Preservation Efforts | Alani Seed Recipients - Research Reports
Wiliwili Preservation | Mapping Project & Arboretum Inventory | Seed Conservation Notes
Research - Preservation Efforts
| FOFA has restored the infrastructure and health of the D.T. Fleming Arboretum: propagating out-planting and distributing its seeds throughout Hawai`i for the survival of Hawai`i’s rare native species and the restoration of Maui’s native dry-land forests. The Arboretum continues to expand, out-planting larger populations of existing rare species for genetic diversity and enhanced cross pollination, as a valuable seed bank for preservation. New species are out-planted for a more complete collection of Maui’s dry-land forest species, restoring the native habitat of Pu`u Mahoe.
“It is expected native wildlife, such as birds and insects, will arrive and use the new biodiversity at the Arboretum.
This will allow us to conserve not only the plants, but the function of the ecosystem.”
— Dr. Fern Duvall, wildlife biologist for Maui Nui
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| N.Robert Wagstaff, nationally acclaimed wildlife artist [www.wagstaffdesign.com], has donated his images for our website
to illustrate some of the native wildlife seen at the Fleming Arboretum. |
Pueo, the Hawaiian Owl ( Asio flammeus sandwichensis), is an `Aumakua or guardian spirit in Hawaiian culture. It is good luck to have a Pueo cross your path |
Blackburn Butterfly (Udara blackburnii) is one of the only two butterflies native to Hawai`i. It is blue to blue-purple, hard to distinguish from a small moth until it lands, its wings held upright as do butterflies, showing the lime green under its wings. (Hint: upper right.)
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`Amakihi (Loxoos vivens). First you hear the “tseet,” then you see branches moving. It is a yellow-green bird with a slightly curved beak searching for fruit, nectar and insects, an endemic honeycreeper.
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Kamehameha Butterfly ( Vanessa temeamea). “If there is Mamaki, there will be the Kam-ehameha Butterfly,” both native to Hawaii. The caterpillars feed on the leaves at night. Mamaki is a shrub traditionally used for making tapa and medicine. |
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| MAY 2007
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Currently threre are only 2 mature Alani (Melicope knudsenii) in existence -
one grows wild in Maui's Auwahi Forest,
the other grows at Pu'u Mahoe in the D.T. Fleming Arboretum.
The Pu'u Mahoe Alani is the only one that has produced viable seeds.
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Photos of the two Alani seedlings outplanted into Auwahi on May 26, 2007 |
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JULY 2007
ARBORETUM HEALTH-SUMMARY REPORT
by Martha Vockrodt-Moran
The health of the Arboretum trees have improved since Project Mulch in 2006.
Leaf annalysis in 2007 indicated,tho mulch has many benefits, mulch may not provide all nutrients needed if there are nutrient deficiencies in the soil.
Curled, deformed leaves on the Alani suggested some deficiency of a trace element.Insects were ruled out.
The soil test of arboretum soil shows soil "moderately low" in calcium, sulfur, potasium and "low" in zinc.
Thanks to the excellent advice of Ernest Rezents, Maui's lead horticulturalist, gypsum was top-dressed to all Arboretum trees in April, supplying calcium and sulfur.
We were fortunate to have a light rains that week to water in the gypsom. Within only a week, new leaves grew from the Alani, the Alani seedlings and other species in the Arboretum.They were amazingly large, green and showed no deformity.
In 2004, gypsum had been applied to the Alani for curled leaves. It helped. With the obvious positive effect of calcium and sulfur, therefore deficiency, once again in 2007, we plan to top dress gypsum annually.
Ernest also suggested to feed the Arboretum trees with a slow release ,low phosphorus fertilizer to correct the low nitogen, potasium and zinc. He advised to apply this a couple months after the gypsum application since calcium and phosphorus confict with each other.
In July, all Arboretum trees have been top dressed with slow-release, low-phosphorus fertilizer that includes nitrogen, zinc and potasium.
We hope for a strong healthy flowering this winter for a great crop of seed of our rare species for propagation and distribution.
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Photo by Duane Sparkman
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Photo by Duane Sparkman |
Preservation Efforts by the Auwahi Restoration Group. Photo on the left of outplanting into the 20-acre enclosure in Auwahi, November 2006. Photo on right is taken 6 months later, May 2007.
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| July 2006
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| Richard Nakagawa grafted 4 Alani scions from Pu'u Mahoe onto Alani seedlings, using the step-graft method. We hope to supply both Auwahi and Pu'u Mahoe's D.T Fleming Arboretum with young trees of the Pu'u Mahoe Alani.
This project is research to see how easily the Melicope takes to grafting, and also practice for successful grafting with Auwahi Alani scions.
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| June 2005
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| Following are Rare and Endangered species of South Maui in the Fleming Arboretum. At this time we are out-planting into the Arbotetum larger populations of each of these species for stronger genetics and good cross-pollination. The goal is for the Arboretum to be a strong seed-bank for these species. (* denotes species at this time producing seed for propagation and distribution)
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- A'e-Zanthoxylum hawaiiense-Endangered
- * Alani-Melicope knudsenii-Endangered
- *'Awikiwiki-Canavalia pubescens-Canidate
- * Bonamia menziesii-Endangered
- * Holei-Ochrosia haleakalae-Canidate
- 'Iliahi-Santalum freycinetianum-Endangered
- * Kamanomano-Cenchrus agrimonioides-Endangered
- Kauila-Colubrina oppositifolia-Endangered
- * Kauila-Alphitonia ponderosa-Endangered[?]
- Kului-Nototrichium humile-Endangered
- Mahoe-Alectryon macrococcus-Endangered
- * Ma'o hauhele-Hibiscus brackenridgei[Puu Kali]- Endangered
- * Nehe-Melanthera kamolensis-Endangered
- 'Ohai-Sesbania tomentosa-Endangered
- * Stenogyne angustifolia-Endangered
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The endangered Alani (Melicope knudsenii) the last viable
tree in existence. For preservation of the species, time is critical.
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Preservation Efforts Of the Alani
| June 4, 2005
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At this time there are 8 Alani seedlings planted in the Fleming Arboretum
and, and, 8 in Auwahi next to the only other Alani
and the last in the wild. All were propagated from Pu'u Mahoe Alani seed.
Click for articles appearing in the The Maui News or Honolulu
Star-Bulletin announcing this grand event.
Hopefully in the near future there will be
seedlings from both Auwahi and Pu'u Mahoe trees for cross-pollination to avoid inbreeding.
Distribution is also important for survival. We invite any of Hawaii's arboretums
as well
other qualified recipients to plant Alani seedlings. The best planting locations would be plantings on the island's
leeward side at the approximate elevation of the existing trees (2600
to 3500 ft).
From the Big Island: Peter Van Dyke of the Greenwell Arboretum at Capt
Cook and Ailene Yeh from the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center in Hilo
have seedlings to distribute. Most likely seedlings not planted on the
Big Isle will be will be hand- carried to Maui via air plane. |
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| September 22, 2004
Request for Annual Research Report
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| Alani Seed Recipients:
The website www.flemingarboretun.org was created, most
importantly, to share research efforts of the Alani – Melicope knudsenii.
Your research info will streamline future propagation efforts.
It has been a year since 1,200 seeds were mailed to thirty
of Hawaii’s top nurseries and research labs along with two leading
labs in the USA, the University of Kentucky and the USDA Seed Storage
Lab in Colorado. I hope all seed recipients will take the time to email
their annual report to the website sharing your propagation efforts.
Please include:
- propagation methods germination time percent germination
- fertilizers fungicides insecticides
As well as problems and your solutions with growing seedlings, condition
and number of seedlings today. Digital photos and future plans for seedling
would also be interesting.
August was harvest for mature Alani seed. We harvested
350 seeds compared to 1,200 last year. The wind took many young seed in
January. Then in June, many premature seed dropped from the tree……..possibly
due to the unusual and extreme wet summer months.
Hopefully, the rest will help the Alani with a prolific year in 2005.
Meanwhile, we have seed to mail out. Please express your interest. Looking
forward to your updated information in the website. Email to: research@dtflemingarboretum.org
along with seed requests.
At this time there are five (5) Alani seedlings outplanted
into the Fleming Arboretum. Anna Palomino of Hoolawa Farms and Dan Judson
of Orchids of Olinda have proved the possibility of success. (See website
for reports.)
I am hoping for more seedlings planted into the arboretum,
as well as outplantings into fenced enclosures in Auwahi. These enclosures
are managed by the Native Plant Society and the Auwahi Reforestation Project.
Please let me know if you have seedlings available.
Thank you for your time, care, nursery space, and contributing
your expertise to this important mission….to keep the Alani – Melicope knudsenii from extinction.
Sincerely,
Martha Vockrodt-Moran,
President, FOFA
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| December 9, 2003
Notification of website to seed recipients
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David Moran harvests Alani seeds with a pole picker (August '03).
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Alani Seed Recipients:
A website
has been created, www.flemingarboretum.org, which, among other things,
will be used to collaborate the ongoing propagation research of the Alani
Melicope knudsenii. Please E-mail your propagation efforts and findings
to research@dtflemingarboretum.org so it can be posted.
I hope
all Alani seed recipients will participate. I hope methods, experiments,
problems and concerns, failures and successes with natural propagation
will be documented. The research information should cover from mature
seed to strong seedling ready to outplant.
Not until 2003 has there been enough mature seed to distribute
to so many qualified recipients. Time is critical. It appears that 2004
will not be such a prolific year for Alani seed. I am hoping this website
will streamline future propagation efforts. I would appreciate any suggestions
to make this website a success.
Our
website www.flemingarboretum.org will carry the Friends of the DT Fleming
Arboretum newsletter in color, feature work of photographers (photos@dtflemingarboretum.org)
and most importantly centralize propagation research of the Alani. Please
E-mail your reports to (research@dtflemingarboretum.org).
Past
germination has taken six months. This year’s seedlings are emerging
in three months! Damping off may be the biggest problem at this time.
Systemic fungicides and fungicide drenches have been used to grow the
seedlings out of this vulnerable state. Hopefully, future research on
humidity, light, temperature, soil and mycorrhizas will succeed on growing
the Alani naturally.
We have
the best botanists, nurserymen and researchers in Hawaii participating
in this project, as well as researchers at the University of Kentucky
and at the USDA Seed Storage Laboratory in Fort Collins. I am hoping this
website will be a valuable aid and inspiration for success.
We look
forward to receiving your reports. Please E-mail them to (research@dtflemingarboretum.org)
so they can be posted on the website.
Sincerely,
Martha Vockrodt-Moran
D.T. Fleming Arboretum |
| August 2003
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Letter mailed out with seed harvest
There is one viable Alani, Melicope knudsenii,
in existence. It is growing in the D.T. Fleming Arboretum. There are ten
seedlings from 2002 propagation efforts, five from micro-propagation and
five from natural mature seed propagation. Nellie Sugii, of Lyon Arboretum's
Micro-propagation Lab, has received shipments of green seeds this year
at different stages of development, experimenting with the best age for
micro-propagation. Nellie has reported that the seeds this year are especially
strong and viable.
There should be some success stories in propagation
efforts with three times last year's harvest at approximately 1200 mature
seeds. Mature seeds have been mailed to 16 nurseries throughout the Hawaiian
Islands, as well as to the University of Kentucky for germination experiments
and to the USDA Seed Storage Lab in Fort Collins, Colorado for seed storage
research. Propagation methods will be documented and information on successes,
as well as failures, shared. This information will help guide future propagation
efforts.
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