Plants

Hawai‘i’s Unique Isolation and Endemic Plants

Because Hawai‘i is located approximately 2,300 miles from the nearest continent, it is the most isolated place on Earth. As a result, plants and animals arrived rarely and evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. This led to many of Hawai‘i’s plants becoming endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on the planet.

Seeds and spores would occasionally arrive, often carried by migrating birds or insects caught in high winds. With few natural threats, these early plants thrived. Over time, they evolved without needing defense mechanisms typically found in other environments. For example, Hawaiian holly is spineless, Hawaiian nettles don’t sting, and Hawaiian mint has no strong taste, as there were no grazing animals to fend off.

However, the arrival of Polynesians and later Europeans changed the landscape. Forests were cleared, and non-native plants and animals were introduced, resulting in the extinction of many of Hawai‘i’s unique endemic species.