Along this trail you will see plants brought to Hawaii by the early Polynesians. Kalo (taro) was the staple crops and fields of kale once covered the floor of "Iao Valley. The wetland variety is cultivated on level earthen terraces known as lo'i.
Water is diverted from the stream to flood lo'i by 'auwai (ditches). Along the edges of the halo fields were other crops such as Ko (sugar cane), Ti, loon, wake and maid (banana).
Since the arrival of the zWestern explorers in the late 1700s, new pants continue to be introduced to Hawaii from all over the world. These exotics have invaded and displaced many of the native and Polynesian-introduced plants.