New native flower discovered above Lahaina By Staff | Jan 8, 2021 Cyanea heluensis is a newly described native plant. The only known individual was discovered in wet ‘ohia forest on Mauna Kahalawai in West Maui. PHOTO BY THE PLANT EXTINCTION PREVENTION PROGRAM (PEPP). LAHAINA — Hawaii’s rich collection of unique native plant species has added a new member to its ranks, and a new species has been described for the first time. Only one individual of the new species, named Cyanea heluensis, is currently known from a remote location in West Maui. While exploring the steep slopes of Helu above Lahaina, Botanist Hank Oppenheimer and colleague Jennifer Higashino found a single large plant in the deep shade of a healthy ohi’a forest.