I saw this Brighamia insignis plant in the Hawaiian garden at Kohanaiki Beach Park. It caught my eye for its unusual appearance, which is the source of one of its common names of cabbage-on-a-stick. In Hawaii it’s called Ālula, Hāhā, Pū aupaka, or ʻŌlulu.
Brighamia insignis is endemic to Hawaii, specifically the sea cliffs of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. However, if you look for it there you’re almost certainly going to be disappointed. The last survey in 2014 found just one plant in Kauaʻi. The reasons for its demise are familiar. The hawk moth that used to pollinate the plant is long since extinct and it has been ravaged by introduced species. In addition, in 1992, Hurricane ʻIniki destroyed half the remaining wild plants.
On the bright side, the plant is easy to propagate by hand and it has been widely distributed by nurseries and botanical gardens.
Graham's Island 
What a beautiful plant and an interesting though very sad (and perhaps instructive?) story.
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It’s a really striking plant. I’d never seen anything like it. Fascinating history too. I guess surviving in any form is a positive thing.
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Oh I’m so glad your story has a happy ending! It is so beautiful!
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It’s a cool plant. Caught my eye with its unusual appearance, and the flowers are lovely.
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It seems a very worthy candidate for a comeback in its natural environment. Disappointingly, younger European settled countries like Australia haven’t learnt anything from the experience of others and continue down the same path.
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I don’t think it can come back in the wild because its pollinators are extinct. At least it lives on unlike many species the world over.
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