Māla Lā’au Hawai’i

Aloha kākou, my name is Cory with Māla Lā’au Hawai’i. We are a Hawai'i native plant nursery in Pahoa on the East side of Hawai'i Island. If you know me, you know everything I do is for the mea kanu ōiwi! After working in the nursery/landscape industry for over 10 years and having an educational background in environmental conservation, it was a no-brainer to start a native plant nursery. Mea Kanu 'Ōiwi (native plants) need our help in any way, shape, or form. Māla Lā’au Hawai’i is here to help perpetuate native plant species and educate the community about their cultural and ecological significance. 

Mea kanu ōiwi need our help in any way, shape, or form. When we look around, especially in people's yards, we don't see mea kanu ōiwi. It's becoming harder and harder to see native species. There are over 1,400 plant species native to Hawai’i. 90% of those plants are endemic, meaning they are found in Hawai’i and only Hawai’i. This is why Hawai’i is considered the native species capital of the world.  It unfortunately is considered the endangered species capital of the world too. Over 100 species have already gone extinct and over 200 species have fewer than 50 individuals left in the wild. Human development, habitat loss, introduction of invasive species, climate change, basically everything is stacking up against the survival of our native flora and fauna. Hawai’i has changed so drastically from its natural state at such a rapid rate, the plants and animals have not had a chance to adapt. It's an uphill battle, but we can all help by starting at home in our garden, our māla. 

Native Hawaiian plants and Hawaiian culture are deeply intertwined. Early Hawaiians were exceptional botanists, and were the first people to identify and classify Hawaiʻi’s flora and fauna. Botanists today comment on how accurate the Hawaiians were at classifying species. Hawaiians not only classified these plants but also discovered countless uses for them. Plants were essential in every aspect of life, from medicine (lāʻau lapaʻau) to construction, tools, weaving, clothing, lei-making, hula, and more. If Hawaiians gave a plant a name, it meant that plant had a recognized purpose or significance. Importantly, Hawaiians also honored and cherished these plants, recognizing them as gifts from nature. I want to keep this pilina, relationship with mea kanu ‘ōiwi alive and well. I want to provide the community with native plants, and for everyone to have a māla lā’au Hawai’i