Beach Naupaka (Scaevola sericea or Scaevola taccada) is relatively common here, often seen in coastal areas because of its salt tolerance. Dwarf Naupaka (Scaevola coriacea), on the other hand, is on the federal endangered list. It used to be seen on all the main islands, but these days it’s only seen on Maui and then not in many places. The flowers of Dwarf Naupaka are a little different and the leaves are considerably smaller, just one to two inches in length.
These endemic plants were spotted alongside one of the fishponds at Mauna Lani, on the South Kohala coast, by a friend who knows a lot about native plants. When he told me about them, I headed down to take a look and get some photos. I agreed with his identification and got a confirmation on Hawaii Plant ID.
It’s likely that the plants by the fishpond aren’t naturally occurring, but were deliberately planted, though by who or why is not clear. Still, it’s encouraging that at least one small pocket of these extremely rare plants still exists on the island.
Graham's Island 
Lovely plant! We’ve got something similar here in SA
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There are several varieties here in Hawaii and this is one of the rarer ones.
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Hope it will grow well then
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What an interesting plant, and lets hope this group flourishes. I love your close-up photo.
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Thanks Carol. They’re pretty little flowers and I like the naupaka plants in general. They’re quite attractive and very helpful in inhospitable areas.
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What a great find! I hope they flourish!
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I hope so too. There’s a reasonable number of plants there, but it’s just one small area so who knows.
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I hope they popped up naturally or if some planted them kudos to them
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Probably planted since not much in that area is natural vegetation. I’m hoping to find out a bit more about the why and when in due course.
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