Visiting the Kānepuʻu Preserve on Lānaʻi, Hawaiʻi
Distance: 0.1 miles / 0.2 km
The Kānepuʻu Preserve on Lānaʻi is a unique Hawaiian dryland forest that is home to some of Hawaiʻi’s last wild populations of incredibly rare Hawaiian endemic species.
These forests, which once dominated much of Hawaiʻi’s lowland areas, are all but lost across much of the state, except for this protected area at Kānepuʻu on Lānaʻi. This is to say that many of the species in Kānepuʻu are not unique to Lānaʻi, but due to human development, agriculture, and the introduction of non-native/ invasive species—including both plants and animals—these once-common dryland forests are all but extinct and have been replaced with countless invasive species, like Koa Haole and Guinea Grass.
This is why visiting the Kānepuʻu Preserve on a trip to Lānaʻi is an adventure that you truly can’t experience on another island, as these incredibly rare species that call Kānepuʻu home are restricted to some of the most inaccessible, mountainous locations on other islands.
Furthermore, not much explanation is needed to walk the short self-guided trail through Kānepuʻu. However, as someone who received a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management with a focus on rare endemic Hawaiian plants from the University of Hawaiʻi, I wanted to write this article to provide more context and share my personal perspective and knowledge about what you can expect to see at Kānepuʻu, in hopes that visiting will help you and others gain an appreciation for one of Hawaiʻi’s most altered landscapes and the work that countless volunteers are doing to save them!
Kānepuʻu Preserve Trailhead Parking
The Kānepuʻu Preserve is a large 590-acre preserve where only a small portion is accessible to the public.
Upon arriving, drive over the cattle guard into the preserve and go straight for roughly 1.0 mile (1.6 km) to the far end of Kānepuʻu, where the publicly accessible trail can be found just before Keahiakawelo (Garden of the Gods).
Google Maps Directions: Kānepuʻu Preserve
Hiking the Kānepuʻu Preserve Trail
The Kānepuʻu Dryland Forest Preserve Trail begins within this fenced-in area, just before Keahiakawelo (Garden of the Gods).
That being said, please be sure to close the gate securely, both when entering and leaving, as this and other fences at Kānepuʻu are truly the last defense against the Axis Deer on Lānaʻi, which would consume all the native plants if given the opportunity.
Once inside Kānepuʻu, the trail makes a short 0.1-mile (0.2 km) loop through the native forest ahead, where you can see many of the native Hawaiian species that I talk about below.
Maʻo hau hele
(Hibiscus brackenridgei subsp. brackenridgei) [Endemic] - Maʻo hau hele is Hawaiʻi’s state flower, which earned the designation in 1988 to bring recognition to this federally listed endangered species.
Within the species, there are three separate subspecies:
H. brackenridgei subsp. brackenridgei
H. brackenridgei subsp. molokaiana
H. brackenridgei subsp. mokuleianus
Of these, only subsp. brackenridgei can be found on Lānaʻi.
Olopua
(Nestegis sandwicensis) [Endemic] - Olopua is the staple tree in Kānepuʻu, as it is easily the most common native tree within the preserve.
That said, Olopua is not one of Hawaiʻi’s many endangered species. However, it is a species of concern because, across the islands, it has become increasingly rare due to a host of invasive threats competing to take its place.
Wiliwili
(Erythrina sandwicensis) [Endemic] - Wiliwili is one of just a few deciduous native Hawaiian trees, but much like Olopua above, Wiliwilis are a staple of Hawaiʻi’s dry forest landscapes.
If you’ve ever visited the Waimea Canyon on Kauaʻi or hiked the Kukui Trail to the bottom, you would have seen a vast Wiliwili forest from above or hiked through it on the trail.
In any case, Wiliwilis, much like Olopua, are not federally listed, but their declining numbers are of concern. This has become increasingly worrisome due to a number of devastating wildfires that have decimated Wiliwili forests over the years—one in particular being the 2018 Keaʻau Fire on Oʻahu, which destroyed one of the state’s largest wild Wiliwili stands.
Lama / Ēlama
(Diospyros hillebrandii) [Endemic] - Going off the trend thus far, Lama, often referred to as Ēlama, is a staple in Hawaiʻi’s dryland forests, and from my own experience on other islands, Lama is a good indicator of an intact native Hawaiian forest.
That’s not to say that weeds don’t find their way into a Lama forest, but when Diospyros trees are present or often dominate the landscape, it’s a good indicator that other, often much rarer, species of concern can be found. This is especially true because Lama can be found across such a variable rainfall gradient—from very wet forests across Oʻahu’s eastern Koʻolau Mountains to very dry forests, like Kānepuʻu here.
ʻIlima
(Sida fallax) [Indigenous] - ʻIlima is a species that I commonly reference across Hawaiʻi trails because it is one of the most widespread native plants throughout the islands, and it is one of the best and most robust plants that can fight through invasives.
For example, Fountain Grass is one of Hawaiʻi’s most aggressive and invasive/ non-native plants, but ʻIlima is so resilient that it can often be found growing right in the middle of a landscape dominated by non-native grasses and Koa Haole trees.
This is all to say that from the coast to a few thousand feet into Hawaiʻi’s steep mountainous terrain, ʻIlima can often be seen growing, which is why I continually make references to it whenever I see it on a trail.
Naio / Naeo
(Myoporum sandwicense) [Endemic] - Naio is a dry forest/ coastal species that, for lack of a better phrase, has seen better days.
By this, I mean that Naio, in particular, has been heavily impacted by an invasive insect called Naio Thrips, which was first discovered on Oʻahu in 2018. These sap-sucking insects cause scarring that ultimately leads to the plant’s demise.
To tell if a plant has been impacted, the leaves on Naio will curl, and galls will form, which can cause widespread damage if left undetected.
Keahi
(Sideroxylon polynesicum) [Indigenous] - While Keahi is indigenous to Hawaiʻi, meaning it is native but also found outside of the islands, it is one of Hawaiʻi’s rarest indigenous trees. This means there are very few places to actually see it in the wild.
In fact, referencing a rare species like Keahi in an article (not Kānepuʻu) would be irresponsible on my part because it is best practice not to draw attention to Hawaiʻi’s most sensitive species.
Furthermore, Keahi can be found on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokai, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island, as well as in New Zealand and Tubuai in French Polynesia. However, I would say don’t expect to see it in Hawaiʻi unless you’re visiting somewhere like a botanical garden or Kānepuʻu.
ʻŪlei
(Osteomeles anthyllidifolia) [Indigenous] - ʻŪlei is native to all six of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands, and it is one of the most common native Hawaiian plants that can be found in Kānepuʻu, as its bushy, sprawling nature allows it to compete well with non-native plants in Hawaiʻi.
One trail that comes to mind in particular is the Pyramid Rock Trail on Oʻahu, where ʻŪlei can be found growing quite well among a whole host of aggressive non-native plants.
Koʻoloa ʻula / Red ʻIlima
(Abutilon menziesii) [Endemic] - Koʻoloa ʻula is one of Kānepuʻu’s rarest endangered species, along with the Naʻu mentioned below.
Also called the Red ʻIlima, Abutilon menziesii is is endemic to Oʻahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island. However, it is certainly not common to see across all these islands unless you visit very specific locations where it is still found, such as certain coastal and dry forest landscapes like Kānepuʻu.
This rarity is largely due to the significant alterations Hawaiʻi has undergone, which, as previously mentioned, are primarily attributed to human development, agriculture, and the introduction of non-native/ invasive species.
Alaheʻe
(Psydrax odorata) [Indigenous] - Much like Olopua, Alaheʻe is one of Hawaiʻi’s more common native trees in Kānepuʻu, which can often be found growing among other common native species on the six inhabited Hawaiian Islands, such as Wiliwili, Kōpiko, and ʻAʻaliʻi, to name a few.
Furthermore, Alaheʻe is one of Hawaiʻi’s more weed-resistant trees, as I frequently see it growing in the wild alongside non-native Ironwood, Christmas Berry, and even Koa Haole trees, among many others.
Naʻu / Nānū
(Gardenia brighamii) [Endemic] - One of the last, but certainly most notable, native Hawaiian plants in Kānepuʻu is Naʻu, one of three endemic Gardenia species that call the Hawaiʻi home.
That being said, Gardenia brighamii is the most widespread of the three species, growing on Oʻahu, Molokai, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island. However, for all the reasons previously mentioned, its habitat has become so severely degraded that there are only a few wild populations of Gardenia brighamii left. For context, wild populations are considered the most valuable in terms of their genetics and source to try and save a population.
Of these few wild populations, Kānepuʻu is among the last remaining, which is why the work of the volunteers who maintain Kānepuʻu is so important.
ʻAʻaliʻi
(Dodonaea viscosa) [Indigenous] - I didn’t want to finish writing about Kānepuʻu and Hawaiʻi’s native plants on a bad note, which is why I saved ʻAʻaliʻi for last.
In short, ʻAʻaliʻi is one of Hawaiʻi’s most resilient dryland species, as it does fairly well finding a way to grow across the islands, even in some of the most invaded landscapes!
This same story is true here at Kānepuʻu, where ʻAʻaliʻi can be seen growing both within the predator-proof fences and beyond. Therefore, I encourage you to look for it when visiting Keahiakawelo (Garden of the Gods), just past Kānepuʻu.
This is where the short 0.1-mile (0.2 km) loop returns back to the beginning.
Native Plants in the Kānepuʻu Preserve
I think it’s important to mention that the dry forest plants along the publicly accessible Kānepuʻu Interpretive Trail are only some of the many native Hawaiian plants that volunteers work to protect, as the Kānepuʻu Preserve spans a much larger landscape that requires continuous efforts to manage compared to the small Kānepuʻu Trail.
That said, please consider donating to the Nature Conservancy if you enjoyed your time at Kānepuʻu, as they are the organization responsible for overseeing the protection and preservation of Kānepuʻu’s native dryland forests.
On a different note, this article discussed some of what I know about Hawaiʻi’s native plants. However, I still wanted to include this section at the end to say: if you’d like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
