In The Garden
Rare pu‘uka‘a is now only on Oahu, Kauai
Pu'uka'a are beautiful sedges with long, graceful leaf blades that are narrow and light green in color. The plant will reach a height of a little over 3 feet. It sends out short rhizomes to form dense tufts, rather than long runners, so they don't spread too far. Within these long leaf blades emerge a tall stalk with several round clusters of spikelets (a cyperus form of flowers) on top, as seen in the photo. These attractive stalks stand above the rest of the plant.
This endangered species is endemic to Hawaii. Once found on the islands of Niihau, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu and Kauai, it is now believed to only exist on the latter two.
In the wild it is found in wetter areas, such as pond margins or seasonal marshes.
Landscape use and care: This plant can be placed in or around water features as well as in the soil, as long as it is watered regularly.
Pruning of dead leaves keeps it looking full and beautiful. It looks great when planted alongside rock features or as an accent combined with ground covers or other plants from which it can "burst" above. Pu'uka'a can also be added to dry floral arrangements to add flair.
Few pests bother this plant, but occasionally you might find some aphids on the new shoots. These can be taken care of simply by running your fingers up the leaf. Be careful, though, because the leaf blades are so slender that once they are bent and creased, they won't perk back up.
For a limited time this plant can be purchased at the Home Depot in Iwilei for about $9 -- cheap considering how rare the plant is.
Additional information: One of the few remnant populations of this plant was at a place called Kealakipapa, more commonly known as Allen Davis, or the place where everyone parks to hike to the Makapuu lighthouse. I say "was," because recently this area fell victim to a brush fire that burned about 50 acres of land, including the vernal pond where this plant grew with many other native plants. Hopefully this population has not become extinct.
Rick Barboza co-owns Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a native Hawaiian plant nursery, with Matt Schirman. Contact him at 295-7777 or e-mail Rick.CK.Barboza@gmail.com