ESC America's Top 10

General Information Nominating Organizations Please Use this Column to Provide the Requested Information Organization & web address Center for Plant Conservation - www.centerforplantconservation.org Contact name (for species info) Nellie Sugii Address Lyon Arboretum Email & phone sugii@hawaii.edu (808) 988-0470 Communications staff contact name Travis Mowers Email & phone [email protected] (314) 577-9541 General Species Information Nanu (Gardenia brighamii ) Common name, genus, and species http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=1994 Geographic range Hawaii, Lanai, Oahu, Molokai Conservation status Global Rank: G1 Federal Status: LE Remaining population size Six populations with 15 or fewer individuals. Report Questions Do you have high resolution photos that can be used in the report? Yes Will you want printed reports? If so how many? As many as we can have, but we do not have a budget to purchase copies this year.

Yes, we feature a link to the ESC's Top 10 report on the home page of our website. To help the conservation effort for this species: we will encourage the participating institution to highlight the ESC coverage and use it as a springboard to tell more about their own work with the species and their needs to get more done. In addition, we can use the coverage as a springboard to tell If your species is selected, will you use the report people how important this wild species is to horticulture for the beloved gardenia species in as a tool to organize around the species and/or horticulture, and its potential usefulness in the future. We and others can also use the publication publicize its plight? to reach out to potential funders for regional work in preserving and restoring habitat for the species, For general outreach: we include a link to the publication in our internal newsletter. We distribute the link to our conservation directory contacts. We circulate to trustees and partners and work to highlight the named institutions. The report can also be used to appeal to funders and it is possible that we would discuss the publication in future newsletters. Public Engagement Questions (Please explain why the species is interesting, why it matters, why decision-makers + the public should care.) Gardenia brighamii is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and at one time thought to have occurred on all of the main islands. It is a member of a beloved genus famed for its beauty and fragrance. Hawaiians cultural uses include making kua kuku (kapa anvils)and pou (house posts) from the wood, and the fruit yielded a yellow kapa dye. The white, fragrant flowers were used in lei. Judging from its use by the Hawaiians as a cloth dye, its habitat, associated species, and Interesting facts about the species distribution in the early 1900s, it was probably a relatively common member of the lowland dry forest. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was considered common on west Molokai and Maui, but already either extirpated or very rare on the other islands. Today, the total known wild individuals of Gardenia brighamii numbers less than 20 and are distributed among 6 populations on Oahu, Lanai and Molokai. Gardenia brighamii, the Hawaiian gardenia, is a close relative of the commonly cultivated Tahitian gardenia (Gardenia taitensis), beloved in the horticultural and floral trades, and this species is also in the horticultural trade in Hawaii. Gardenia brighamii is a small tree, which may grow up to 20 feet in height. The leaves are oval-shaped, shiny and dark green. The solitary flowers are white and very fragrant. In the 1990s there were three populations on Oahu. One was consumed by fire, one was choked out by weeds, insects and drought, and one remains. The last Molokai tree Additional background information to complete was affected by all of these threats, but conservationists were able to save cuttings of that tree the species profile in the report and from Oahu populations. There are still 12 plants on Lanai that are imperiled by all of the threats. http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=1994 http://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/gardenia_brighamii http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/flora/higardenia.html https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=GABR# http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr1002.pdf http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=Q1WJ ESC America's Top 10

Gardenia brighamii is affected by human land use practices. Losing this species will be a emblematic of the loss of the lowland dry forest habitat. (Hawaii has experienced extreme loss of lowland dry forest habitat due to fire, human agricultural and urban encroachment, rats and other threats compound its problems). It would also mean a loss of one our our most beautiful and potentially useful sepcies. Gardenia, including this species, have great usefulness in the What are the most important messages that horticultural trade, perfumes and other potentially useful compounds. Many species in the should be communicated about this species' genus have been believed to have curative properties and have been used in Chinese medicine, decline? and recent research is showing bioactive compounds in several species. It's also affected by climate change and can be a good case study for expected future effects (drought may spur the need for future relocation to higher elevations). Populations are so small and vulnerable, they need to be actively managed (breeding programs to increase diversity may be needed). This species can survive if people act to protect it; this includes supporting the research and restoration efforts necessary to bolster the numbers of this plant and taking any measures possible to reduce the number of threats. Waimea Valley (www.waimeavalley.net) is a Participating Institution of the Center for Plant Conservation (www.centerforplantconservation.org) and is the primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection. Waimea Valley receives annual sponsorship money from CPC to help with the care and research needs of this plant. Some of Waimea Valley's efforts to protect this plant include insect predation control; spraying the plant for twig borer control; erecting fencing; and alien tree removal, reintroduction, and pollination to get fruit. Another CPC institution, Lyon Is your NGO working to save the species? If yes, Arboretum (www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum/), works to maintain this species too. Lyon how? Arboretum functions as a propagation facility and provides material for field botanist and land managers. Lyon also has at least 50 plants in tissue cultue and hundreds of seed in storage. There is a recovery plan in place for this species, as several botanical gardens and rare plant organizations collect and propagate seed of this species. Starting in the 1970s, several volunteers and organizers from many partnerships erected and maintained protective fences around the plants.

In general, people can help by supporting laws that protect imperiled plants, and by supporting recovery funding for the ESA and budgets for federal and state agencies. Research and restoration efforts for this plant need sustained support. Specifically support is needed to protect dry forest habitat and supporting forest fire prevention. An appeal to preserving cultural How can individuals help? Please be as specific as traditions such as dye making and making of Kapa cloth beaters from the wood of this tree might possible. spark interest in preserving this species. People in Hawaii can also help by supporting insect predation controls, reducing or mitigating urban expansion, controlling feral and wild pigs and goats, preventing soil erosion, controlling rats and invasive plants, and by not collecting this plant from the wild. There are also local opportunities including volunteering or donating to organizations working wth the species including, Waimea Valley, or Lyon Arboretum. In general, people can help by supporting laws that protect imperiled plants. State and federal entities can provide support for invasive species controls and pest management, reducing fire threats, controlling grazing of pigs and goats in the habitat area of this plant, provide fencing and increase support for collecting, seed banking, research, and propagation of this species. An overall increase in funding for endangered plant species would help. Governments can Is there anything else that governments or others be involved in securing habitat of current populations and for potential future populations, could/should/are doing to save the species? conducting research, monitoring, reestablishing in former range Criteria-Specific Questions

There is evidence that this species may have once been common on all of the main Hawaiian Islands, due to its various uses by Hawaiians in earlier times. The species is now rare and vulnerable in the wild due to agriculture and urban expansion, feral and wild ungulates- grazing Describe the specific threat(s) to the species. and trampling. Fires in the dry lowland habitats can be catastrophic. Soil erosion occurs. Detail the current and projected decline of the Invertebrates and diseases attack plants. Alien invasive plants degrade the remaining habitat. In species. Give historic population numbers. Cite addition some plants are lost from overcollection by enthusiasts and damage by introduced rats. any substantiating scientific studies. In the 1990s there were three populations on Oahu. One was consumed by fire, one was choked out by weeds, insects and drought, and one remains. The last Molokai tree was affected by all of these threats, but conservationists were able to save cuttings of that tree and from Oahu populations. There are still 12 plants on Lanai that are imperiled by all of the threats.------http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/930930b.pdf ESC America's Top 10

Indicate if there is an associated political threat. For instance, is this species being actively none known attacked by an industry group or member of Congress? Some threats are widespread, such as fire, invasive plants and rats, while other threats affect individual populations (see discussion of individual islands in specific threats section above). Remaining populations are within fenced enclosures, but the sites are still grazed and the Outline and describe the extent of the threat. For enclosures not large enough to support viable populations. On Oahu, the areas where this species instance, is it threatening the only habitat of a was know to occur has been heavily disturbed by cattle, goats and pigs. The single remaining tree small remaining population? Is it a current, on this island was heavily damaged by back twig borers until the State Division of Forestry and eminent, or future threat? Cite any substantiating Wildlife controlled the twig borers and saved the tree. On Lanai, populations of Axis deer and scientific studies. Mouflon sheep are threats, while goats, pigs and cattle have been controlled by the landowner for half a century. Nanu trees on Lanai have been affected by a fungal infection or rust, but the effect on survival is not known. Erosion is a problem at the Molokai site, where several plants were lost due to erosion of gully walls. Judge's score for severity and extent of threat.

This species is known to be used in Hawaiian culture for creating a yellow dye for Kapa bark cloth and making wooden Kapa bark cloth beaters, as well as for making kua kuku (kapa anvils)and pou (house posts) from the wood. The white, fragrant flowers were used in lei. It is spoken in ancient chants. It is also an important landscape plant in Hawaii. Wild species are very important in the Provide information on the benefits the species horticulture industry because traits that these wild plants have can be studied and possibly bred into plants that are in the horticulture trade. Wild species may have insect tolerance or drought provides, such as economic, medicinal, or tolerance that can be useful in breeding programs to solve problems in horticultural and floral use. ecosystem services. As noted above in ptential messages, many species of the genus Gardenia, including this species, have great usefulness in the horticultural trade, and potential uses in perfumes and other potentially useful compounds. Many species in the genus have been believed to have curative properties and have been used in Chinese medicine, and recent research is showing bioactive compounds in several species.

This is a large tree in the dry forest landscape. It is rare enough that we do not understand the role Detail the ecological and scientific importance of it plays in dry forest ecology, but in the past it surely played a significant role, given its size and the species. Note if it is a keystone species and presumed requirements for cross pollination with other individuals. Most plants are not able to be describe the extent of its role in the biodiversity self pollinated and need to be crossed with another individual. This species is a dry-loving plant of its environment. Cite any substantiating and occurs on the leeward side of islands. David Orr, botanical collection specialist of Waimea scientific studies. Valley, noted that the population of this species on Lanai is very small and therefore particularly likely to be affected by climate change.

Could the species be considered an "ambassador" The imperilment of this species highlights the severity of habitat loss and fragmentation and which can be used to communicate the threats represents all Hawaiian dry forest species that are being lost. Lowland forests have been that are occurring broadly to a group of species or extensively cleared for agricultural and urban uses, subjected to intentional and unintentional fires, an ecosystem? (An example would be a frog that heavily grazed by cattle, goats, pigs, axis deer and Mouflon sheep, and infested with alien weeds, represents the decline of amphibians. Or a FL pathogens and insects. These forests will also suffer as a result of climate change. These impacts species that represents the decline of the Florida have reduced the dry leeward (southwest) forests to a scattering of individual native plants Keys.) If yes, please detail how it is an ambassador surrounded by a sea of alien weeds or, at best, small fragmented pockets of remnant vegetation. and name the other species being represented . Judge’s score for importance of species. Final 0

Please submit to Nancy Welch at [email protected] by April 4th. Thank you for participating in the 2014 Top Ten Report.