Reportedly, Dracaena halapepe rarely flowers, so this is a rare sight captured by Joel Lau, an expert botanist known for his rare finds and analysis (All flower photographs courtesy of Joel Lau ©.). Almost as rare is to find this species of hala pepe bearing its cherry-like fruits (Photograph courtesy of Andrew Evans CC BY-NC 4.0.). The strap-like leaves of hala pepe can vary a bit, with some plants like this one having short spike-like leaves, while other have longer drooping leaves (Photograph of spike-like leafed plant courtesy of Andrew Evans CC BY-NC 4.0.). This large wild hala pepe growing in the Ko‘olau Mountains of O‘ahu has multiple trunks, a rather common characteristic of this species. An encouraging site, hala pepe keiki (seedlings) beneath the parent tree. (Photograph courtesy of Karl Magnacca CC BY-NC 4.0.).

Growth Requirements

General

Accent

Specimen Plant

This species is rather slow growing, but is a beautiful plant and well worth cultivating.

None necessary except to remove dead lower leaves and spent fruit stems (panicles).

Dry

Soil must be well drained

Full sun

Partial sun

This hala pepe prefers full sun conditions, but has been observed in wild and under cultivation growing in part sun locations as well. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]

Tolerances

Drought

Wind

Soils

Cinder

Organic

    Dracaena forbesii, as well as the other endemic Hawaiian hala pepe, can be a challenge to maintain in the landscape because of their shared lethal above-ground pests and soil-borne diseases (see Pests and Diseases below). Additionally, D. forbesii grows slowly (i.e., 6 to 12 inches per year; mostly during the winter), tends to produce more branches than other hala pepe species, and takes ten or more years to start flowering in cultivation. However, its graceful appearance and beautiful clusters of flowers are well worth the extra care and wait. Plant your hala pepe in the ground as an accent in the landscape, or en masse, several feet apart, as a screen, or to provide partial shade for other less sun-loving native plants. Hala pepe can also be maintained as a container plant; a great option if your landscape is home to plenty of snails, slugs, rats, or mice.

    Dracaena forbesii does best in a site with full sunlight for all or most of the day and will languish in a shady site. When first planted, water your hala pepe about once a week until its roots are well established (in six months to a year). Then, slowly reduce 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 forbesii is heat- and drought-tolerant and will grow in lava/cinder, clay, or organic-dominant soils, provided the soil drains well. Similarly, hala pepe in containers do best when filled with an easy-draining media (i.e., 50%-plus cinder or perlite). Hala pepe branches will break in high winds (or careless hands), so you should keep your plant in a protected site. Fortunately, healthy plants will 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). (This is a common observation of wild plants found in windy sites.) 

    Avoid over-fertilizing your hala pepe. However, applying a balanced slow-release fertilizer with minor elements every six months, or a foliar feeding every one to two months with an organic or inorganic water-soluble fertilizer diluted to ⅓ to ½ recommended strength can increase growth. Also, avoid pruning your hala pepe except to remove dead lower leaves or old fruit stems. 

Pests and 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, so refer to the Pests & Diseases page for the best way(s) to battle each of these pests. 

    Leaf spot (probably Fusarium) is a common hala pepe disease on plants with frequently wetted leaves (by a sprinkler or hand-sprayer). The easiest cure is simply to cut away or gently remove the infected leaves and adopt a watering method that keeps the leaves dry. Occasionally, hala pepe are infested by scale insects. Refer to the Pests & Diseases page for ways to eliminate scale insects.

    Overwatering, 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.

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 (2025), there are approximately 3,170 species within 126 genera in the family [WikipediA;Asparagaceae].

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. Halapepe, as one word, occasionally appears in the literature in reference to these plants. 

Etymology

    Dracaena is the Latinize 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 former generic name Pleomele is derived from the Greek pleon, many, and melon, apple, in reference to the large inflorescence that produce many fruits.

The specific epithet halapepe is named for hala pepe, which in fact is the Hawaiian name for all six members of these plants.