Hibiscadelphus distans

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Hibiscadelphus distans
Hibiscadelphus distans growing in Limahuli Garden and Preserve
Conservation status
Critically endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Genus: Hibiscadelphus Species: H. distans
Binomial name
Hibiscadelphus distans

Hibiscadelphus distans (Hawaiian hau kuahiwi) is one of the world's rarest trees and can only be found on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

H. distans is a shrub or small tree up to 18 feet tall with smooth bark and a rounded crown. It is found within low to mid-elevations, between 1,000 to 1,800 feet in highly degraded native dryland forests that receive full sun in summer with no direct sun in winter. The substrate is basaltic bedrock overlain by dry, crumbly red-brown soil.

There are only two known naturally occurring populations with an estimated total of 80 to 200 trees. The original population, found in 1972, was located within the State-owned Na Pali Kona Forest Reserve, Koaie Canyon. In 1989, this population was destroyed by a landslide. Three botanical gardens in Hawaii have cultivated this plant species: National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai, and Waimea Valley Audubon Center and Lyon Arboretum on Oahu.