The Limahuli Garden and Preserve is a and on the north shore of Kauai island,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. It is one of the five gardens of the non-profit

National Tropical Botanical Garden The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida. History I ...

Description

Limahuli lies within a tropical valley covering three distinct ecological zones. The Makana Mountain ridge looms behind, and the Limahuli Stream includes an waterfall on its descent from the valley's high end at to sea level just below the garden. The name comes from ''lima huli'' which means "turned hand" in the Hawaiian language. The garden contains a wide range of native and

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n-introduced plants, including kukui (''

Aleurites moluccana ''Aleurites moluccanus'', the candlenut, is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as candleberry, Indian walnut, ''kemiri'', varnish tree, ''nuez de la India'', ''buah keras'', ''godou'', kukui nut tree, and ''rata ke ...

''), banana, breadfruit, alula (''

Brighamia insignis ''Brighamia insignis'', commonly known as ''ʻŌlulu'' or ''Alula'' in Hawaiian, or colloquially as the vulcan palm or cabbage on a stick, is a endangered species of Hawaiian lobelioid in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae. It is native to t ...

''),

Paper Mulberry The paper mulberry (''Broussonetia papyrifera'', syn. ''Morus papyrifera'' L.) is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia,Charpentiera elliptica ''Charpentiera elliptica'', the ellipticleaf pāpala, is an endangered species of flowering tree in the family Amaranthaceae, endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United Stat ...

''), kī ('' Cordyline fruticosa''),

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

(''Curcuma domestica''), hāhā ('' Cyanea hardyi''), lama (''

Diospyros sandwicensis ''Diospyros sandwicensis'' is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It belongs to the same genus as both persimmons and ebony. Its common name, ''lama'', also means enlightenment in Hawaiian. ...

''),

vegetable fern ''Diplazium esculentum'', the vegetable fern, is an edible fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor f ...

(''Diplazium esculentum''), ginger, hau kuahiwi (''

Hibiscadelphus distans ''Hibiscadelphus distans'' (Kauai hau kuahiwi) is an extremely rare species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It is known as hau kuahiwi in Hawaiian, which means "upland ''Hibi ...

''),

hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

including kokio keokeo (''

Hibiscus waimeae ''Hibiscus waimeae'' (white Kauai rosemallow, haw, kokio keokeo, or ) is a species of flowering plant within the okra family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Etymology Hibiscus refers to the Greek word ''ibiscos ...

''), kava, koa (''

Acacia koa ''Acacia koa'' or commonly known as koa is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations are on Hawaii, Maui and Oahu. Name The name ...

''), nehe (''

Lipochaeta succulenta ''Lipochaeta succulenta'', the seaside nehe, is a plant endemic to all the main Hawaiian islands except Lanai. ''Lipochaeta succulenta'' is a perennial, clump-forming subshrub up to tall with lax, spreading stems that root at the nodes. Leave ...

''), ōhia lehua (''

Metrosideros polymorpha ''Metrosideros polymorpha'', the ''ōhia lehua'', is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations ...

''), pokulakalaka (''

Munroidendron racemosum ''Polyscias racemosa'', or false 'ohe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. As ''Munroidendron racemosum'', the species was until recently considered to be the only species in the monotypic genus ''Munroidendron''. With t ...

''), kului (''

Nototrichium divaricatum ''Nototrichium divaricatum'', also known as Na Pali rockwort or ''kuluī'' ( Hawaiian), is a rare perennial shrub in the pigweed family, Amaranthaceae, that is endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It can be found in the northwestern part o ...

''), hala (''

Pandanus tectorius ''Pandanus tectorius'' is a species of ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English incl ...

''), pāpala kēpau ('' Pisonia wagneriana''),

plumeria ''Plumeria'' (), known as frangipani, is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species variously are endemic to Mexico, Central America, and ...

, loulu ('' Pritchardia limahuliensis''), sugarcane,

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...

, and iliau (''

Wilkesia gymnoxiphium ''Wilkesia gymnoxiphium'' ( Hawaiian iliau), is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. ''Wilkesia'' is one of three genera, wit ...

''). It includes taro terraces (loi kalo) that date back to early Polynesian arrivals on the island. These were part of an ancient ahupuaʻa, a sophisticated land-management and food-production system. In 1997 Limahuli Garden was selected by the

American Horticultural Society The American Horticultural Society (AHS) is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that promotes excellence in American horticulture. It is headquartered at River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia. History Established in 1922, the AHS is one of ...

as the best natural botanical garden in the United States. In 2007, it received the top "Keep It Hawaii" award from the Hawaii Tourism Authority for its support of the Hawaiian culture, protection and development of Hawaiian knowledge by preservation of natural resources through research, hands-on work, and educational opportunities. Limahuli Garden is open to visitors. An admission fee is charged. The preserve area is not open to the public. It is inland from the

Haʻena State Park Hāena State Park is a state park on the north shore of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is often called the "end of the road" and marks the endpoint of the Kuhio Highway. The park provides access to beaches, trails, and several ancient Hawai ...

and Kee beach off of Route 560 (near its western end) at . The preserve was established with donated by

Juliet Rice Wichman Juliet Rice Wichman (October 23, 1901November 5, 1987) was a Hawaiian conservationist, botanist, and author. Wichman worked to preserve Hawaiian culture, flora, and fauna through the creation of the Limahuli Garden and Preserve and through wri ...

in 1967 and extended by her grandson Charles "Chipper" Rice Wichman, who were descended from businessman

William Hyde Rice William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and missionary

William Harrison Rice William Harrison Rice (October 12, 1813 – May 26, 1862) was a missionary teacher from the United States who settled in the Hawaiian Islands and managed an early sugarcane plantation. Life William Harrison Rice was born on October 12, 1813, ...

. Mount Makana which rises above Limahuli Valley is sometimes called

Bali Ha'i "Bali Ha'i", also spelled "Bali Hai", is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific''. The name refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable, and was originally inspired by the sight of Am ...

, a name used in the 1958 film '' South Pacific'' which was filmed on location in the area.

References

External links

{{commons category, Limahuli Garden and Preserve
Limahuli Garden and Preserve'

National Tropical Botanical Garden
Botanical gardens in Hawaii Protected areas of Kauai Protected areas established in 1967 1967 establishments in Hawaii

Description

See also

References

External links