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Native Gardenia Tree at Kanepuu Preserve
Posted: November 27, 2007
The native gardenia, known as na’u or nanu in Hawaiian, once lived in the dry forests of all the major Hawaiian islands. Unfortunately, this endemic tree now is nearly extinct with only a handful of these endangered trees surviving in the wild today. Far more specimens live in botanic gardens than in the wild.
Here is a photo of a 15 foot high gardenia tree (Gardenia brighamii) with thick twisted branches at the 500 foot level of the Kahue Unit in Kanepuu Preserve on Lanai. Birds frequent this tree with several taking residence and building nests.
Here is a close-up of a bird nest hidden within the branches and green leaves of the gardenia tree.
Here is a close-up of a na’u flower about an inch across with orange lichen growing on its branches. Like other gardenias, na’u flowers have a nice frangrant.
Because dry forests have a desirable climate they are often targeted for resort, commercial, and residential development. As a result, less than 10% of dry forest remain today, and most of these are over-run by invasive species. Intact native dry forest are extremely rare today.