QUICK FACT: Solved a fossil mystery! Live plant pollen matched unknown samples from ancient cores.

THREATS: Invasives, disease, tiny population, severe storms; extinct in the wild but maintained in cultivation.

IMPORTANCE: A culturally significant plant tied to Hawaiian identity and a remarkable rediscovery of a new genus.

Photo credit: Jamie Bruch/KIRC

QUICK FACT: Solved a fossil mystery! Live plant pollen matched unknown samples from ancient cores.

THREATS: Invasives, disease, tiny population, severe storms; extinct in the wild but maintained in cultivation.

IMPORTANCE: A culturally significant plant tied to Hawaiian identity and a remarkable rediscovery of a new genus.

Photo credit: Jamie Bruch/KIRC