The Merwin Conservancy invites Mālama Wao Akua artists to the palm garden to spend time with loulu at several stages of growth.
The Merwin Conservancy cares for the thriving 18-acre palm garden that ecologist, activist, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and U.S. Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin made on decimated land. We offer this special place to others as a reminder of what is possible when we enact our care for the world, and as a reminder of what imagination makes possible.
When Merwin arrived in Peʻahi in 1977, he found badly misused land that could no longer sustain the native ecosystem that once grew here. By working with the land, Merwin found that native loulu (Pritchardia) palms could still thrive, while the koa and ʻohia could not. Working to improve conditions, he followed his curiosity about loulu and palms. He discovered that palms were keystone species in ecosystems worldwide. Through inquiry and daily practice, he created a palm garden.
Today his garden contains 3,000 palms representing 480 species, including several species of the native genus Pritchardia. Dr. Bill Baker, a systemic biologist with the Royal Botanical Garden Kew and a recent scientist-in-residence at the Conservancy, described The Merwin Conservancy as “an unconventional garden of international significance, with exceptional conservation value.”
Please note: this is more of a hike than a walk. All garden programs are dependent upon weather that is safe for hiking.
Maui Nui species thriving in the garden include:
Pritchardia arecina (Maui)
Pritchardia forbesiana (Maui & Molokai)
Pritchardia monroi (Maui & Molokai)
Pritchardia glabrata (Maui & Lanai)
Pritchardia woodii (Maui)
Prichardia hillebrandii (Molokaʻi)
Pritchardia lowreyana (Molokaiʻi)
Monday, June 17th FULL
The Merwin Conservancy – A Look at Loulu, Native Palms
To Register: E-mail cvirtue@merwinconservancy.org to be added to a waitlist
- Haiku, Maui
- 10:00am-12:00pm
- Free, max 10 participants
- Bring: Please wear long sleeves and long pants (there can be mosquitoes!) and good walking shoes. We’ll have bug spray and walking sticks.
