What plants and animals did Polynesians introduce to Hawaii?
When the Polynesians arrived on the islands 1,200 to 1,600 years ago, they brought with them a number of plant and animal species, including taro, sugarcane, coconut palm, pigs, and chickens. The arrival of European colonizers over the past 200 years greatly accelerated the rate of introduction of alien species.
What did the Polynesians bring to Hawaii?
In addition to bananas and coconuts, the Polynesians brought taro, a root fromwhich poi is made; plantain, the starchy cooking banana; breadfruit, a globe-like fruit that is eaten cooked; yams; and sugarcane. For meat, the Polynesians brought along pigs, dogs and possibly chickens.
What plants were brought to Hawaii?
The early Polynesian voyagers who arrived in Hawaii around AD 500-800 brought plants with them that they needed for food, such as breadfruit, taro, banana, sweet potato and sugarcane. Other plants they brought were needed as building materials, such as the ti plant to make clothing.
How many species of plants were introduced to Hawaii by the Polynesians?
Around 861 species of plants have been introduced to the islands by humans since its discovery by Polynesian settlers, including crops such as taro and breadfruit. Today, many of the remaining endemic species of plants and animals in the Hawaiian Islands are considered endangered, and some critically so.
What plants and animals were already in Hawaii indigenous plants )?
Listed below are some of the native plants found in Hawaii.
- Argemone glauca – Pua Kala.
- Cibotium spp. – Hapu’u.
- Coprosma ernodeoides – ‘Aiakanene.
- Cordia subcordata – Kou.
- Dicranopteris linearis – Old World Forkedfern.
- Dodonaea viscosa – Florida Hopbush.
- Geranium cuneatum – Hinahina.
- Hibiscus brackenridgei – Ma’o Hau Hele.
What crops did settlers plant in Hawaii?
Only a few crops accompanied the earliest settlers into Hawaii in the first millenium A.D.; these crops included taro, sweet potato, and the banana.
What edible plants are native to Hawaii?
Edible Hawaiian Plants
- Aleurites moluccana – Kukui.
- Ananas bracteatus – Red Pineapple.
- Ananas comosus – Pineapple.
- Artocarpus altilis – Breadfruit.
- Canna indica – Indian Shot.
- Carica papaya – Papaya.
- Coccoloba uvifera – Sea Grape.
- Cocos nucifera – Coconut Palm.
What fruits and veggies are native to Hawaii?
Here are some of our favorite Hawaiian fruits and the best time to find them.
- Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Passion fruit is known as lilikoi in Hawaii.
- Mango. Mango is definitely a local favorite.
- Guava. A couple of ripe guavas in a fruit bowl can scent an entire room.
- Pineapple.
- Coconut.
- Banana.
- Papaya.
- Starfruit.
How did animals get to Hawaii?
Many of the plants and animals on the islands are so similar to species elsewhere that they obviously were brought to Hawaii by the humans who began colonizing the islands between approximately 1,200 and 1,600 years ago. The characteristics of native Hawaiian plants and animals raise further questions.
What are the plants and animals in Hawaii?
Wildlife of Hawaii
- ‘Apapane – Himatione sanguinea.
- Fiery Skipper – Hylephila phyleus.
- Indian Mongoose – Herpestes javanicus.
- Bamboo Orchid – Arundina graminifolia.
- Pacific Golden Plover – Pluvialis fulva.
- Shampoo Ginger – Zingiber zerumbet.
- Yellow-billed Cardinal – Paroaria capitata.
How did animals and plants get to Hawaii?