Rare Plant Main

Island of Hawai`i

Plant Habitat Management
Exclosure Maintenance
Natural Area Reserves, Hawai`i
Puuwaawaa

Plant Survey's and Inventories
S. Kona Forest Reserve

Plant Population Management
Plant Restoration and Enhancement, T&E, C, and SOC Outplanting

Plant Habitat Management
Exclosure Maintenance, Hawaii

Objectives: Maintain rare plant exclosures to ensure the survival of the existing plants.

Grant Relationship to Other Projects: The maintenance of these exclosures protects the last remaining wild Kokio trees. These seeds are used for propagating seedlings for out planting in Section 6 Project EPRE 11, Plant Restoration and Enhancement, Threatened & Endangered species, Candidate species and Species of Concern (SOC).

Performance: Kokio I and II Exclosures; Uhiuhi I, II and III Exclosures, Uhiuhi I Exclosure, and Hibiscus Exclosure - These exclosures were maintained by doing quarterly fence inspections and repairing as needed to keep the fences ungulate proof. Trees and brush were removed along the fence lines as needed to keep them from falling on the fence. Fence alignments were also maintained using a combination of herbicide, and weed eating. Fountain grass and other weeds were maintained in and around the exclosure using a combination of weed eating and herbicide. Fuel breaks were maintained to protect the exclosure from fires that may originate from the outside. These were maintained with a combination of herbicide and weedeaters.

Plant Habitat Management
Natural Area Reserves, Island of Hawaii

Objectives: Protection and enhancement of these ecosystems will be provided for a broad range of rare species by fencing, noxious weed and animal control, and enhancing plant populations via outplanting.

Performance: Below is a table, which includes a list of rare elements and those that we outplanted. Also included in the list is which species we collected propagules for and those we did not. Those that we didn't collect from either did not seed this year or our timing of collection was not correct.
We continued to work on our ongoing fencing projects. Pu`u o `Umi and Kipahoehoe fence projects are moving ahead as scheduled. Ungulate control in the Wright road unit of Pu`u Maka`ala is ongoing and the Lava Flow unit in Pu`u Maka`ala was declared ungulate free. Ungulate control is ongoing in Manuka, but the pigs and mouflon are down to remnant numbers.
Weed control is always ongoing as usual. Maintaining existing roads, fencelines, and trails always takes time and manpower to maintain. Expanding into other areas and controlling new target species and incipient species is a never- ending must. Major advances were made in Manuka this year combating fountain grass. A week with the EMWP field crew enabled us to do a complete sweep of 1,000 acres of lower Manuka. We continue to do spray- ball activities and sweep more remote areas of the reserve.

TABLE 1: Rare Plant Species of the Island of Hawaii's Natural Area Reserve System
Scientific Name Collections made Status Out-planted

E- Endangered Species
C- Candidate Species
SOC- Species of Concern

Plant Habitat Management
Puuwaawaa, Hawaii

Objectives: Promote, enhance and restore the natural communities, ecosystems, and endangered elements of Puuwaawaa through regular maintenance of ungulate proof fences, noxious plant control, collection of seeds and cuttings from depleted rare plant species for propagation at the Volcano Rare Plant Facility, outplanting of propagated material and maintenance of outplant sites.

Performance:
1. Maintain and expand ungulate proof fences: In FY05 we maintained the fences around four different outplanting sites at the Puuwaawaa Forest Bird Sanctuary, at the sanctuary Cabin, and at the Delissea exclosure at Waihou.
2. Noxious plant control: Weedy grass species were controlled in two outplanting sites (Sanctuary Cabin and Delissea exclosure) using periodic applications of the herbicide glyphosate. Additionally, 6 two-acre blocks of Kikuyu grass were sprayed in the Waihou enclosure to ready the site for a direct seeding experiment with common natives from the area scheduled for November 2005.
3. Collection of seeds and cuttings: Seeds and/or cuttings were collected from seven of the 18 plant species listed as either endangered, candidate endangered or species of concern (SOC) that are known from the area on the list that was attached to this project description.
4. Outplanting of propagated material: In FY05 534 endangered individuals of ten species and 452 plants of 19 common species were outplanted in the Delissea and Sanctuary Cabin exclosures.
5. Maintenance of outplant sites: Monthly or bimonthly grass control and hand weeding conducted around outplanted species. Census of surviving outplants conducted and completed in early FY05 for the Delissea and Sanctuary Cabin exclosures.

Additional Information: Hawaii District Botanist maintains quarterly accomplishment reports on numbers of outplantings, species collected, and other tasks accomplished at Puuwaawaa during fiscal year 2005.

Plant Surveys and Inventories
South Kona Forest Reserve, Hawaii

Objectives: Conduct botanical surveys in Kaohe 1-3, Olelomoana 2, Opihihali 1 & 2, and Kukuiopae of the South Kona Forest Reserve for rare and endangered plant species, map their distributions, frequencies, and collect (when available) voucher specimens and fruit for tissue culture and genetic diversity for ex situ propagation at the Volcano Rare Plant Facility.

Performance: Botanical surveys were conducted in Olelomoana 2, Opihihali 1 & 2, and Kukuiopae of the South Kona Forest Reserve totaling some 40-person days in the field. To date we have documented a new population of the endangered Cyanea hamatiflora ssp. carlsonii, numbering 22 individuals thus far and have collected propagules from four plants in this population. Additionally we have documented 43 individuals of the endangered Cyanea stictophylla in Kukuiopae and Opihihali/Olelomoana and have collected propagules from 8 wild plants. We have documented the location of 20 of the endangered Clermontia lindseyana and collected propagules from one wild plant. A map of all the known rare plant species from the South Kona Forest Reserve has been created and is a work in progress. A quarter acre exclosure was constructed in FY04 next to the Kukuiopae Cabin. Sixty-eight individuals of five species of uncommon plants collected in South Kona Forest Reserve were outplanted in FY04. A proposed nine-acre exclosure has been mapped out on the ground and will be built in the near future if funding is available in order to protect outplanted individuals of rare plants known from South Kona Forest Reserve. Emergency temporary fences were constructed at four locations where the endangered Cyanea platyphylla is present. Twelve person days were spent surveying the Kaohe 1-3 section of the South Kona Forest Reserve. We documented seven new individuals of the endangered Cyanea stictophylla and one location of Phyllostegia ambigua, a rare native mint. Propagules from the Phyllostegia ambigua were taken to the Volcano Rare Plant Facility for eventual reintroduction to the Kukuiopae Section of the Forest Reserve. Supplies for a water catchment structure (water tanks, lumber and roofing) were procured in FY05 and we hope to have them installed in FY06 adjacent to the Kukuiopae Shelter.
Other tasks accomplished under this activity code: Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve: At the Tom's Trail site, a four acre enclosure was built with the assistance of the Kulani Inmate Fence Crew around a population of the endangered Cyanea platyphylla. To date propagules have been collected from four founders of Cyanea platyphylla, four founders of Phyllostegia floribunda (SOC), four founders of Platydesma remyi, one founder of Stenogyne scrophularioides, and two founders of Pritchardia beccariana. Outplanting of these individuals will be conducted in FY06. Control of Palm grass (Setaria palmifolia) using Round-up herbicide occurred on two dates in FY05. Elsewhere in Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve, propagules from the endangered Cyanea shipmanii were collected and given to the Volcano Rare Plant Facility for propagation.

Due to the constraints of legal vehicular access, minimum survey time was spent in Kaohe 1-3. The lack of vehicular access also hampered our attempts to spend much time in the Opihihali section of the forest reserve that required a great deal of hiking to access.

Additional Information: Hawaii District Botanist maintains maps, files and other information on the specific location and status of rare plants and propagules collected and outplanted because of these surveys.

Plant Restoration and Enhancement, T&E, C, and SOC Outplanting

Objectives: The objective of this project is to secure and restore endangered Hawaiian plants by using genetic management, plant propagation, and reintroductions to increase numbers and stabilize populations. Genetic integrity will be maintained for each taxon by collecting propagules from diverse sources and populations.

Performance:
Project 1 - Mauna Kea Silversword- Seed Collection, Propagation and Outplanting
Objective: Establish new colonies of the Mauna Kea Silversword outside existing exclosures within its former range. - The existing populations were monitored for flowering. Seeds were collected from 3 different flowering out plants this year. No wild plants flowered this year. Seedlings are grown at the Volcano Rare Plant Facility and at the DOFAW nurseries in Hilo and Pohakuloa. This year we out planted 1138 Mauna Kea silverswords; 350 out planted at the Hale Pohaku exclosure, 288 planted at site 8, 500 out planted at site 12. We also repaired several holes in the exclosure fence.
Project 2 - Vicia menziesii- Seed Collection, Propagation and Outplanting
Objective: Increase the number of Vicia menziesii plants within two Vicia exclosures.
We did not meet our objective this year, no out plants were put back in to the exclosures due to lack of material. We did monitor the existing populations for flowering and fences were checked and maintained. Volcano Rare Plant Facility is raising cuttings for us that hopefully will be available for out planting next year.
Project 3 - Uhiuhi, Kokio and Kauila- Seed Collection, Propagation and Outplanting
Objective: Establish 50 individuals of each species in Puuwaawaa and Makaula Ooma. - We outplanted 59 Kauila, 55 Kokio and 65 Uhiuhi in Makaula Ooma and Puuwaawaa and monitored the existing populations for flowering and seeding. We collect these seeds when they are ready and use them for future out planting. Extra time and money were needed to perform weed control in the planting areas due to above average rainfall in the Makaula O'oma area.
Project 4 - Kau Silversword- Seed Collection, Propagation and Outplanting
Objective: Out plant 1000 Kau silversword in to 11 exclosures across the Big Island. The existing populations were monitored for flowering. Seeds were collected seeds from wild populations in Kahuku and from the Upper Waiakea bog population to be used for this project. Seedlings are grown at the Volcano Rare Plant Facility and at the DOFAW nurseries. This year we out planted 879 Kau silverswords in three different locations, the Pig Hunter's Bog in Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve (FR) from Waiakea bog stock, the Kapapala Silversword exclosure in Kapapala FR (from Kapapala FR stock), and around the Ainapo Trail Shelter in Kapapala FR (from Kahuku stock). Additionally, we mapped out a potential expansion of the Pig Hunter's bog exclosure in Upper Waiakea FR reasoning that this site will be suitable for our outplanted population of Upper Waiakea FR silversword stock, keeping the Upper Waiakea bog site purely as a wild population. We hope to construct the expanded bog exclosure during FY06.
Discuss differences between expected and actual expenditures: This year we did not reach our goal of 1000 outplanted seedlings for this project. We chose to concentrate our efforts in the enclosures where we have had the greatest success and since the National Park has been planting thousands of Kau Silverswords from all known wild founders, we felt it was better if we concentrated our efforts to equalize founder representation in the Kapapala outplanted population. We did assist the National Park Service and Kulani Correctional Facility with some of their silversword outplanting effort during the fiscal year.
Project 5 Cyanea hamatiflora - Seed Collection, Propagation and Out planting
Seedlings were grown at the Volcano Rare Plant Facility and at the DOFAW nurseries in Waimea and Pohakuloa. We outplanted 644 Cyanea hamatiflora, 564 in Honomalino and 80 in Honuaula Forest Reserve. We also collected seed from 8 plants in the Honuaula exclosures and from 2 wild plants in the Kukuiopae FR area. We monitored the existing populations for flowering and seeding. We collect these seeds when they are ready and use them for future out planting. We herbicided planting areas in our exclosures for future out planting sites. We maintain existing plants by weeding and maintaining fences.
Discuss differences between expected and actual expenditures: We expended more money than in the project proposal due to an abundance of material for this project. Good germination and seedling survival at our Waimea Nursery allowed us to significantly increase our outplanting this year. We also constructed a new 9-acre exclosure in Honomalino for future outplantings.

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