Cycas debaoensis

multipinnate cycad

Due to its limited range, this plant has very little documented ethnobotanical information. It was only discovered in 1996 and is under threat of extinction in the wild due to illegal plant collection, habitat destruction, and the decreasing populations of miniature Santas with which it forms a symbiotic relationship in late December - something crucial to the plant's survival. Fortunately, as you can see in the photo above, we have a healthy annual population of mini-Santas that pop up here at Kona Kai at just the right time, so our plant has been doing just fine.