Native Species Planted at Lili‘uokalani Botanical Garden

Following a weekend celebrating Arbor Day in Hawaiʻi, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation’s Division of Urban Forestry (DUF) is proud to announce a new partnership with the School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability (SEEQS) to plant and care for native plants and trees at Lili‘uokalani Botanical Garden near Downtown Honolulu.

Today three dozen SEEQS keiki and teachers joined botanical garden staff to plant a wide variety of native and “canoe” ground cover, shrubs, and trees (“canoe” referencing the plants introduced by Native Hawaiians hundreds of years ago), including: ‘Ohi‘a, Ma‘o, Ilima, Pia, Pa‘u o Hi‘iaka, Koali‘awa, Ahinahina, Koki‘o‘ula‘ula, Ko, Ulei, Ma‘o, Kulu‘i, Awa, Naupaka kahakai, Lysimachia, Koki‘o, Manele, Hao, Alahe‘e, Hau’ula, Papala Kepau, Ho‘awa.

“We are so grateful to involve a group of young, motivated keiki to help steward this botanical garden which focuses on native Hawaiian plants in honor of Queen Lili‘uokalani,” said Joshlyn Sand, Director of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens. “Not only are the kids getting real-world experience on how to properly care for native plants, they are learning about the importance of giving back to their community. We have seen time and time again that getting the youth involved in this process strengthens their relationships with the urban forest and helps foster an appreciation for the natural environment at a critical age.”  

While Arbor Day Hawaiʻi is celebrated in November, we give appreciation to trees year-round and firmly believe in planting the right tree, in the right location, at the right time. Anyone planting trees on O‘ahu is encouraged to input that planting information into our tree planting map by visiting here.

Liliʻuokalani Botanical Garden is one of five botanical gardens operated by the City and County of Honolulu, and the only one primarily dedicated to propagating Native Hawaiian and canoe plants. It is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but is closed on Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1).

This partnership was made possible from support of the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program of the State of Hawai‘i’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service Region 5, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.