Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fish, and gape-mouthed moray eels. Neon-colored wrasse, which have more species than
any other Hawaiian reef fish, change sex (and color) as they mature.
The contrast between the variety and numbers of fish in the main islands and
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is stunning. For instance, the weight of
fish per acre in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is 2000lb, but it's 600lb in the main
islands; meanwhile, predators like sharks and jacks are 15 times as numerous in the
monument's shallow reefs.
Plants
Mile for mile, Hawaii has the highest concentration of ecological zones on earth. Wheth-
er you're in tropical rainforests or dry forests, high-altitude alpine deserts or coastal
dunes, wetland marshes or grassy plains, extravagantly diverse flora occupies every is-
land niche.
Of course, what you'll see today is not what the first Polynesians or ancient Hawaiians
saw. Most 'Hawaiian' agricultural products were originally exotic imports - including
papayas, pineapples, mangoes, bananas, macadamia nuts and coffee. Over half of
Hawaii's native forest is now gone, mainly due to logging, conversion to agriculture and
invasive plants. Of Hawaii's nearly 1300 endemic plant species, more than 100 are
already extinct and over 300 remain endangered.
Ancient Hawaiians didn't have metals and never developed pottery, so plants fulfilled
most of their needs. Ethnobotanist Beatrice Krauss delves into this fascinating history in
Plants in Hawaiian Culture
and
Plants in Hawaiian Medicine.
Exotic Beauties
The classic hibiscus is native to Hawaii, but many varieties have also been introduced, so
that now hundreds of varieties grow on the islands. However, it's perhaps fitting that
Hawaii's state flower, the
pua aloalo
(yellow hibiscus)
,
was added to the endangered
species list in 1994. The
kokiʻo keʻokeʻo,
a native white shrub or small tree that grows up
to 30ft high, is the only known hibiscus in the world with a fragrance.
Strangely enough, while Hawaii's climate is ideal for growing orchids, there are only
three native species. In the 19th century, Asian immigrants began importing orchids and
today they're a thriving industry. Hawaii also blooms with scores of introduced orna-
mental and exotic tropical flowers, including blood-red anthurium with heart-shaped
leaves, brilliant orange-and-blue bird-of-paradise and myriad heliconia.
