Rare seeds stolen from nature preserve
By Jan TenBruggencate and Tim Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writers
A botanical thief ripped off a bumper crop of seeds from an endangered na'u, or Hawaiian gardenia, growing in the Kanepu'u Preserve on Lana'i.
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i
Conservation officials suspect that the thief has a botanical background, since the tree, which no longer had flowers on it, would have been difficult for a layman to identify. The tree is in an obscure location within a fenced dryland forest.
Of the very few na'u still left in the wild, one of the most prolific plants was stripped of its pods.
The na'u tree was the best seed-producer of the species on the island and had generated its biggest crop of seed pods in the past four years.
At least 150 pods, each containing up to 200 seeds, were taken, said Brian Valley, Lana'i field coordinator for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i.
Na'u are among the most stunning of Hawaiian native plants. Their leaves are shiny and dark green, and their fragrant flowers are smaller than their common cousins, the Tahitian gardenias used in landscaping.
But na'u are exceedingly rare.
"This loss is a major blow to the ongoing survival of this plant, and to outplanting and restoration efforts on Lana'i," said Alenka Remec, conservation projects director for the conservancy.
The theft is also a setback for other organizations and groups among some of the seeds were going to be distributed.
The tree is one of only 10 left in the wild on Lana'i and one of fewer than 20 in the wild statewide. Besides the Lana'i trees, there is a single tree on Moloka'i and there are several on O'ahu.
Valley said the Kanepu'u tree flowered profusely last year. The seed pods, which take nine to 10 months to mature, were just about ready for propagation. He checked them June 11 but when he returned for a follow-up look Monday, all the pods were gone.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating the theft, which is a violation of state law. Endangered plants can be sold in Hawai'i, but only with the department's permission and only when they are reproduced from specimens grown in gardens.
Seeds may not be taken from the wild without a collection permit.
The Kanepu'u Preserve is considered one of the finest remaining examples of native dryland forest in all of Hawai'i, in part because early Lana'i rancher George Munro fenced the area nearly a century ago.
While those fences have fallen into disrepair, they preserved much of the habitat. The area was refenced by volunteers and others starting in 1970 and is now managed by The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i.
