Brighamia insignia (Hawai’ian Palm)

Have you met an extinct species today??

Brighamia insignis, commonly known as Hawai'ian Palm, Signal Palm, or it's indigenous name of Alula, was once found only in specific parts of the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau in the US state of Hawai'i. Considered to be completely extinct in the wild since 2019, it is one of many species of plants and animals that are kept alive solely through the efforts of humans.

Brighamia is actually a member of the family Campanulaceae, which includes the beautiful scarlet Cardinal Flower that blooms in summer in moist places here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as the bright blue Balloon Flower often grown in borders and beds. While it isn't related to true Palms at all, it probably gets its name from the fact that each leaf leaves behind a leaf scar when it falls, looking much like the trunks of trimmed Palmetto or other Palms.

It is a caudex plant--meaning that it has a specialized water-storage organ (the caudex) at the base of the stem, just above the soil line. This serves as a reservoir to help the plant through dry spells, since its native habitat is in rocky volcanic soil in Hawai'i. In cultivation, these need to be grown in a porous, airy soil mix and watered a couple of times a week during their active growing cycle (Spring-Fall.)

The yellow blossoms smell like Honeysuckle and fortunately, it's fairly easy for us to pollinate them by hand in the greenhouse and allow them to set seed, which can be used to produce new specimens.

In the past, it was sadly not uncommon for zoos, botanical gardens, and private hobbyists to contribute to the extinction of species from the wild. Thankfully, we live in an era when those same organizations and individuals provide a lifeline to prevent the genetic material of rare species from being permanently erased from the earth. Many animals and especially plants (thanks to the marvels of in-vitro tissue culture) are far more plentiful in cultivation than in the wild. And when institutions and individuals breed new specimens and exchange them with others, they insure genetic diversity and the continuation of these marvels of Creation!