Hawaiians strung the yellow or golden flowers of hala pepe into lei. Hala pepe produces clusters of red-to-brown, grape-like fruits that hang below its leaf crowns. (Photographs of flowers and fruits courtesy of Edward Rau, Sustainable Bioresources LLC, CC BY-NC 4.0.). An old wild hala pepe surviving in the dry open forest and grassland of North Kona, Hawai‘i. This relatively young cultivated hala pepe is already producing fruit. 

Growth Requirements

General

    Here on O‘ahu, I (Koebele) have had much greater success growing the O‘ahu hala pepe, Dracaena forbesii and D. halapepe, than I've had growing the Hawai‘i Island endemic D. konaensis. And, now, I think I (might) know why. Wild D. konaensis grow exclusively (as far as I've seen) in lava/cinder "soil" on Hawai‘i Island. And I've always been able to keep them alive in pots filled primarily with black cinders. The problems start when I transfer them to the ground. These transfers were always to primarily clay-based soil, sometimes quite rocky, sometimes not. These soils drained water rather quickly, but probably not as quickly as a 100% lava/cinder substrate. In any case, within a year or two, if the hala pepe wasn't killed by some pest (e.g., rat, snails) chewing at its base and girdling it, then it died because of some form of fungal or bacterial rot that turned the base of the plant into mush. So, my hypothesis is that it's all about the soil when growing D. konaensis. Grow it in lava/cinder and you're good; grow it in anything else and you're not. I don't know why. Perhaps it is simply a difference in drainage, or maybe it is a difference in soil chemistry or differences in the microbial communities the two types of soil can support. I do know all my O‘ahu planting sites had a long history of human disturbance and use, suggesting they were likely hosting imported, naturalized, and possibly lethal microbes. 

    So, what am I trying to say? Well, if you live on Hawai‘i Island, you're probably okay putting your Dracaena konaensis in the ground, provided the substrate is lava-dominant and relatively virgin (i.e., does not have a history of post-contact agricultural or urban use). If not, you can always keep your hala pepe in a container, ideally with a cider-rich media; they do just fine in pots. Or, you can create a new and possibly safer soil environment for your hala pepe by planting it on a large mound of fresh cinders. If you live on O‘ahu, it's probably best if you stick with growing the two O‘ahu endemics, or, if you're willing to risk it, you can try planting a D. konaensis on a large mound of fresh cinders. 

    What has been your experience(s) growing Dracaena konaensis? Do they support my soil hypothesis or refute it? Please contact us at EickhoffandKoebele@gmail.com and let us know so we can improve this webpage and share your knowledge.

    With the above preface, here are my non-soil-related recommendations when growing Dracaena konaensis. I've always seen wild D. konaensis growing in full sunlight for all or most of the day. Therefore, duplicate this light level with your cultivated hala pepe. 

    Water your new planting about once a week until its roots are established (i.e., for a few months) and you see new growth. Then, try reducing your watering to once a month in hot, dry sites — less or no watering in places with more rainfall. Waterings should be long and deep rather than short showers. Overwatering can be deadly, and the soil around your plant should be surface dry most of the time.

    Dracaena konaensis grows rather quickly in comparison to D. forbesii and D. halapepe, and you can expect a three-foot (1 m) tall plant in just a few years. D. konaensis also seems to begin flowering sooner than the other two species (see photograph above); I have seen plants less than five feet (1.5 m) tall with fruits. However, if your hala pepe fails to grow or you are keeping it in a container, try applying a balanced controlled-release fertilizer once or twice a year. Alternatively, you can apply an organic or inorganic foliar fertilizer at ½ to ⅓ the recommended strength two to three times a year. D. konaensis (perhaps all hala pepe) seems to need more potassium than many other native Hawaiian plants (see Pests and Diseases below). Therefore, make sure your fertilizer contains a significant amount of potassium. 

    Dracaena konaensis is both heat- and drought-tolerant. Hala pepe branches are brittle and will break in high winds (or careless hands), so you should keep your plant in a semi-protected site. Fortunately, healthy plants usually recover from even major breaks (e.g., the top of a single-stemmed plant breaks off) and will put out new stem shoots from the remaining branch(es). Avoid pruning your hala pepe except to remove dead lower leaves or old fruit stems. Hala pepe bark and wood are soft. Therefore, it's a good idea to protect the base of your plant from trimmers and chewing pests with a wire cylinder, 2L plastic bottle, or other means.

Pests and Diseases

    All of the endemic Hawaiian Dracaena can be a challenge to maintain in the landscape because of their shared above-ground pests and soil-borne diseases. Chewing pests such as cockroaches, snails and slugs, and rats and mice are always a serious and potentially lethal concern with hala pepe, even with large, mature plants. Therefore, inspect the base of your plant regularly since this is normally the first area attacked. Unfortunately, there is no universal defense against chewing pests, so refer to the Pests & Diseases page for the best way(s) to battle each of these pests. Occasionally, hala pepe are infested by scale insects. Refer to the Pests & Diseases page for ways to eliminate scale insects. 

    For the longest time, I incorrectly diagnosed the leaf spotting on the older leaves of hala pepe (see photographs below) as some type of fungal infection. Then I came across Scot Nelson's photographs on Flickr. Scot Nelson is a Plant Pathologist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, so I trust his diagnosis. Dr. Nelson states that these spots are a symptom of potassium deficiency. Therefore, the proper treatment if you see these spots is to apply a potassium-rich fertilizer to your hala pepe. Several suitable options are available for purchase online or at your local garden shop.

    Now, if you see leaf spotting on the newest leaves or if the center of the leaf crown starts to rot, then your hala pepe probably does have some type of fungal disease. This can be promoted by water getting trapped in the crown or between the leaves. To avoid this, water the soil, not the plant. If you use sprinklers in your landscape, make the necessary adjustments to avoid this watering mistake.

    Overwatering or poor drainage, resulting in constantly wet soil, can promote harmful soil-borne fungi and bacteria that can infect the base and roots of your hala pepe and kill it. Therefore, don't overwater, and keep the surface soil around your plant dry most of the time.

Potassium deficiency in cultivated hala pepe (Dracaena konaensis). Photographs courtesy of Scot Nelson Public Domain.

Special Features and Information

General

    Asparagaceae includes species that vary widely in their appearance and growth form but is based on the edible garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis). The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species native to all continents except Antarctica. Its taxonomy has undergone several revisions, including some recent changes since 2000. Currently (2026), there are approximately 3,170 species within 126 genera in the family. Based primarily on recent molecular genetic research, members of the old Agavaceae (Agave family) such as the genus Dracaena, along with all the endemic Hawaiian species, were reorganized within Asparagaceae [WikipediA;Asparagaceae]. In Hawai‘i, the only native species within Asparagaceae are members of the genus Dracaena [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands].

    Currently (2026), there are seven recognized species of native Dracaena in the Hawaiian Islands, with each species limited in range to one or two islands [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands]. 

• Dracaena aurea — is a tree found in mesic forests on Kaua‘i. 

• Dracaena auwahiensis — is a tree found in dry and mesic forests on Moloka‘i and Maui.

• Dracaena fernaldii — is an endangered tree found in remnant dry forests on Lānaʻi.

• Dracaena forbesii — is an endangered tree found in dry and mesic forests on Oʻahu. 

• Dracaena halapepe — is a tree found in mesic forests on Oʻahu.

• Dracaena halemanuensis — is a recently classified species found on Kauaʻi.

• Dracaena konaensis — is an endangered tree found in dry forests on Hawaiʻi Island.

Hawaiian Name

    In Hawaiian, Pepe can mean "small," while Pēpē can mean "baby" [Pukui & Elbert 1986]. Therefore, it is generally believed that Hala pepe means "small or baby hala," hala (Pandanus tectorius) being a common and important plant to Hawaiians. Likely, it was the similarity in the shape of the two trees and their leaves, along with the observation that hala pepe trees and their leaves are generally smaller than those of hala, that led to this naming. Pepe can also mean "flat," which leads to an alternative explanation for the name proposed by Karl Magnacca: that the name refers to the flat leaves of hala pepe compared to the ridged leaves of hala. Halapepe, as one word, occasionally appears in the literature in reference to these plants. 

Etymology

    Dracaena is the Latinized form of the Greek word drakaina, meaning "female dragon," and likely is a reference to the dragon tree (with its red resinous sap), described by Carl Linnaeus, who assigned it to the new genus [WikipediA;Dracaena draco]. 

    The species name, konaensis, refers to the Kona (leeward) region of Hawaiʻi Island where this endangered species is endemically found. The suffix, -ensis, was added to Latinize the name [A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin].