All these things rolled together, pushed the Loulu into near extinction. Introduced plants would crowd out the loulu palms from propagating. The introduced animals would eat the seeds, trample the new sprouting seedlings, spread diseases, and destroy the palm’s native habitat. The main reason the Loulu palms have disappeared at such an alarming rate is that their ability to propagate was drastically curtailed by the introduction of many species of rats, pigs, goats, and other plants. This photo is from an area of preservation. However, due to introduced animals, it is still rare to see many – if any – seedlings sprouting below a mother plant in the forest. Restoration and seed conservation has changed their fate for the better in recent years. In 2014 there were only 50 trees remaining in Hawaiian forests. These palms are unique to Hawai’i and are now incredibly rare. In fact, this genus was so successful and widespread across all of the islands that it evolved over time to include two dozen different species. As a result, Loulu was the only palm that grew in Hawai’i for millions of years. This is primarily due to its character trait of profuse self-propagation. It grew in thick swaying forests and was as abundant as the native grasses. When the Polynesians arrived, the Loulu was prolific in Hawai’i. Because of the large unique shape of the fronds, one of its uses is providing protection from the rain or the hot sun. It is the only palm tree native to Hawai’i. In addition, they both produced food, even though the coconut’s flavor was preferred. The different leaf shapes were helpful, and the trees both grew well together and in similar habitats. The two initial palm trees, the native Loulu, and the coconut palm complemented each other in various ways and were both excellent for multiple reasons. They were so essential that they carried these plants in the limited and precious space on those voyaging canoes. They were crucial to a future life in the new lands. Consequently, the coconut palm and the other plants they brought earned the name canoe plant.Ĭanoe Plants were plants that the Polynesian people could not live without. They carried coconuts on their first open ocean, double-hulled canoe voyages. The other palm tree, the admired and iconic coconut palm, was imported as one of the first plants brought by the migrating early Hawaiians. During that incredibly long period, there was only one palm tree seed that found its way to these islands in the middle of the Pacific. Over millions of years, a wide variety of plants, insects, birds, and animals (large and small) made their way to Hawai’i, the most remote landmass on earth. Today, there are 12 varieties of palms with over 200 sub-species, and all but one are introduced. When the Polynesian migrants first arrived, there was only one species of native palm tree on the islands. It is hard to imagine that at one time, there were no coconut palm trees on the Hawaiian islands at all! Posted Jby Dave Campbell One of the first things people think about when they hear about Hawai’i is swaying coconut palms and beautiful beaches.
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