Dracaena halapepe
Asparagaceae or Asparagus family
Synonyms: Chrysodracon halapepe, Pleomele halapepe
Dracaena halapepe
Asparagaceae or Asparagus family
Synonyms: Chrysodracon halapepe, Pleomele halapepe
Hala pepe
Leʻie
O'ahu hala pepe
Natural Range & Environment
Dracaena halapepe is endemic to O‘ahu. According to Wagner et al. [1990], it is found in dry forests and diverse mesic forests, from 180 to 610 m (591 to 2,001 ft). However, this conflicts with our field observations in that we have never seen this species in dry forests.
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 red grape-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 others 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 basal ascending branches, a common feature of this species. An encouraging site, hala pepe keiki (seedlings) beneath the parent tree. (Photograph courtesy of Karl Magnacca CC BY-NC 4.0.).
Description
Dracaena halapepe is a small to medium-sized tree sometimes exceeding 40 ft (12 m) in height [Magnacca] with a decades-long lifespan. Like other hala pepe species, its branches have light brown to gray bark with a reticulate pattern (at least partially the result of old leaf scars) and soft but brittle wood. While typically having a single trunk, this trunk often divides close to its base into two or more thick ascending branches.
Dracaena halapepe has strap-like leaves spirally clustered near the end of its branches that can vary in length from 17 to 31 inches (42 to 80 cm) long. These leaves are typically wider, greater than ⅔ inch (1.7 cm), compared to its O‘ahu companion species, D. forbesii (see Special Features and Information).
Dracaena halapepe produces dozens (hundreds?) of perfect (bisexual) greenish-yellow to yellowish-orange flowers that hang down from each branched inflorescence. The inflorescence itself curves down under the crown of a branch's leaves, with generally one inflorescence per branch. Each pollinated flower develops into a bright red to brown juicy (when ripe) grape-sized fruit containing one to three yellow to cream-colored seeds. Unfortunately, my (Koebele) cultivated D. halapepe never flowered after 25 years in the ground. This matches similar observations made by others of wild plants [Wagner et al. 1990].
Growth Requirements
General
There are a handful of native Hawaiian plants that I (Koebele) have only grown or propagated a few times or sometimes only once, usually because of the scarcity of propagules (i.e., seeds, cuttings). Normally, I avoid writing about these species until I have had more experience growing them. Here, I am breaking that "rule" with Dracaena halapepe because of the very longterm (over 25 years) success I have had with this species. Therefore, please follow my recommendations below with caution, since in most cases, they are based on one or two plantings.
Alien Dracaena species such as the Dragon tree (D. marginata) and Corn plant (D. fragrans) have long been kept as container plants or planted in a landscape as an accent because of their distinctive look — one or more long thick stems with a cluster of strap-like leaves at their tips. Dracaena halapepe is the perfect native Hawaiian substitute.
Dracaena halapepe does best in a site with full sunlight for most of the day. However, I have seen young wild plants growing under more shaded conditions. Keep the surface soil surrounding your D. halapepe moist, but not wet, at all times. I nearly lost one of my plants when the automated sprinklers malfunctioned for two weeks. The top half of this hala pepe died, but it was able to recover after I repaired the sprinklers and remoistened the soil.
In the ground, I have only grown Dracaena halapepe in rocky clay and organic soil that drained water quickly. In a container, my plants grew in a two-to-one sphagnum peat moss and black cinders mix.
Dracaena halapepe grows slowly, less than a foot per year at best. While my plants grew a single main trunk with multiple upper branches, it's not uncommon to see wild hala pepe with multiple main branches ascending from near their base (see photograph above). I never saw my 25-plus-year-old hala pepe flower. Nor, have I ever seen a wild D. halapepe flowering. According to Wagner et al. [1990], this species rarely flowers. (This is in contrast to the other native Hawaiian Dracaena which typically flower once a year.) However, thanks to some fortunate botanists like Joel Lau who have seen D. halapepe blooming, I can share with you photographs (above) of its beautiful hanging inflorescence.
I never fertilized my in-the-ground hala pepe with anything more than an infrequent (i.e., once a year) top dressing of compost. For my containerized hala pepe, I applied either a balanced slow-release fertilizer with minor elements every six months, or gave the plant a foliar feeding every couple of months with an inorganic water-soluble fertilizer diluted to half the recommended strength.
Avoid pruning your hala pepe except to remove old dead leaves by hand. (When the top half of my hala pepe died, I cut off the dead stem with a handsaw.) Hala pepe branches will break in high winds (or careless hands), so keep your plant in a protected site. Fortunately, healthy plants will usually recover from even a major break, and will put out new stem shoots from the remaining branch(es). 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
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.
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.
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.
Potassium deficiency in cultivated hala pepe (Dracaena konaensis). Photographs courtesy of Scot Nelson Public Domain.
Uses
Ancient Hawaiian
Dracaena halapepe is one of seven currently recognized species of native Dracaena in the Hawaiian Islands, with each species limited in range to one or two islands. As best we can tell, Hawaiians referred to all seven species by the same names, hala pepe or leʻie. Therefore, it is (currently) impossible to tell if every Dracaena species was used by every Hawaiian the same way (or used at all) in ancient times.
Hala pepe flowers were used in lei [Krauss 1993]. The soft wood was carved into statues (ki‘i) [Hillebrand & Hillebrand 1888], while branches were used to decorate altars, including hula altars, and represented the goddesses Laka [Little & Skomen 1989] or Kapo [Abbott 1992]. Somewhat surprisingly, we could not find any record of pre-contact Hawaiians weaving hala pepe leaves into mats, etc., as they did extensively with hala (Pandanus tectorius).
According to Ka‘aiakamanu & Akina [1922], hala pepe bark and leaves were used in combination with other plants to treat chills and high fever. And, hala pepe bark, root, and leaves in combination with other plants were used to treat lung problems or asthma. We were unable to find other ethnobotanical records supporting Ka‘aiakamanu and Akina claims.
Modern Use
Today, hala pepe flowers and leaves are used for lei [Manoa Heritage Center; Native Plant Portraits 2020].
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].
There are currently seven recognized species of native Dracaena in the Hawaiian Islands, with each species limited in range to one or two islands.
Dracaena aurea — Kauaʻi
Dracaena auwahiensis — Moloka'i and Maui
Dracaena fernaldii — Lānaʻi
Dracaena forbesii — Oʻahu
Dracaena halapepe — Oʻahu
Dracaena halemanuensis — Kauaʻi
Dracaena konaensis — Hawaiʻi Island
On Oʻahu, one easy and relatively reliable way to distinguish Dracaena forbesii from D. halapepe is the width of its leaves. If the leaf of a mature tree is narrower than your thumb, it's likely P. forbesii; wider, it's probably P. halapepe.
(Photograph courtesy of Karl Magnacca CC BY-NC 4.0.)
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, halapepe, is a direct reference to the Hawaiian name, hala pepe, used for this and the other native Hawaiian Dracaena species.
BPK