DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
- vine running on ground, over nurse logs, up tree ferns and `ōhi`a, attaching by roots from the stem
- stems noticeably square (four flat sides)
- leaves in pairs, roundish to oval, and margin with rounded, forward-pointing teeth
- flowers magenta to purple or almost white
TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES
- none listed in standard sources
HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY
- a “mintless” mint; minty taste and odor (chemical defense) lost in all Hawaiian mints; no herbivorous mammals native to Hawai`i
- mā`ohi`ohi low in the forest understory and vulnerable there to pigs, cattle, and dense weeds like kahili ginger
- common in nearby national park forest without feral pigs and only scattered non-native ginger
- probably occurred at Niaualani but displaced by pigs and certainly by ginger
- restored by VAC staff and thriving in forest now that ginger is controlled
SAY IT IN HAWAIIAN!
Hawaiian Rain Forest 