Every zone,
represented.
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death has killed hundreds of thousands of trees across more than 135,000 acres. To preserve the genetic diversity of ʻōhiʻa before it is lost, the seed-banking campaign aims to collect from 10,000 trees of each kind of ʻōhiʻa — with every seed zone represented. Click a zone to see where collections are still needed.
You must have permission to collect ʻōhiʻa seeds. Only naturally-occurring trees are candidates — not landscape plantings. State and federal land require permits; check the Hawaiʻi Forest Reserve System before you go.
A collection is only conservation-valuable if we know where it came from. Record the seed zone and source-tree details on the collection form so seeds can be tracked and matched to the banks that need them.
Use the mobile webform to document each collection. Completed forms route to Laukahi and on to the seed bank where the seeds were deposited.
Open collection form ↗These are the official ʻōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha) seed zones used to track collection progress across the archipelago. As we learn more about the distribution and the types of ʻōhiʻa, they will be updated. The Kauaʻi zones were developed by Ben Nyberg, Seana Walsh, and Dustin Wolkis (NTBG) with Adam Williams (DOFAW); all other island zones by Alex Loomis.
Take a map with you
6 islandsThe map above is the live view of collection progress. These are the printable per-island sheets — worth having on paper, since the zones you most want to reach tend to be the places with no signal. Background on why provenance matters at all: Seeds of Success — seed zone mapping ↗
Which ʻōhiʻa
is this?
Metrosideros polymorpha earns its name — eight varieties across the main islands, ranging from a prostrate shrub on wet bog and bare lava to a tree of 20 metres and more, with intermediate forms and documented hybrid zones between them. Leaf pubescence, leaf shape and habit all shift with elevation and substrate.
That variation is the point of the seed zones — and it means knowing the zone is only half of a collection record. These dichotomous keys, one per island, identify the taxon in front of you. Take one into the field.
Pictures, comments and corrections to coordinator@laukahi.org
References behind these keys
- 1James, S. A., C. F. Puttock, S. Cordell & R. P. Adams. 2004. Morphological and genetic variation within Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae) on Hawaiʻi. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(2): 263–270. ↗
- 2Stacy, E. A., J. B. Johansen, T. Sakishima & D. K. Price. 2016. Genetic analysis of an ephemeral intraspecific hybrid zone in the hypervariable tree, Metrosideros polymorpha, on Hawaiʻi Island. Heredity 117(3): 173–183. ↗
- 3Stacy, E. A., J. B. Johansen, T. Sakishima, D. K. Price & Y. Pillon. 2014. Incipient radiation within the dominant Hawaiian tree Metrosideros polymorpha. Heredity 113: 334–342. ↗
- 4Wagner, W. L., D. R. Herbst & D. H. Lorence. 2005–present. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands website. Smithsonian Institution, Department of Botany. ↗
ʻŌhiʻa Partners
Securing ʻōhiʻa collections is a statewide effort. These organizations coordinate the response to Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, collect and bank seed, and fund the work.
Provides communications and coordination for ROD identification and management.
A leader in staffing the management and response to ROD across the state.
The Hawaiian Rare Plant Program’s Seed Conservation Laboratory is the primary repository for storing ʻōhiʻa seeds, and a leader in seed research.
At the front lines of ROD in the field every day, with a seed bank on Kauaʻi for storing ʻōhiʻa seeds collected from that island.
A partner in securing collections and providing ROD updates, developing the capacity to store seeds at their Hilo office.
Provides research support for diagnostics, guiding management practices, and searching for resistance.
Provides oversight and guidance on collection protocols, goals, and communications on the HRPRG listserv.
Provides support for coordination, communications, and developing the strategy for securing ʻōhiʻa seed collections.
A primary repository for ʻōhiʻa seeds collected on Hawaiʻi Island, located in Kona.
One of the primary seed banks in Hawaiʻi, and along with DOFAW, developing the strategy for Kauaʻi.
The primary repository for ʻōhiʻa seeds collected on Maui Nui.
Manage ʻōhiʻa forests across the state, protecting our most important natural resources from invasive species, including ROD.
Has generously funded the ROD Seed Banking Initiative, supporting training and storing millions of ʻōhiʻa seeds in local seed banks.
Works closely with Laukahi to inform the strategy for the statewide collection of ʻōhiʻa seed for ex situ storage.
Collects ʻōhiʻa seeds from areas where they work on Oʻahu and stores them at their seed bank.
Supports securing ʻōhiʻa collections at the USDA Seed Bank in Colorado and building partnerships in the Pacific Region.
Makes ʻōhiʻa seed collections during regular field work and assists with developing sampling strategies.
Can’t collect? You can still adopt a tree.
Fund a wild-tree seed collection from a zone that still needs representation.