On the rugged Hana coast, along the far eastern shores of the Hawaiian island of Maui, Kahanu Garden grows in splendid isolation, nestled in the one of the largest native hala (Pandanus) forests in the Islands. Plant collections from the Pacific Islands are the focus here, particularly plants of value to the Hawaiian people as well as other cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Kahanu Garden is situated in the storied land of Honoma’ele and home to Pi’ilanihale Heiau, a massive lava-rock structure that is believed to be the largest ancient man made structure in Polynesia. This awe-inspiring cultural site in the garden is registered as a National Historic Landmark.

Visitors to Kahanu Garden will learn about the cultural relationships between people and these remarkable plants that were transported around the Pacific on ancient voyaging canoes. Among the different ethnobotanical collections at Kahanu Garden is the world’s largest collection of breadfruit cultivars, which serves as a germplasm repository for this important South Pacific food crop.