Plant Species

Mehamehame is one of Hawaiiʻs largest native trees, reaching heights of up to 100 feet. It is critically endangered due to habitat loss and other threats. HOʻOMAU RANCH hosts some of the remaining individuals, making conservation efforts here vital for the species' survival. Mehamehame, the Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) is represented in Hawaiʻi by 21 endemic and 22 naturalized species. The critically endangered Mehamehame (Flueggea neowawraea) tree is one of the largest and rarest trees in Hawaiʻi. It grows to almost 100 feet tall with a trunk over six feet in diameter (Wagner et al., 1999).  (picture with scale pg 19 in FSP)  The mixed mesic forest in Martine paddock includes the northernmost, wettest, and highest elevation section of known range for Mehamehame in the South Kona population. In the last year, cuttings from both trees on Hoʻomau Ranch and fruit from the female have been collected by botanists with the Hawaiʻi Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP).

‍