Keola Donaghy: Native Hawaiian Plants

Most of the pictures shown are used with the kind permission of Dr. Gerald D. Carr of the Botany Department at UH Manoa. These pictures are freely provided for instructional and educational purposes by Dr. Carr. Any duplication or publication of the images for commercial gain without explicit written permission of the owner or photographer constitutes breach of trust and violation of copyright. A more comprehensive list of native Hawaiian plants can be found on the UH-Botany Native Plants website.

A handful of photos I took myself, I'll put more of my own up as I get better at this.

If anyone out there has some nice seeds and would like to share (or lives near Hilo and would like to share cuttings), please email me. We don't make any money off this, its just a hobby, and we share extras with friends.

Also, be forewarned that I am not a botanist, just a hobbyist and enthusiast for native plants. The information I've provided regarding these plants was given to me by the people that I bought them from, or from the handful of books that I have on the subject. If you know of any information here that is incorrect please email me.

Our current collection of plants includes:

Hibiscus - I've seemed to have developed an affinity for native hibiscus, and a disdain for non-natives. I've got three different varieties of red (koki‘o ‘ula‘ula), three different whites (koki‘o ke‘oke‘o), an orange (St. John's), yellow (ma'o hau hele - the state flower), and a violet one ('akiahala).
	Ma‘o Hau Hele hibiscus brackenridgei. A native yellow hibiscus that is also the state flower. Larry Kimura planted a small, sickly-looking bush outside my office at the university a few years ago. About two years later it grew into a big, sickly-looking bush. Then one day it bloomed, and we had some of the most brillant yellow hibiscus I've ever seen. I took some cuttings home the next day. Unfortunately the blooming only lasted a few days, now all I have is a big, sickly-looking bush again. More info on ma'o hau hele from the Native Hawaiian Plant Propogation Database.
	‘Akiahala - I spotted a bright patch of violet in a weedy patch behind my office one day, and found a flower that looked almost identical to the ma'o hau hele (see above), except that the petals were a pale violet at the tips and a deep violet inside. The leaves and stem of the plant also looked remarkably like the ma'o hau hele. A bit of research revealed it's true identity. The flower is gorgeous, but it wilts within hours of blooming. A few weeks later there are a few dozen seeds per flower that bloomed.
	koki‘o ke‘oke‘o - this white hibiscus hails from Kaua‘i. it looks a lot like the hibiscus arnottianus, but the petals are no where near as long, and the flower itself is much smaller. More info on koki‘o ke‘oke‘o from the Native Hawaiian Plant Propogation Database.
	koki‘o ke‘oke‘o Hibiscus arnottianus. A native white hibiscus. Most hibiscus do not have a scent, this one does.There are quite a number of different varieties of native white hibiscus, most all go by the same Hawaiian name. Notice the slender petals, this is indicative of the native varieties. Introduced white hibiscus tend to have wider petals. We have had a number of these along the side of the Hale Kuamo‘o for a few years now. I've gotten both seeds and cuttings to grow with ease.More info on koki‘o ke‘oke‘o from the Native Hawaiian Plant Propogation Database.
no pic yet.	hibiscus arnottianus immaculatus - this is a rare koki‘o ke‘oke‘o from Moloka‘i, once believed extinct. I'm told that botanists found a single specimen on Moloka‘i many years ago, and by grafting were able to help the species survive. I assume, therefore, that any of these found today would be the mo'opuna (grandchildren or descendants) of that single plant. I found one growning near one of the science buildings on the UHH campus. Unlike the hibiscus waimea and hibiscus arnottianus, its contains no red, it is pure white. Its petals are long and narrow, quite like the arnottianus. A stunning flower that grows very easily from cuttings. More info on this koki‘o ke‘oke‘o from the Native Hawaiian Plant Propogation Database. Heidi Bornhorst wrote a great Honolulu Advertiser article on this and other native hibiscus.
	St. John's Hibiscus No one I've spoken or written to knows of a Hawaiian name for this striking orange-red hibiscus. Apparently it is a fairly recent discovery (a few decades or so ago) from Kaua‘i, and is pretty rare, I'm old. I have two now; one's planted and the other still potted. They don't seem to get to bushy from what I've seen. Leaves and flowers are very sparse.
	koki‘o ‘ula‘ula A native hibiscus with brilliant red flowers.
	Aloalo Hibiscus clayi. A small, red hibiscus with petals that curve back toward the stem. We have koki‘o 'ula also, the flowers of this are a bit smaller, and the leaves a bit thicker and not as serrated on the edges.
no pic yet.	koki‘o ‘ula‘ula hibiscus kahili. This red hibiscus comes from Mt. Kahili on Kaua‘i, its leaves are a bit more rounded than the other red hibiscus I have. My single plant has not bloomed yet, I'm told the flower is a bit more pinkish in hue than some or the other reds. It is supposed to grow into more of a small tree rather than the bush that other koki‘o ‘ula‘ula seem to become.
Others
	'Ohia Lehua A native tree, beautiful red flowers. East Hawai‘i is famous for its forests of ‘Ohi‘a lehua. Mt. Ka'ala on O‘ahu is also famous for the brilliant red of its lehua blossoms. Mine was a graduation present from Kaipo and Kekuhi Frias.
	‘Ohi‘a Lehua Mamo Similar to the ‘Ohi‘a lehua but with yellow flowers. My single mamo is growing nicely alongside (but not too close to) the driveway to our house.
	'Oha Delissea rhytidosperma. This is an endangered lobelioid from Kaua‘i
	Na‘u (or Nanu) Gardenia brighamii. You probably have never seen a native Hawaiian gardenia before, they are very rare and endangered. The gardenia that you generally see throughout the state are not native. This one is.
	Ko‘oloa‘ula Abutilon menziesii. This fellow has a flower that looks like a small, red hibiscus that hangs upsidedown, usually under the cover of the plants leaves. It is also an endangered species.
	Naupaka kuahiwi There are several varieties of Naupaka kuahiwi, I'm not certain exactly which one we have. They're forming a short hedge along side our car pad.
	Maile Alyxia oliviformis. An incredibly fragrant vine that is one of the most popular lei making materials. It is not uncommon in the wild, but is getting harder to find because of demand for it around graduation time. Save yourself a bundle and grow your own.
	Hau Kuahiwi Hibiscadelphus giffardianus. The flower of the three differen species of hau kuahiwi that we have look a bit like hibiscus that decided only to bloom halfway. A number of species in this genus are extinct, the three that we have are rare and endangered.
	Koa Acacia koa. A native tree, koa also refers to warriors in Hawaiian. It was used for the hulls of large, double-hulled canoes in the past; trees large enough for this are rare nowadays. Ours was planted about three years ago in memory of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, a friend and inspiration who passed away in June, 1997.
	Kou a Polynesian introduced tree. I picked this one up for $1 at a sale by the UH-Hilo Agriculture Club a few years ago. Been growing very nicely. Photo by Keola Donaghy
	Kukui A Polynesian introduced tree. There are a lot of kukui trees at UH-Hilo, and quite often you'll find seedlings sprouting up around the base of the trunks. I try to dig them up before the grounds people come by and mow over them. When they get a little bigger I'll try to find nice homes for them. Photo by Keola Donaghy
	Kulu‘i A very nice looking small bush, the leaves look a little like maile, but are generally silvery. We've been getting a decent amount of rain, so ours are a bit more green. Photo by Keola Donaghy
	Laua‘e A Polynesian introduced fern. Incredibly fragrant, I've planted a bed in front of our bay window so that the fragrance will be carried in by the easterly winds that come in through this window into the living room. It makes a beautiful lei po'o (head lei).
	Mamaki A native nettle that doesn't sting, but makes a great tea that is reported to help with stomach problems. Its also the primary source of food for the rare Kamehameha Butterfly. Also got these for $1 a piece at a UH Ag Club fundraiser.
	Ko'oko'olau There are apparently a lot of different varieties of this plant. The flower looks a bit like a marigold, but it grows into a larger bush. When dried the leaves and flowers make an interesting tea. Mine haven't flowered yet, so I don't know for sure.
	Pa‘uohi‘iaka A native groundcover with white or blueish-white flowers. Hi'iakaikapoliopele was the younger, favorite sister of Pele. One day Pele took Hi'iaka to the beach, and left her there while she frolicked in the sea. Hi'iaka started to get sunburned, and this plant covered her to protect her skin from the sun. Pa‘u is a skirt, so pa‘uohi‘iaka mean's "Hi‘iaka's skirt." I recently discovered that there are two varieties of pa'uohi'iaka, one indigenous and one Polynesian introduced. Mine turned out to be the latter, it has shinier, deeper green leaves, the native variety is a paler green and not as glossy looking.
	Pikake An introduced bush from India with fragrant white flowers. It was princess Ka'iulani's favorite, and she named it after her favorite birds, the pikake, or peacock. My favorite lei is maile and pikake. You can smell a lei made from the two from a block away.
	Pua Kenikeni An introduced bush/small tree. It has long yellow-orange flowers and makes a popular lei, my daughter's favorite.
	‘A‘ali'i A native bush. This plant does better in hot, dry climates. I have a few seedlings I try to keep in an area that catches the morning sun but not too much rain. An 'olelo no'eau, or Hawaiian proverb states "He ‘a‘ali‘i ku makani au, ‘a‘ohe mea nana e kula‘i" - "I am the wind-resiting ‘a‘ali‘i, nothing can push me over."
	'Awikiwiki A climbing vine. I planted a seedling near a 4' wire fence in our yard, it reached the top of the fence in about three weeks. Wikiwiki is Hawaiian for "fast", it sure is.
	'Ihi portula villosa. A native Portulaca (groundcover) with white flowers. There are a few rare varieties of 'ihi in Hawai‘i, one found in 'Oluwalu Valley near Lahaina, Maui, the second on the small island of Molokini, a small crescent shaped island between Maui and Kaho'olawe.
	'Ihi portula lutea. Another native Portulaca (groundcover) with yellow flowers. I found a few of these growig near the state capitol and snipped off a few short cuttings to plant, and between those and the first batch of seeds I now have a few dozen.
	'Ilima a native bush with yellow flowers
	'Awapuhi There are a large number of different varieties if 'awapuhi (ginger) growing in Hawai‘i. Most are not native to Hawai‘i, this one is. The juice held in the tennis-ball sized "flower" of this native makes a great hair conditioner.

Native Hawaiian Plants Reference

UH-Botany Native Plants website

Huge collection of mostly endemic Hawaiian plants, plenty great, colorful pictures with scientific as well as Hawaiian names. Not much peripheral information on habitat, use, cultivations, etc.

Native Hawaiian Plant Society

A Maui-based organization that has several interesting projects going on involving reestablishment of native plants.

Native Hawaiian Plant Propogation Database

This listing contains the currently accepted botanical name for the plants in the database and all alternative or superseded names encounted in the literature. From the College of Tropical Agricultura and Human Resources at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

Growing Native Hawaiian Plants, by Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst (The Bess Press)

A wonderful how-to guide and introduction to native Hawaiian plants. It has a slight bias toward plants that grow better on the drier areas of the islands, but there are representative plants from the wetter areas as well. Superb section on cultivation, germination, and a brief introduction to grafting.

A Plea

If you have an interest in native plants like I do, please don't go tromping through the forest (particular forest reserve areas) and dig up plants. Some of them don't recover from it. Go to a reputable dealer or find someone who has what you are looking for. I called the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and they faxed me a list of companies and individuals that specialized or offered native plants.

In East Hawai‘i, a great company is Grow Native, about halfway between Hilo and Volcano. They're in the boonies, but very nice, knowledgeable people. We've gotten a number of nice plants from them, looking foward to going back soon. There also talking about putting a website up.

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