On a seed gathering trip, a group of conservationists have found a species of trees that has been believed to be extinct since 1992. Thus, many teams and groups from the same organization went back to that same area and planted about 30 seedlings from the fruits of the extinct plant. This grew hope that this species of trees may recover to repopulate the Hawaiian islands. The Delissea argutidentata is one of the only two remaining species of the Delissea genus, which is a Hawai’i native that has lost 14 other species.

“We need both—healthy native ecosystems and every one of our rare species. They are critically important to our Hawaiian cultural identity and our health and well-being as a people.” KS Senior Natural Resources Manager Amber Nāmaka Whitehead said.

This extinct tree with a palm-like appearance belongs to a family known as the Hawai’ian lobelioids. They can grow up to be 35 feet tall; they have a thick head of long narrow leaves. They used to grow and be found under giant koa trees located in volcanic crates. The Three Mountain Alliance (TMA) is an organization whose work is to repopulate endangered Hawai’ian trees/plant species. They found out about the extinct tree through a survey on Kamehameha School’s land, a private school in Honolulu. Later on, they proceeded to propagate about 30 seedlings in their Volcano Rare Plant Facility.

To protect their project, the team had fenced off the area until February of 2022. Later on, they returned to the area to harvest more fruits a second time, only to discover two new seeds were growing. The rest got shipped off to additional security.

“Kamehameha Schools has been successful at stewarding native ecosystems as a whole, but what’s really exciting is that this is the first step toward a much bigger focus on rare species recovery,” Whitehead stated.

A news station “Maui Now” reports that there are no official Hawaiian names for the plants, even though the plant has similarities with the Hawaiian Lobelias. The Cyanea could have also been called Hāhā.

“We need both—healthy native ecosystems and every one of our rare species. They are critically important to our Hawaiian cultural identity and our health and well-being as a people.” says Whitehead.

“Rediscovery of Delissea is such an important message of hope…In Hawai’i, there is often much focus on loss: loss of species, forest, sacred places—and maybe that is human nature but the Delissea reminds us to always nurture and make room for hope and discovery,” TMA Coordinator Colleen Cole said.

Out of the 16 recognized species of Delissea, 14 are officially extinct, and the only remaining two are extremely endangered. The rediscovery of the Delissea argutidentata has brought elation over its survival, but it also has underscores the need for partnerships when protecting biodiversity.