The Makaleha Mountains (pronounced or in
Hawaiian) are a mountain range in
Kauai County
Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands.
It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 mi ...
on the eastern side of the
Hawaiian island of
Kauai
Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands.
It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...
. The highest point is approximately above sea level.
The derivation of the
place name
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...
Makaleha is the Hawaiian word ''makaleha'' (from ''maka'' "eye" and ''leha'' "to lift up") meaning "to wonder at; to admire" or "to lift the eyebrows, as in wonder or admiration".
''Makaleha pritchardia'' or ''
Pritchardia hardyi'' is an
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
of
Arecaceae
The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, perennial, flowering plants in the Monocotyledon, monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbing palm, climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly k ...
palm tree that is endemic to
Hawaiian tropical rainforests
The Hawaiian tropical rainforests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of in the windward lowlands and montane regions of the islands. Coastal mesic forests are found at elevations from sea l ...
on
Kauai
Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands.
It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...
. In 1998 only 30 individuals remained in the wild along Powerline Trail between
Wailua and
Princeville.
''Pritchardia hardyi''
2017 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Footnotes
External links
Makaleha Mountains place names
Landforms of Kauai
Mountains of Hawaii
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