DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
- shrubs up to nine feet tall, much less now in Niaulani
- leaves toothed on margin, broadly oval, wider below the middle, attached in pairs or oppositely arranged on the stems
- leaves light green in color, with dense, long, relatively soft but stiff hairs
- flower petals white and fruits whitish and shiny
TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES
- none described in the standard references
HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY
- most plants of ha`iwale in Niaulani recently planted
- short, single stemmed shrubs
- very delicate plant spreading mostly by stems sprouting from roots; stems delicate
- very easily damaged by pigs moving in the forest and uprooting the soil
- new root sprouts inhibited by wall-to-wall stands of kahili ginger
- only a few plants of ha`iwale survived and are now beginning to show signs of spreading
- the species of the genus Cyrtandra hybridize, maybe more readily in disturbed habitats?
SAY IT IN HAWAIIAN!
Hawaiian Rain Forest 