The Northwest Hawai'i scrub ecoregion spans the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a chain of low atolls and islets in the Oceanian realm stretching roughly 1,350 to 1,600 kilometers from rocky Nihoa in the southeast to low Kure Atoll, all within the U.S. state of Hawaii. Set on the eroded remnants of ancient volcanic islands and coral sand, the vegetation is treeless tropical shrubland: banks of low, salt-tolerant shrubs and ground plants fringing lagoons, with common species including Portulaca lutea and Boerhavia repens. Conditions are harsh, with storms, flash floods, and tsunamis shaping this tropical island habitat. The ecoregion harbors several endangered endemic plants, among them the Nīhoa fan palm (Pritchardia remota), Schiedea verticillata, and Amaranthus brownii, alongside the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and endemic birds such as the Laysan duck, Laysan finch, and Nīhoa finch; collectively the islands form the largest tropical seabird rookery in the world and lie entirely within the protected Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. For gardeners, the native fan palm genus Pritchardia represents the region's most horticulturally notable group, the same palms that once formed forests on Nihoa.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 25.8°N, 171.7°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +2.6°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 5 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
About the tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Warm grasslands and savannas where grasses dominate and trees are scattered, maintained by seasonal rainfall, grazing, and fire. They support large herbivore communities and respond sharply to wet–dry cycles.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: