Waimea Valley is the home of more than 5,000 documented kinds of tropical and subtropical plants including native and endangered Hawaiian plants.

Waimea’s Botanical Collections Specialist, David Orr, explains the connection between native plants and culture.  “Native and Polynesian-introduced plants are the foundation of Hawaiian culture.  Waimea has a rich collection of heirloom varieties of kalo, sweet potato and banana.  We have one of the state’s most extensive  collection of loulu palms, the only palms in Hawai‘i before Hawaiians brought coconuts.  Our diverse collection of plants is a display of over 1000 genera in over 200 plant families from all over the world in 35 separately themed gardens.  One is solely devoted to the Hawaiian hibiscus, and includes all three endangered subspecies of our state flower.”

The exceptional botanical collections at Waimea Valley feature dozens of distinct gardens representing flora from different parts of the world and different groups of plants.  Stroll through the Hawaiian collection and enjoy an assortment of plants found only in Hawai‘i, many of which are rare

Waimea Valley is a repository of Kalo with a collection that numbers 48 Hawaiian varieties in the ground and 16 in the nursery.  There are varieties in the collection that are either rare or endangered.  If you are interested in perpetuating the growth of kalo, huli are available for those starting their ma-la or lo'i.  Contact Josie Hoh at either jhoh@waimeavalley.net or at (808) 638-5875 for more information and availabilty.  A distribution request form can also be requested by downloading it here. Kalo Huli Request Form

Please contact Josephine Hoh, Botanical manager, at Jhoh@WaimeaValley.net  or (808)638-5875 for questions.