by sheer ocean cliffs.
Like most isolated islands, a unique flora has evolved which is endemic to the area (i.e. found nowhere else). Although some destructive animals such as rats, goats, and pigs have been introduced, the endemic flora and fauna is largely unspoiled, and so the island is of great importance to both scientists and nature lovers.
Apart from two species of lowland palm (Howea), the plant life is little known outside the island, and this garden is an attempt to bring into cultivation some of these fascinating and unique plants, a large part of Lord Howe Island is now a nature reserve.
This floral area includes the vast Amazonian rain forest, the savannahs of Argentina, the high plains of the Andes, the coastal jungles of the Caribbean, and the deserts of Chile, Peru and Mexico. The number of plant species in this range of habitats is so great that botanists have no actual count!
There are important edible, medicinal, and economic plants in Central and South America, but vast areas are being destroyed by man’s search for timber and natural resources such as gold and oil. New roads are opening remote areas for colonization, and primary forests are being short-sightedly cleared for cattle ranches.
Entire plant communities are being disrupted, and large numbers of species are rapidly dying out before they can be studied.
Chocolate, Vanilla, Peppers, Rubber, Tomatoes, and Potatoes all come from this part of the world. Botanists are racing against time to study equally promising, but little known plants facing extinction. Among them are medicinal plants used by native cultures, nutritious food crops that can tolerate drought and poor soils, even trees that yield sap like diesel oil.
The genus hibiscus adds a great variety of color to the Hawaiian flora. Surprisingly, the bright red Hibiscus kokio flowers are descended from the same pioneer ancestor that evolved to become our two white-flowered species: H.waimeae from Kaua’i named for Kaua’i’s Waimea canyon and H. arnottianus found on other islands. These two native whites, Koki`o ke`oke`o, are the only hibiscus in the world that give off a faint perfume at dawn and dusk.
For no good reason, the state flower used to be a Chinese red hibiscus. That was changed in the late 80’s when the bright yellow-flowered endemic H. brackenridgei, Ma`o hau hele, was given that honor. This endangered species survives in the wild in very few places. Fires in 2007 impacted the already limited range of the O’ahu subspecies Mokuleianus. Lana’i’s last few plants are not doing well, but several collections are growing well at Waimea. A subspecies found on Moloka’I in 1930 wasn’t seen again until a small population of 16 plants was found in a military reservation on O’ahu’s west coast in 2001.
One of our native hibiscus species is indigenous. H. furcellatus, `Akiohala, with big pink flowers, got to Hawai’i without man’s help, but wild plants of this species can also be found in Mexico and the Caribbean.
The jury is still out as to whether the hau tree, H. tiliaceus, is a native or a Polynesian introduction. Unusual forms of these trees are planted along the banks of the stream above the first bridge. Taxonomists will soon put the hau tree in to a new genus, Talipariti.
The Hawaiian Hibiscus collection is large. Four sections separated by roads and paths start at the Hale ‘Iwi burial site and extend down to the main road makai of the banyan tree.
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Ferns