kokiʻo keʻokeʻo (Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 162512606

Conservation collections, genetic diversity study, outplanting, and breeding systems study of the critically endangered Hawaiian taxon, Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae

Congressionally chartered in 1964, the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving tropical plant diversity and curtailing the wave of extinction - through plant exploration, propagation, habitat restoration, scientific research, and education.

 

NTBG has made conservation of endangered and threatened flora its highest priority. Collecting and curating propagules from the rarest plants, including species on the Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP) list (which have 50 or fewer individuals remaining in the wild), provides material to grow these plants in the Garden's expansive native plant nurseries. Our nursery operations produce large quantities of native plant seedlings for ecological restoration projects not only in NTBG's gardens and preserves, but also on large public or private land tracts suitable for restoration.

 

The following are the specific components of the project: make robust conservation collections from wild populations of Critically Endangered Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae, use molecular tools to examine genetic diversity remaining in wild populations and how well ex situ collections represent that diversity, study the breeding system to assess self-compatibility, and conduct restoration outplantings. Research results and work of the project will contribute directly to the conservation of this taxon.