Hawaii
Gardens - An Historical Vignette
Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state of the Union on
August 21, 1959. The yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei),
known as the pua aloalo in the Hawaiian language, is the
official state flower. It is reported that there were
originally only five species of hibiscus native to Hawaii.
Later other species were introduced and hybrids were cultivated
into the rich and diverse range of colors and sizes found
today.
In the early 1920s, all colors and varieties of the hibiscus
became the official Territorial Flower. It wasn't until
1988, that the yellow hibiscus, which is native to the
islands, was legally adopted as the official state flower.
As well as the yellow hibiscus, each Hawaiian island has
its own designated official flower.
On Kauai's north shore
lies an historically important site. Agricultural terraces
and house platforms built more than 700 years ago form
the protected 17-acre Limahuli Garden, part of the National
Tropical Botanical Garden. It is reported that ancient
Hawaiians utilized terraces as ponded fields, called lo'i
ai, to grow 300 different varieties of edible kalo or
taro as it is called today. The valley here shapes the
989-acre Limahuli Preserve, surrounding two important
ecosystems that are, in theory, capable of sustaining
over 70 percent of Kauai's endangered species and 59 percent
of those statewide. In 1997 The American Horticultural
Society and the American Association of Botanical Gardens
and Arboreta noted Limahuli Garden and Preserve as one
of America's most important natural botanical gardens.
Bibliography
and Acknowledgments
Shown: Pua Aloalo (Hibiscus
brackenridgei)
