Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa (Kanaloa kahoolawensis) was rediscovered on an islet off of Kahoʻolawe in 1992. The two plants found there represented a completely new plant genus in Hawaiʻi. Kahoʻolawe is a kino (sacred form) of Kanaloa, Hawaiian god of the ocean and marine life. These stories and meanings are imbued in the plant’s name of Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa which translates to “the flexibility and the gentleness of Kanaloa." The rediscovery of a new plant genus that survived all that Kahoʻolawe endured has special significance for Hawaiian culture.
Ka Palupalu o Kanaloa is a densely branched shrub that grows to about 3 feet tall with. Their distinctive leaves are divided into six leaflets. The small yellowish-white flowers are produced with flushes of new leaves, often red. The fruits are pods each with a single heart-shaped dark brown to black seed inside.
