HA`IWALE (CYRTANDRA PLATYPHYLLA)

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?

Section of HA`IWALE (CYRTANDRA PLATYPHYLLA), a Hawaiian rain forest shrub

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KᾹMAKAHALA (LABORDIA HEDYOSMIFOLIA)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• erect to sprawling shrubs up to 6 feet tall
• leaves oppositely arranged on stems, in pairs
• leaves whitish-green beneath, much lighter than upper surface
• flowers yellow

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• none described in the standard references

HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• found in nearby park forests and natural area reserves protected from pigs
• tends to grow from soil and nurse logs low in forest understory
• vulnerable to animal disturbance and plants like kahili ginger
• may have occurred in Niaulani before the kahili ginger invasion
• being restored by VAC staff through plantings

Small seedling of the shrub KᾹMAKAHALA (LABORDIA HEDYOSMIFOLIA) inside of the Niaulani Rain Forest

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KANAWAO (BROUSSAISIA ARGUTA)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• upright woody shrub, with tallest stems more than six feet
• leaves opposite each other on the stem; often three leaves attached in a whorl at same point on the stem
• veins on leaves deeply recessed on upper surface and projecting downward on lower surface
• margin of leaves with forward pointing teeth
• leaves look similar to its cousin, the ornamental hydrangea (flowers very different)
• kanawao is a endemic native Hawaiian plant

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• none described in the standard references

HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• common, sometimes dense shrub in undisturbed rain forest and the most abundant native shrub in Niaulani Rain Forest
• although the female plants produce fruits, kanawao mostly spreads by sprouts emerging from underground roots
• kanawao is disturbed by feral pigs who uproot and damage the roots that produce new upright stems
• fencing in the 20th century at Niaulani helped protect this species at Niaulani which is uncommon in surrounding areas
• kanawao grows taller than kahili ginger and so survived four decades of ginger dominance in the understory
• in Niaulani, without pigs or ginger, the 15 or so scattered, surviving kanawao colonies are now expanding by root sprouts, with noticeable numbers of young, short, upright stems

A cluster of kanawao, a native Hawaiian rain forest shrub, inside of Niaulani

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MᾹMAKI (PIPTURUS ALBIDUS)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• large shrub or small, spreading tree
• leaves alternately attached to stem
• leaves thin, light green above and whitish green below, sometimes with red veins and leaf stems

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• tea made from leaves used for non-specific “run down” conditions
• fruits also used medicinally for various syndromes identified in Hawaiian medicine
• inner bark fibers compressed together in sheets to make kapa (barkcloth) clothing

HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• uncommon in Ni`aulani Rain Forest; a few plants found mostly on edge of forest but occasionally in large canopy gaps
• light-requiring species, preferring full light but tolerating a little shade
• fast-growing and short-lived, ideal for occupying temporary canopy gaps
• germination of seedlings stimulated by soil disturbance

Entire MᾹMAKI (PIPTURUS ALBIDUS) shrub, at center.

HOW TO SAY “MᾹMAKI” IN HAWAIIAN

MANONO (KADUA AFFINIS)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• usually small upright tree; sometimes vine-like and leaning or reclining on larger trees or on tree ferns
• stems at tips of branches with four, flattened sides, rather than round
• leaves opposite each other on stems; thick and leathery in older plants
• leaves usually upright when first emerge from bud

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• used in canoe construction as trim or rigging

HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• fast growing shrub or short tree growing into the tree fern layer of the forest
• becoming noticeably much more abundant in Ni`aulani Rain Forest since kahili ginger has been controlled
• seedlings and sapling found in forest, especially in clusters near the few older, fruiting trees, where tree ferns are less dense

Entire MANONO (KADUA AFFINIS) shrub.

HOW TO SAY “MANONO” IN HAWAIIAN

`ŌHᾹ WAI (CLERMONTIA PARVIFLORA)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• fairly common shrub up to 10 feet tall with arching branches
• leaves alternately arranged on stems and finely toothed on the margins
• milky juice in veins of leaves
• flowers with curved and spreading petals about one inch long
• fruits turn orange when ripe

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• fruits eaten raw
• sap used to treat cuts
• sap or fruits combined with other plant species to treat shortness of breath and asthma

HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• common shrub in Ni`aulani from deep shade to partial shade or nearly full light on edge of forest
• frequently seen as an epiphyte on tree ferns and `ōhi`a and nurse logs
• now more commonly found growing out of the soil where tree fern litter is sparse, following removal of kahili ginger

Entire `ŌHᾹ WAI (CLERMONTIA PARVIFLORA) plant.

HOW TO SAY “`ŌHᾹ WAI” IN HAWAIIAN

`ŌHELO KAU LᾹ`AU (VACCINIUM CALYCINUM)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• shrub up to 10 feet tall with multiple dark grey stems arising from the base
• leaves finely toothed alternately arranged on stems
• small plants may have small, roundish, finely toothed leaves
• berries dark red or scarlet when mature
• strictly in wet forests, berries always red

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• fruits eaten
• fruits, leaf buds, and leaves mixed with many other native plants and mashed into a mixture to treat stomach pains

HAWAIIAN RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• becoming more common at Ni`aulani after the removal of ginger; small shrubs on nurse logs on forest floor, where tree ferns are not too dense
• largest `ōhelo kau la`āu in Ni`aulani epiphytic high in the forks of major trunks or on large, mossy lateral trunks of `ōhi`a, above the kahili ginger
• also grows occasionally rooted in the soil or epiphytic on tree ferns

Entire `ŌHELO KAU LᾹ`AU
(TREE `ŌHELO)
(VACCINIUM CALYCINUM)

HOW TO SAY “`ŌHELO” IN HAWAIIAN

Pilo (Coprosma ochracea)

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

• small tree usually less than 15-20 feet tall
• leaves attached in pairs, opposite each on stems
• very small, leaf-like structures (stipules) attached opposite each other on the stem, just above the point of attachment of the leaf pairs; best seen on young shoots

TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN USES

• berries used as a laxative

RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY

• component of the tree fern layer, along with olomea and manono
• fast growing but short lived species
• becoming established after ginger removal, typically in thin leaf litter, but occasionally on a nurse log or very occasional as an epiphyte
• grows in full light to deeply shady conditions

A large, entire pilo plant. This photo was taken in Ni’aulani Rain Forest, in Volcano Village, on Hawaii Island.

HOW TO SAY “PILO” in HAWAIIAN