ÿaÿaliÿi Dodonaea viscosa Indigenous Naturally found on all the main Hawaiian Islands except Kaho olawe. Nä Inoa Ë A e: A ali i Kü Makani, A ali i Kü Ma Kua, Kümakani Nä Hi ohi ona: A dense shrub (4-8 ft.) with small green leaves and tiny flowers that develop into star-shaped papery seed capsules. These plants are mostly dioecious meaning there are usually separate male and female plants; rarely are they hermaphroditic. The seed capsule comes from the flowers of female plants. These seed capsules vary in color: yellow, green, and pink, deep dark maroon-red. Ka Ho ohana Ana: The seed capsules are highly valued for use in lei-making. The red capsules are used for making a red dye. The wood of A ali i is very hard and is used for making smaller hand tools. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla and Kïhäpai 1
ÿähinahina Achyranthes splendens var. rotundata Endemic Nä Inoa Ë A e: Hinahina, Hinahina Ewa Nä Hi ohi ona: This shrub is silvery in color, has soft rounded leaves and can reach a height of about 6 ft. tall. The silvery color is derived from tiny hairs that cover the surface of the leaves to reflect intense sunlight keeping the plant from losing excess moisture. Its flowers (called spikelets) are arranged on soft spikes that protrude 6-14 in. above the plant. Ka Ho ohana Ana: The spikes and new leaves of this plant can be used in wili and haku lei. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 4 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 2
Ähinahina Maui Artemisia mauiensis Endemic Naturally found only on Maui at Haleakalä. This is a dense shrub about 3 ft. in height spreading out to about 3-4 ft. across. Each leaf is made up of many fine branching segments with some segments measuring 1/16 in. wide. The flowers are cream colored and arranged in clusters. The plant gives off a strong aroma similar to that of sage. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: The leaves of all species of Artemisia can be pounded and used to treat asthma. Used for lei. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 1 3
ÿahuÿawa Mariscus javanicus Indigenous Naturally found on all of the main Hawaiian islands, except Kaho olawe, and also found on Midway atoll. Nä Hi ohi ona: A greenish blue rush with linear leaves 15-45 in. long. The flower clusters emerge like an umbrella at the surface with many tiny spikelets (which contain the seed.) The margins of the leaves are very coarse and abrasive. Ka Ho ohana Ana: The pounded stems of this plant were used as a strainer (hoka awa) in the preparation of awa. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 Ma Kawaiaha o: Pua i Wai 4
ÿaiea Nothocestrum breviflorum Endemic; Endangered Naturally found in the dry forests from Kaÿü north to Waimea, the Kohala District and found most commonly on Pu uwa awa a in Puakö on the island of Hawaiÿi. Nä Inoa ÿë Aÿe: Hälena This stout tree can grow up to 40 ft. tall. The wood is generally soft with a light brown to grayish-white bark. Most of the leaves tend to gather towards the tip of the branches. The Aiea produces a fragrant flower. Once pollinated, the flowers develop into small orange-red fruit about an in. long filled with numerous little seeds. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: Flowers can be used for making lei. The leaves, bark, and tap root can be made into an extract to treat abscesses. This wood was used to make gunwales of canoes. One slender species of Aiea was used for thatching sticks ( aho) and fire-making. ÿike Pili: The ÿaiea area on the island of O ahu is named after this rare plant. (Place Names of Hawai i, 1974.) Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 5
ÿäkia Wikstroemia uva-ursi Endemic Naturally found on Kauaÿi, Oÿahu, Maui, and Molokaÿi. Dense shrubs that either grow prostrate or sprawl up to 3-4 ft. tall. They have small oval-shaped leaves, greenish-blue in color that are attached to reddish-brown branches. When in bloom, numerous clusters of tiny yellow flowers develop. They then turn into small orange or red fruits about ½ - ¾ in. in diameter. The flowers have a distinct musky scent. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: The bark, roots and leaves were pounded and mixed with bait and used as a narcotic to catch fish. The mashed plant parts were used in concoctions for sorcery. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 4 Ma Kawaiahaÿo: Mäla 6
Äkia Kuahiwi Wikstroemia oahuense Endemic Naturally found on the islands of Kaua i, O ahu, Moloka i, Maui and Läna i. The äkia kuahiwi grows in the lowlands, wet forests to mesic forests, bogs and ridges. Nä Inoa Ë A e: Aoaoa Nä Hi ohi ona: This tall shrub or small tree grows up to 12 ft. high with very few branches. The bark is thin and medium to dark-brown color with white leaf scars. It has large, narrow elliptical leaves that are light-green. The cluster of flowers are yellow to bright-green and once pollinated they form orange fruit with a single black seed. Ka Ho ohana Ana: The bark of this plant was stripped to make cordage. It was used medicinally to treat asthma and as a laxative. Various parts of the plant can be mixed with chum and spread through the water to stupefy fish. This fishing method is called hola (fish-drugging). A lethal concoction was also made from mixing the bark and roots of äkia kuahiwi with other plants. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 7
Akiohala Hibiscus furcellatus Indigenous Naturally found on Kauaÿi, Oÿahu, Maui and Hawaiÿi Island in lowland wet areas. Nä Inoa ÿë Aÿe: ÿakiahala, Hau Hele, and Hau Hele Wai, Purple Hibiscus A medium-sized hibiscus about 8 ft. tall with rough leaves that are slight to moderately lobed. New stems, flower buds, and leaf surface are densely pubescent. Each flower is large and has light purple-pink petals with a dark-purple center and staminal column. Once pollinated, the calyx will turn brown and be filled with many small, shiny, brown seeds. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: Flowers can be used medicinally as a laxative. Flowers can be used for a purplish colored dye. The bark can be stripped and made into cordage. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 4 8
Akoko Chamaesyce celasroides Endemic Shrub form: Kauaÿi, Niÿihau, Nïhoa Prostrate form: Kanaio, Maui; Ka Lae, Hawaiÿi Naturally found on Hawai i, Maui, O ahu, Kaua i, Ni ihau and Nïhoa Nä Hi ohi ona: This plant can either be an erect shrub, growing up to 6 ft. with thick, glabrous leaves or a prostrate groundcover, growing up to 2 ft. tall. This plant has light blue-green leaves with tiny, yellow flowers and milky sap. Ka Ho ohana Ana: The buds and leaves of one species were chewed by the weak and infirm. Ike Pili: The name for this plant, Akoko, is derived from its leaves which turn koko (blood) red before they fall off. The plant also bleeds a milky sap when damaged. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 9
Älaÿa Pouteria sandwicensis Endemic Found on all the main Hawaiian Islands, except Niÿihau and Kahoÿolawe, in the lowland dry forests to mesic forests. Nä Inoa ÿë Aÿe: Äulu, ÿëlaÿa, Kaulu ÿälaÿa can grow to be dense shrubs or tall trees up to 60 ft. New leaves are densely covered in reflective reddish-brown hairs while older leaves turn dark-green with brown hairs on the underside. The flowers are small but once pollinated they develop into yellow fruit that are 1-2 in. in diameter. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: The Äla a is a hard wood that was used in house construction and to make ÿöÿö (digging sticks) and spears. The sticky sap from the fruit was harvested and placed on stems near flowers frequented by native forest birds. When the bird came to get nectar from the flower it would adhere to the branch, making it easier for the bird catcher to collect its feathers. After taking a few feathers the bird catcher would clean the bird and set it free. An ointment to treat high fever and headache is made from the leaves and bark. Gunwales of canoe have also been known to be made of ÿälaÿa. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 2 10
ÿalaÿala Wai Nui Peperomia blanda Indigenous Found naturally on all the main Hawaiian Islands except Kaho olawe. Nä Hi ohi ona: A succulent plant that grows up to 10 in. tall. It has fleshy, light-green stems and dark-green leaves that have a semi-rough texture; sometimes reddish-pink streaks are found on the underside of the leaves. The flowers are tiny and rise up above the rest of the plant on short, soft flowering stalks. Once pollinated, they form slightly adhesive, poppy-looking seeds that cover the stalk. Ka Ho ohana Ana: A rich, grey dye for dying kapa can be made from the ashes of this plant. The bud is used to treat asthma and the leaf can be used for ear infections and as a tonic. Ike Pili: The name ala ala-wai-nui is qualified by the terms käne (on O ahu) or kupa li i (on Hawai i), pehu, pöhina, and awa-lau-a-käne. (Hawaiian Dictionary, p. 17) Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 11
Alaheÿe Psydrax odoratum Indigenous Naturally found on all the main Hawaiian Islands except Ni ihau and Kaho olawe. Nä Inoa Ë A e: Walahe e, Öhe e Nä Hi ohi ona: A large tree (20-30 ft.) with glossy-green leaves and small, white, highly fragrant flower clusters. As the tree grows, it has a radially symmetric growth pattern to it, somewhat like a fir tree. Ka Ho ohana Ana: Digging tools and adze handles can be made from the hard wood of this plant. The leaves can be used to make a black dye. The flowers and fruit are used in lei. Ike Pili: In full bloom, the plant is completely covered in flower clusters and many times you ll smell the plant before you actually see it. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 4 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 12
Älula Brighamia insignis Endemic; Endangered Naturally found only on Moloka i and Kaua i. Nä Inoa Ë A e: Ölulu, Pü Aupaka, Hähä, Pua Ala (Moloka i) Nä Hi ohi ona: A member of the lobelia family, this plant has a fat, succulent stalk that emerges up from the ground about 5 ft. high. It is topped with a rosette of large, rounded light-green leaves. Yellow flowers protrude up from the leaf axises on long stem-like tubes. When in bloom the flowers can completely encircle the top of the plant almost resembling a crown. The flowers have a gentle fragrance and are about 2 in. in diameter. It is sometimes referred to as cabbage on a baseball bat because of its appearance. With only one known plant left in the wild on Kaua i, it is now a federally listed endangered plant. Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla and Pua i Wai 13
ÿamaÿu Sadleiria spp. Endemic Naturally found on all the main Hawaiian Islands. Nä Inoa ÿë Aÿe: Maÿu, Maÿumaÿu, Puaÿaÿehuÿehu, ÿamaÿumaÿu Kinolau: ÿamaÿu is one of the many forms of Kamapuaÿa, the pig god. This tree fern grows to about 3 ft tall. The fronds are narrower, smaller, and less divided than those of the Häpuÿu. Its new fronds, once unrolled, are bright red and turn green as they age. The pulu on ÿamaÿu is coarse and golden. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: In times of famine, the starchy pith was cooked and eaten. A red dye was extracted from the cortex of the trunk. The sap from within the rolled-up fronds was used as glue for binding and patching sheets of kapa. ÿölelo Nöÿeau: Pepeÿe a palaholo. A rolled-up frond paste for tapa cloth. Said of the ÿamaÿu fern which furnishes sap used in tapa-making. It implies the same thought as the saying, Great oaks from little acorns grow. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 14
ÿänapanapa Colubrina asiatica Indigenous Naturally found on Niÿihau, Kauaÿi, Oÿahu, and Molokaÿi in lowland areas near the ocean or around wetlands. Nä Inoa ÿë Aÿe: Kauila ÿänapanapa, Kauila Kukuku, Kolokolo, Kukuku, Hawaiian Soap Plant Large shrubs up to 10 ft. tall and over 6 ft. wide with extremely glossy leaves resembling the coffee plant. It has small yellow-green flowers that, once pollinated, turn into small appleshaped fruit that are about ¾ in. in diameter. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 15
ÿauhuhu Tephrosia purpurea Polynesian Introduction Naturally found on all of the main Hawaiian Islands in extremely dry locations like lava fields, rocky slopes, dry ridges and coastal areas. Nä Inoa ÿë Aÿe: ÿauhola, Hola, Ahuhu Small shrubs 3-4 ft. tall with small compound leaves. Tiny, purplish-white pea flowers about 1 in. wide eventually turn into small pealike seed pods. These plants live about 1-2 years. This plant sets many seeds which normally germinate before the original plant dies. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: It was used to intoxicate fish so that they would be easy to catch. Various parts of the plant were pounded and placed in enclosed water areas, such as tide pools. A topical treatment for cuts and itchy skin can be made from parts of this plant. ÿölelo Nöÿeau: He ÿapu ÿauhuhu köheoheo. A poisonous concoction made of ÿauhuhu. A person of poisonous nature. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 2 16
Awa Piper methysticum Indigenous Naturally found on all the main Hawaiian Islands in or just below the borders of the lower forest zone where there is constant moisture and not too much sun. Nä Hi ohi ona: A shrub 4-12 ft. tall with green jointed stems and heart-shaped leaves. Kinolau: The awa plant and awa drinking are both associated with the akua, Käne and Kanaloa. Ka Ho ohana Ana: The root is the source of a relaxant drink of the same name. The root and leaf is used for its analgesic properties. Prepared formerly by chewing, later by pounding. The pulverized particles were mixed with water and strained. When drunk in excess it can cause drowsiness, scaliness of the skin and bloodshot eyes. Traditional resources indicate that while awa was used as an element in ceremony it was likely not the focal point of ceremony as practiced elsewhere in the Pacific. (Hawaiian Dictionary, p. 33) Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 2 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 17
ÿäweoweo Chenopodium oahuense Endemic Naturally found on all of the Hawaiian Islands except Kaho olawe. The plant is found on most of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as well. Nä Inoa Ë A e: Äheahea, Ahea, Ähewahewa, Alaweo, Alaweo Huna (Ni ihau), Käha iha i. Nä Hi ohi ona: Low shrubs to small trees 2-8 ft. tall with light blue-green leaves that are in the shape of a goose's foot. Sometimes the leaves can be very tiny, about ¼ - ½ in. across or they can be up to 2 in. depending on the growing conditions. The flowers are very small and are in clusters above the plant. The young stems are usually streaked with red. Ka Ho ohana Ana: In times of famine, the young leaves and stems were wrapped in kï leaves, steamed and eaten. The harder wood at the base of the plant can also be shaped into fish hooks. The leaves and flowers which smell like the Äweoweo fish are crushed and used as a garnish for food. Ike Pili: In the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant, many things are created in a dualistic manner meaning that when one thing is created in the ocean, there is often a counter part created on land or in the air and vice versa. This type of dualism occurs with the Äweoweo plant and a red fish named Äweoweo. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 4 Ma Kawaiaha o: Mäla 18
ÿäwikiwiki Canavalia hawaiiensis Endemic Naturally found in the dry forest of Länaÿi, Maui and Hawaiÿi. Ka Inoa ÿë Aÿe: Puakauhi A climbing vine with very pubescent, trifolate leaves (3 leaflets comprising a single leaf) and striking purple flowers. The flowers are similar to those of pea-flowers like the ÿöhai (Sesbania tomentosa), but are bright-purple and have a white spot at the base of the petal and keel. After the flowers are pollinated, large seed pods develop. They have approximately 3-9 tan colored seeds about 1 in. in diameter. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: The flowers and seeds of this vine are strung into lei. ÿäwikiwiki is the original flower for the Maunaloa style of lei making. The vines are used to make simple, temporary fish traps. A topical treatment for skin disorders can be made from this plant. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 3 19
Carex Carex wahuensis Endemic Naturally found on Kauaÿi, Oÿahu, Maui, Molokaÿi, Länaÿi, and Hawaiÿi in dry forest and mesic areas. A sedge that forms thick clumps growing to about 3 ft. They have long slender, dark-green blades each about a ½ in. across at the base reducing to a narrow elongated apex. Tiny flowers emerge on the upper portion of long stalks called spikes. Once pollinated, the flowers become small, seed-like fruit called achenes. The sedge can range in color from light-brown to bright-orange. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: The long, slender blades can be used in lei. Ma Keanakamanö: Zone 2, 4 20
Coastal Lysimachia Lysimachia mauritiana Indigenous Naturally found on coastal cliffs or rocky shorelines on Niÿihau, Kauaÿi, Molokaÿi, Maui and Hawaiÿi. A low crawling herbaceous groundcover with light-green, succulent leaves and white flower clusters. The leaves emerge radially, while the flower clusters protrude up above the rest of the plant. Once pollinated the flowers develop into small light-brown seed capsules, each containing numerous, tiny, dark-brown seeds. Ka Hoÿohana ÿana: The flower clusters can be used in lei. 21