Native Plants of Hawai‘i - Canavalia hawaiiensis

Canavalia hawaiiensis

Fabaceae or Pea family [Five-minute families]

Synonyms: Canavalia galeata var. hawaiiensis, Canavalia iaoensis, Canavalia kauensis, Canavalia mauiensis, Canavalia rockii, Canavalia sanguinea

ʻĀwikiwiki

Puakauhi

Hawaiian jackbean

Natural Range & Environment

Canavalia hawaiiensis is endemic to Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island. It is found in dry to mesic forest from 120 to 1,220 m (394 to 4,003 ft) [Wagner et al. 1990] but has also been used in restoration efforts on Kaho‘olawe [Forest & Kim Starr].

Like some of the other endemic Hawaiian Canavalia species, the flowers of C. hawaiiensis can vary somewhat in color (red flower photographs courtesy of ka_y_ak CC BY-NC 4.0; purple flower photograph courtesy of Matthew Kahokuloa, Jr. CC BY-NC 4.0).

ʻĀwikiwiki produce large, flattened pods (photograph courtesy of Jay Smart ©), each containing one to a few large seeds (photograph courtesy of J.B. Friday ©). The new leaves of C. hawaiiensis are typically a bronze color, turning light green as they mature (photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0 US). All ʻāwikiwiki have compound leaves with three leaflets (photograph courtesy of James Bailey CC BY-NC 4.0), and, while they don't have tendrils, they all love to climb fences (photograph here and in header courtesy of Jay Smart ©).

Description

Canavalia pubescens is an endangered short-lived (probably less than ten years) climbing vine or liana, typically with numerous twining stems that can grow to more than 10 feet (3 m) in length. The older stems are light gray and slightly woody. In locations with no nearby plants to climb, C. pubescens can appear shrub-like.

The large compound leaves of Canavalia pubescens are composed of three elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets with each leaflet being 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm) long. Most often, both surfaces of the leaflets are densely covered with silvery hairs; however, the density can vary depending on environmental conditions, with fast-growing well-watered plants having fewer hairs on their leaves.

Canavalia pubescens produces clusters of pea-like perfect (bisexual) flowers that range in color from pink to purple, normally with a white spot or streak near the base of the corolla. Degener [1931-], Book 3, reported seeing white to pink flowers on Lānaʻi. Flowering is sporadic year-round, often with a peak in the wetter period(s) of the year. Pollinated flowers develop into large compressed pods that turn tan to black, dry, and woody when ripe. Within each pod is one to several (but usually just a few) large, elliptic and flat, tan to reddish brown seeds, each with a thick hard seedcoat. When mature, the seeds frequently detach and will rattle within the pod.

Growth Requirements

General

Canavalia is kind of the middle-of-the-road when it comes to growing requirements for ʻāwikiwiki. It requires more water than C. pubescens (i.e., is less drought tolerant) but not as much as C. galeata. On the other hand, it is more prone to pest infestations than C. galeata but isn't a bug-magnet like C. pubescens.

Accent

Container

Ground Cover

Trellis or Fence Climber

The quick growing and vining ʻāwikiwiki (Canavalia spp.) soon provide a thick barrier on a fence. Stems will get woody, especially at the base, upon maturity.

Seeds can be planted directly in the soil at the base of a trellis or fence post. Portection from rodents, slugs, and snails may be needed.

Apparently while not necessary for growing ʻāwikiwiki, innoculated plants tend to be the most vigorous. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]

They can also be grown as a groundcover over cinder and rocks.

Fertilize every 6 months or foliar feed monthly for more flowers.

Moist

Water weekly if weather is dry.

Soil must be well drained

Full sun

Partial sun

The seeds of Canavalia pubescens sprout easily (after scarification), and, initially, young plants grow quickly and are easy to care for. However, maintaining this ʻāwikiwiki species long term can be challenging and demanding because of repeated and severe attacks by arthropod pests, primarily lace bugs and spider mites (see Pests and Diseases for further discussion). Therefore, if you feel you don't have the time to closely monitor for and quickly take action to control these pests, you may want to opt for a less-demanding species of native Hawaiian vine such as maile (Alyxia stellata), Bonamia menziesii, Gouania vitifolia, or pāʻūohiʻiaka (Jacquemontia sandwicensis). Additionally, in my (Koebele) experience, the O‘ahu endemic ʻāwikiwiki (Canavalia galeata) is a bit easier to maintain than C. pubescens; however, C. galeata requires a wetter habitat.

Canavalia pubescens is a climber. Therefore, consider planting it near a fence or using a trellis. In the wild, it can be seen climbing up wiliwili trees (Erythrina sandwicensis). However, C. pubescens also does just fine with nothing to climb on, in which case it tends to climb upon itself and create a spreading thicket (see photograph above). It can also be kept in a container but requires frequent pruning of its rapidly growing stems.

This dryland ʻāwikiwiki does best when grown in a site that receives full sunlight for all or most of the day. It can tolerate a bit of shading, but shaded plants may not be as silvery (i.e., fuzzy) or flower as often as plants in full sunlight. Once established (after one to two months in the ground), Canavalia pubescens requires little to no watering, and you should avoid overwatering since this can promote stem and root rot. This ʻāwikiwiki can tolerate extreme heat, drought, strong winds, and some salt spray. It will grow in cinder-rich, organic-dominant, and (coralline) sandy soils provided the soil drains water quickly.

As mentioned above, Canavalia pubescens grows quickly and, because it can fix nitrogen (with the help of rhizobial bacteria), normally does not require nitrogen-containing fertilizers; I never fertilized my ʻāwikiwiki except when I kept them in a pot for an extended period (i.e., over a year), in which case, I applied a balanced controlled-release granular fertilizer every six months. C. pubescens is considered to have a lifespan of ten years or less, although to date (2026), there haven't been any scientific studies to confirm this. Unfortunately, all my C. pubescens have died after a few years because I failed to adequately monitor for and control their many pests.

Pests and Diseases

Southern green stink bugs (Nezara viridula), a polyphagous* feeder, can gather in great numbers if left uncontrolled.

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* Eating, or subsisting on, many kinds of foods.

Canavalia pubescens is attacked by a multitude of pests, all sadly introduced to Hawai‘i in the last 250 years. The most frequent and serious are infestations of lace bugs (see photographs below) and spider mites, which yellow and kill the plant's leaves. Aphids and stink bugs can also sometimes become a problem. And, in moist environments, snails, slugs, and cockroaches may eat the leaves and stems of your ʻāwikiwiki. The quickest and easiest way to eliminate stink bugs is by hand; wear gloves if you don't want your hands to smell terrible afterward. Cockroaches are best deterred by using a granular, broad spectrum insecticide (see Ants on the Pests & Diseases page). For the other above-mentioned pests, refer to the Pests & Diseases page for different methods of control.

If the attacks on your ʻāwikiwiki by lace bugs or spider mites are frequent or severe, you may be tempted to use a more long-lasting control chemical like a systemic insecticide or miticide, respectively. However, using a systemic insecticide comes with a significant potential downside. Unfortunately, all the systemic insecticides easily available to the public in Hawai‘i contain imidacloprid, which is extremely deadly to bees. Therefore, you will need to decide: "Do I kill the bees in my neighborhood in order to more easily protect my ʻāwikiwiki, or do I work harder (e.g., inspect and spray more often) with shorter-lasting insecticides?"

Lastly, it's entirely possible that your pest problem gets out of control and your ʻāwikiwiki drops all or most of its leaves. Don't panic! There's a good chance your plant can recover if you immediately start and repeatedly treat the surviving stems with an insecticide and/or miticide.

Corythucha gossypii (cotton or bean lace bug) on the underside of an ʻāwikiwiki leaf. Black spots are lace bug feces. (Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 2.0.)

Adult Corythucha gossypii (cotton or bean lace bug). (Closeup photograph courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr CC BY 3.0 US.)

Uses

Ancient Hawaiian

All the taxonomically recognized native species of Canavalia in Hawai‘i (currently six species) have the common Hawaiian names, ʻāwikiwiki and puakauhi [Wagner et al. 1990]. Therefore, it's currently impossible to attribute species-specific ancient uses to most of the Hawaiian Canavalia species, the one exception being C. galeata (see Abbott [1992] and Ka‘aiakamanu & Akina [1922] below).

Here are all the ancient Hawaiian uses of ʻāwikiwiki and puakauhi we were able to find in the literature.

While permanent fish traps were typically made from the aerial roots of ‘ie‘ie (Freycinetia arborea), temporary, roughly-made traps were sometimes made from ʻāwikiwiki vines [Abbott 1992 for Canavalia galeata; Krauss 1993].
The frame of scoop nets were probably made from twisted ʻāwikiwiki vines, which were used to catch small rock pāoʻo (blennies and gobies) and ʻōpae (freshwater shrimp), often at night [Krauss 1993].
ʻĀwikiwiki flowers were used in lei-making [Krauss 1993].
Ka‘aiakamanu & Akina [1922] claim the entire plant, ʻāwikiwiki (Canavalia galeata), along with "mountain apple bark" and "the entire Cassia occidentalis plant" was used in a bath to treat "itch" and "ringworm and kindred skin diseases." Cassia occidentalis, now Senna occidentalis, is an introduced and naturalized shrub in Hawai‘i. However, Hawaiians may have used the native Senna, Senna gaudichaudii, in ancient times.

Modern

ʻĀwikiwiki flowers and seeds are used in lei-making [Hui Ku Maoli Ola].

Special Features and Information

General

Fabaceae contains numerous agriculturally important plants, and is the third-largest land plant family in number of species, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with about 765 genera and nearly 20,000 known species [WikipediA;Fabaceae]. In Hawai‘i, there are about 25 native species and about 150 introduced and naturalized species [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands].

Hawai‘i currently has two taxonomically recognized introduced and naturalized Canavalia species, C. cathartica (maunaloa, popular for lei-making) and C. sericea (pohue or silky jackbean), as well as six endemic species.

Canavalia galeata — primary found in mesic forests on O‘ahu.
Canavalia hawaiiensis — seen in dry to mesic forests on Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island.
Canavalia kauaiensis — primarily found in mesic forests on Kaua‘i.
Canavalia molokaiensis — an endangered vine seen in open dry sites, mesic shrubland, and the steep slopes of gulches on Moloka‘i.
Canavalia napaliensis — an endangered vine found in open dry sites and mesic forests on Kaua‘i.
Canavalia pubescens — an endangered vine seen in dry open lava fields and in dryland forest, grassland, and shrubland on Lāna‘i and Maui (and formerly on Ni‘ihau and Kaua‘i) [Wagner et al. 1990; Flora of the Hawaiian Islands].

Hawaiian Name

ʻĀwikiwiki is a reduplication of ‘āwiki which means "to hurry, be quick, swift," possibly referring to the rapid growth of this plant [Pukui & Elbert 1986].

Etymology

Canavalia is derived from the Malayalam word, Kanavali, the local name for a related species in the Malabar region of Kerala, India [Wiktionany].

The species name, hawaiiensis, refers to Hawaiʻi Island, where this species is endemically found. The geographic suffix -ensis was added to Latinize the name.

BPK