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Native plant experts estimate that over 90 percent of the plants that we see in O‘ahu’s urban landscapes are non-native. As a result, most residents can’t recognize the plants that used to define our unique Hawaiian landscape. Native plants are the exception even on the UH Mānoa campus. In the past, CTAHR instructors who teach Hawaiian natural history have not been able to show their students living ecosystems that illustrate the relationships among the native and endemic plants that once graced lower Mānoa Valley. Dr. Travis Idol, an assistant professor of tropical forestry in CTAHR’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM), spearheaded efforts to transform Sherman Courtyard into an outdoor classroom. Under the guidance of Roxanne Adams—UH Mānoa Grounds Manager and an expert in growing native Hawaiian plants—and the UH Landscape Advisory Committee, a new landscaping plan was developed to include an expanded collection of endemic and native plants. Dr. Andrew Kaufman, a landscape specialist in CTAHR’s Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences (TPSS), offered his expertise to refine the design. Plant species were chosen to help students conceptualize different native ecosystems. Funding was provided by NREM’s Renewable Resources Extension Program. The planting day became a hands-on service-learning opportunity for students enrolled in Jay Deputy’s Horticultural Practices class (TPSS 364). As part of their laboratory coursework, they carried out the landscaping installation. The Sherman Courtyard project provided them a unique opportunity to work with native trees and shrubs as part of their academic training. The efforts of the class were strongly reinforced by an energetic group of volunteers recruited from the NREM and Botany Departments. Of Hawai‘i’s 317 threatened and endangered species, 273 are plants, including several that are planted in the Sherman Courtyard educational garden. Many of these plants are threatened or endangered not because they are difficult to grow but because people choose not to plant them. For example, the koai‘a (Acacia koaia), often mistaken for a small koa, can grow well across the leeward side of O‘ahu. This beautiful tree is well adapted to dry areas and is recommended by the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply to help homeowners conserve water. It was culturally important to Hawaiians, who used the wood for such tools as kapa beaters, fishhooks, spears, and paddles. Koai‘a is often available during the November Arbor Day tree give-away at CTAHR’s Pearl City Urban Garden Center. The featured plant for Earth Day, Hibiscus kokio subsp. saintjohnianus, with its striking orange flowers and shrub-like form, also grows well in Hawai‘i’s home gardens. This plant is particularly appropriate for the native plant garden because the courtyard neighbors a campus building that, like the hibiscus, is named for one of Hawai‘i’s most beloved botanists, Harold St. John. Some of the plants found in the Sherman Courtyard are important to grow not because they are endangered but because they provide important food or habitat for Hawai‘i’s unique wildlife. For example, māmaki (Pipturus albidus) is an endemic plant native to the valleys and forests of most of our islands. Pulelehua (the native Kamehameha butterfly) feeds on its leaves, and native birds eat its berries. Māmaki tea is a favorite refreshing herbal beverage. Several of the courtyard natives can be easily grown in the home garden and used to make beautiful lei. The attractive shrub ‘a‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscosa) is prized by lei makers for its winged papery capsules colored red to burgundy. Delicate native ferns such as kupukupu (Nephrolepis cordifolia) and palapalai, which are highly valued for hula altars and personal adornment, grow in the understory of the ‘ōhi‘a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha). Look for the lei plant of O‘ahu—the ‘ilima (Sida fallax) —as well as the lesser known kulu‘ī, (Nototrichium sandwicense and N. humile ). The Blessing Ceremony at Sherman Courtyard begins at 10:00 a.m. on April 22 with a pule and recognition ceremony, followed by mini-tours of the courtyard plants given by faculty and students. Sample māmaki tea before journeying to UH Mānoa’s Sustainability Courtyard where CTAHR will host a “buy local” display from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., featuring samples and examples of Hawai‘i fruits, vegetables, coffee, and ‘awa. For information about this story, please contact Jody Smith, smithjos@hawaii.edu. FOR MORE INFORMATION Sherman Lab Courtyard Re-landscaping Project Website http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/nrem/courtyard.html Guide to Sherman Courtyard Native and Ecosystem Educational Garden http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/nrem/courtyard/factsheet.pdf Native Hawaiian Plants for Landscaping, Conservation, and Reforestation by Heidi L. Bornhorst and Fred D. Rauch http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/OF-30.pdf Growing Plants for Hawaiian Lei: 85 Plants for Gardens, Conservation, and Business http://www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/forsale/leiflier.pdf Plants for O‘ahu—Honolulu Board of Water Supply http://www.hbws.org/cssweb/display.cfm?sid=1360 |
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| Posted on March 22, 2005 |
