The small fragrant flowers of Ceodes brunoniana are widely spaced on a branched inflorescence (Photograph courtesy of Natalie Tapson CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.). Inflorescence with nearly ripe (green) and ripe (black) fruits (Photograph courtesy of Kahuroa, public domain.). Sticky ripe fruits (Photograph courtesy of G.D. Carr ©.). In New Zealand (Aotearoa), Ceodes brunoniana (parapara) is rare in the wild but commonly cultivated as a landscape ornamental or houseplant (Ornamental photograph courtesy of Kahuroa, public domain; houseplant photograph courtesy of Fagg, M. CC BY 4.0.). In Hawai‘i, the opposite is true; pāpala kēpau is rarely cultivated but still relatively common in the wild, usually seen in the forest understory, but sometimes out in the open like this one on Hawai‘i Island (Photograph of wild pāpala kēpau courtesy of Karl Magnacca CC BY-NC 4.0). Sadly, Ceodes brunoniana sometimes lives up to its common name of birdcatcher tree. Here, Bruce Casler (Waimea Valley, O‘ahu) slowly and carefully rescues a red-billed leiothrix or Peking robin (Leothrix lutea), native to China, from a tangle of pāpala kēpau fruits.

Growth Requirements

General

    Ceodes brunoniana is a fascinating plant with some unique features, uses, ecology, and history. In a landscape, use it as a conversational curiosity, to provide shade for smaller plants such as native ferns, or planted in a row (several feet apart) as an informal screen. Pāpala kēpau can also be kept in a container (see photograph above of a plant maintained Bonsai style).

    The fact that the super-sticky fruits of pāpala kēpau can ensnare and ultimately kill small creatures such as insects, lizards, and small birds is not viewed favorably by everyone. In fact, there's a long history of people cutting down parapara in New Zealand because they were upset about its bird-catching ability [The Garden History Research Foundation]. While it is sad that some birds in Hawai‘i are ensnared by pāpala kēpau fruits and can die, if you are thinking, "I don't want to grow this plant because it kills innocent birds!" please consider these deaths in perspective. While we don't have an estimate for Hawai‘i specifically, in the United States, cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year [Hawaii Invasive Species Council]. In Hawai‘i, in a single year (2015), cats were responsible for killing at least 237 endangered birds, primarily seabirds [American Bird Conservancy]. So, should we outlaw cat ownership and kill all the cats in Hawai‘i to save the birds? Finally, as you can see in the photographs above, with a little patience and some soap and water, you can rescue any birds that inadvertently get entangled in the fruits of your pāpala kēpau. 

    Ceodes brunoniana does best in a lightly shaded location. However, it will do just fine in a much sunnier site, provided you always keep the soil or media moist. Indoors, place your plant under LED lamps or near a sunny window.

    In addition to birds, pāpala kēpau fruits will readily adhere to almost anything they come in contact with, including: pets, farm animals, clothing, skin, and hair. Therefore, use judgment when selecting a planting site so your pāpala kēpau doesn't become a nuisance. Curiously, while pāpala kēpau fruits are sticky to the touch, they don't leave a sticky residue on your fingers.

    In the field, we have seen Ceodes brunoniana in dry forests. However, these trees were always at or near the bottom of a gulch, suggesting that pāpala kēpau, unlike many other dry forest trees like alahe‘e, kauila and lama, is not very drought tolerant. With this in mind, we recommend watering your pāpala kēpau often enough to prevent the surface soil from completely drying out. We have successfully grown pāpala kēpau in lava/cinder, clay, and organic-dominant soils or media, and recommend making sure the soil or media drains water well; if it doesn't, improve the drainage by heaping the soil up into a mound or ridge and planting your pāpala kēpau on top.

    Ceodes brunoniana is the smallest of Hawai‘i's pāpala kēpau (up to about 20 feet [6 m] tall), and doesn't grow super fast — about one to two feet (30 to 61 cm) per year. It can, however, start flowering and fruiting when it is still quite young and small; one of our (Koebele) plants started flowering when it was only three years old! To spur growth, particularly a pāpala kēpau kept in a container, apply a balanced slow-release fertilizer with minor elements about every six months or spray your plant monthly with an organic or inorganic water-soluble fertilizer diluted to ⅓ to ½ its recommended strength.

    Avoid pruning your pāpala kēpau except to remove dead branches. If you wish to prevent any chance of captured birds, remove each inflorescence before any of the flowers develop into fruits.

Pests and Diseases

    When small, pāpala kēpau are vulnerable to snails and slugs, so remain wary. The most common pest of pāpala kēpau is scale insects; look for these on the stems and near the veins of the leaves. Aphids and mealybugs occasionally infest pāpala kēpau, usually on or near the newest leaves. All the above-mentioned insects are often farmed and protected by ants. Refer to the Pests & Diseases page for ways to control/eliminate each of these pests. 

Special Features and Information

General

    Nyctaginaceae is a small family of about 290 species in 33 genera, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world [WikipediA;Nyctaginaceae]. In Hawai‘i, common non-native members of the family include several Bougainvillea species and hybrids, as well as the garden four-o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa), locally called pua ahiahi, which translates as the "late afternoon [becoming evening] flower." Nyctaginaceae native to Hawai‘i include: two indigenous and one endemic species of alena (Boerhavia spp.); and five species of pāpala kēpau (two indigenous and one endemic species of Ceodes, the indigenous Pisonia grandis, and the endemic Rockia sandwicensis).

    According to Foster [2012], the decomposing remains of a small dead bird entangled by Ceodes brunoniana fruits provide nutrients to its sprouting seedling(s). Larger birds are often able to escape this fate, and the fruit(s) eventually fall off (in a new location) with the shed feather(s).

Hawaiian Name

    We never thought too much about the Hawaiian name of this species (or the other four closely related species with the same Hawaiian name). We just assumed early Hawaiians thought that pāpala kēpau looked similar to another native species group, Charpentiera (also with five native species) called pāpala, except for their very sticky fruits (Charpentiera do not have sticky fruits), hence the adjective kēpau, which translates as "gum, pitch, tar, resin, or lead" [Pukui & Elbert 1986]. However, recently, we began to wonder how the name pāpala kēpau came to be.

    You see, unlike the five pāpala species, which are all endemic, three of the five pāpala kēpau species are indigenous, including Ceodes brunoniana, as well as the more widespread Pisonia grandis. Why then didn't early Hawaiians recognize these species and use the presumably older indigenous names, parapara from New Zealand for C. brunoniana or pu‘atea from Tahiti for P. grandis? Well, it seems, they did, and this is a case of language evolution from the proto-Polynesian word pala, meaning "ripe, soft; over-ripe or rotten," possibly a reference to the sticky fruits of Ceodes and Pisonia. For a more comprehensive description of this evolution, see Te Māra Reo; The Language Garden. So, the naming of Hawaiian Ceodes and Charpentiera species may have been the exact opposite of what we initially thought. In other words, the indigenous Hawaiian Ceodes were given the name pāpala kēpau based on the proto-Polynesian word pala, while the endemic Hawaiian Charpentiera were named pāpala because of their similar appearance to Ceodes (i.e., pāpala kēpau).

Etymology

    To date, we've been unable to discover the etymology of Ceodes except that it was first used as the genus name of a sister species, Ceodes umbellifera, in 1776 by Reinhold and Foster. Later, C. umbellifera was reassigned to the genus Pisonia, and then recently (2020) returned to Ceodes [Rossetto & Caraballo-Ortiz 2020]. The former genus name, Pisonia, honors William Piso (ca. 1611–1678), a Dutch physician, pharmacist, botanist, and early writer on medicinal plants of Brazil [Wagner et al. 1990].

    The species name, bunoniana, is Smaethman’s name to commemorate Robert Brown [Gledhill 2008]. Robert Brown (1773–1858) was a Scottish botanist and paleobotanist who made important contributions to botany, largely through his pioneering use of the microscope [WikipediA;Robert Brown]. Henry Smeathman (1742–1786) was an English naturalist known for his entomological studies in and around Sierra Leone [WikipediA;Henry Smeathman].