Native Plants of Hawai‘i

This site is dedicated to Priscilla Millen, retired Professor of Botany & Horticulture at Leeward Community College, Pearl City Campus. Priscilla — Thank you for all your tireless and selfless efforts, throughout your professional and personal life, to help so many of Hawai‘i's residents and non-residents learn to love and value our native flora.

Also, mahalo nui loa to Forest and Kim Starr for permitting us to repost so many of their excellent photographs of native Hawaiian plants. Please visit their website at http://www.starrenvironmental.com/ to see more of their work.

Map of the Hawaiian Islands courtesy of NOAA-ONMS-PMNM.

The Purpose of This Site

A recent trip to New Zealand (Aotearoa) revealed something to me (Eickhoff) very special and unexpected: There were native plants nearly everywhere! I saw them in the parks, residential neighborhoods, schools, shopping centers, gas stations, and along the streets, highways, and waterways — they were everywhere! Below are just three examples of the dozens upon dozens of places I saw landscaped with native New Zealand plants; each plant was in harmony with the others in its surroundings and utterly appealing to one's senses of sight, smell, and even sound. From left to right: me standing under a pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) tree in a waterfront park in downtown Wellington; a row of harakeke or New Zealand flax (Phormium cookianum) enhancing a parking lot in Moeraki Centenary Park, Otago; and dozens of species of native plants lining a section of the Ōtākaro (Avon River), which was filled with native freshwater fish, such as eels (tuna), and native invertebrates, as it meanders through Christchurch.

New Zealand is not devoid of serious environmental issues. Like Hawai‘i, it has damaging invasive species, native species on the brink of extinction, and nearly impossible-to-eradicate pests. However, its citizens, Kiwis, an endearing name that New Zealanders call themselves, are educated about these issues and have decided, for the most part, to be proactive in preserving their unique native flora and fauna. However, the reason native plants are so commonplace in New Zealand is, perhaps, simply because Kiwis have deliberately chosen to incorporate them into their everyday spaces.

In addition to seeing the beauty of their native flora in everyday places (e.g., urban, suburban, countryside), Kiwis also enjoy the native creatures these plants attract and host, such as native birds, tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), korimako (Anthornis melanura) and kākā (Nestor meridionalis), as well as many native insects (e.g., wētā, pūtangatanga), spiders, and in the freshwater streams, eels (tuna), gobies ("bullies"), Galaxis spp. (kōkopu, inaga), along with crayfish (kōura) and numerous other invertebrates (e.g., mayflies, mussels, snails). Tūī, a relative of Hawaiʻi's extinct ʻōʻō (Moho spp.; an endemic bird), is everywhere on New Zealand's North and South islands, from sea level to the alpine! Can you even imagine if we had ʻōʻō in metro-Honolulu, sipping the nectar from ʻōhiʻa lehua trees and chattering above us? Yeah, maybe it's too late for the extinct ʻōʻō. But it's not too late to envision other still-extant native Hawaiian birds living above us in the native plants that we have chosen to cultivate in a future Hawaiʻi. So, what's the point of talking about New Zealand's native plants when Hawaiʻi has its own native plants?

New Zealand provides us with a model of what could (and, we argue, should) be done here in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere in the world. It all begins with each of us and our vision for the future. While Hawaiʻi's residents often tell me they would love to see more native Hawaiian plants around them, why don't we? Well, the answer really comes down to a couple of factors: availability and choices.

There are about 1,400 species, subspecies, and varieties of native Hawaiian plants, with about 90% being endemic to our Islands! Hundreds of these could be used in landscapes if they were available. But, unfortunately, a great many of them, for different reasons, are currently not. Still, dozens of native species can now be purchased at commercial nurseries or plant sales sponsored by botanical gardens or local native plant organizations. There are local annual and semi-annual native Hawaiian plant sales or giveaways. Native Hawaiian plants and seeds are also occasionally advertised and sold online (e.g., Craigslist, Instagram, Facebook Marketplace). And perhaps, you may have a friend or neighbor willing to share or trade cuttings or seeds from the native plants he or she has with you. It is important to realize that while many native Hawaiian plants are endangered, the majority are not. You don't have to look too far to find a hāpuʻu (Cibotium spp.), ʻākia (Wikstroemia uva-ursi), pōhinahina (Vitex rotundifolia), ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa), or loulu (Pritchardia spp.) growing in someone's yard. There are also endangered species, you know the ones with the red labels sold in garden shops, that are frequently planted in our communities. Maʻo hau hele (Sabdariffa brackenridgei; Hawaiʻi's State Flower), ko‘oloa ‘ula (Abutilon menziesii), and nānū (Gardenia brighamii) are all endangered, yet can be relatively easily seen in urban settings. And, if you come across a native plant that catches your eye, why not ask a commercial nursery owner or amateur grower about it? In summary, "Don't give up your search." Many native Hawaiian plants are out there. You just need to be persistent and learn where to look. Check out our section, Where can you buy these plants?, for help getting started.

What about choices? You may not be able to completely control the availability of all our native Hawaiian plants. However, you can always make informed choices and decisions about what you plant in your own yard or local community space. For example, rather than planting a Chinese hybrid hibiscus, why not consider planting one of the thirteen species and subspecies of native hibiscus (aloalo), all with beautiful flowers, since nearly all are currently available? Or, instead of planting a money tree, maybe opt for one of our endemic hala pepe (Dracaena spp.), with their dramatic displays of yellow flowers. Thinking about planting a bottlebrush (Callistemon spp.)? Why not instead plant an ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros spp.), with their almost endless array of flower colors, foliage shapes, and sizes?

Remember, too, that cultivating native Hawaiian plants in our yards and communities is a form of preservation that enables us to personally attend to each plant and help it defend itself against the pests and diseases that threaten its existence. We could be the First Responders for our native plants, able to render immediate aid rather than relying on the once-a-month or once-a-year care provided by our overly-burdened professional State and Federal conservation workers in public places.

We (Eickhoff & Koebele) have 70-plus years of combined experience learning about, growing, and working with native Hawaiian plants. We created this website because we are passionate about native Hawaiian plants and want to see many more people growing them. We hope this site will help you increase your knowledge and understanding of what it takes to not only grow native Hawaiian plants but also help them thrive for generations. While there are other publications and websites that feature how to grow native Hawaiian plants (and we have referenced some of these as needed), this site is focused on our own personal experiences of what works and what doesn't. We have also tried to consolidate and fill in gaps of information and photography missing from other sites. This website is a work-in-progress, and we will be regularly adding new species pages and updating existing pages for some time to come. New species will be added, so check back regularly if you do not see a certain plant webpage. Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current understanding of each native plant that we possibly can. While we continue to learn new things almost daily about our native flora, there is still so much more we don't know. Therefore, we welcome your knowledge and comments on how to improve this site. Please don't hold back from letting us share your native Hawaiian plant findings (of course, with your name accredited if you wish) with the online community of native Hawaiian plant enthusiasts. You can contact us at EickhoffandKoebele@gmail.com. May you find the great joy, the wonderful success, and the sheer satisfaction we have in cultivating and enjoying native Hawaiian plants now and into the future!

How to Use This Site

Starting here on the homepage, we have included a map of the Hawaiian Islands (Image courtesy of NOAA-ONMS-PMNM) for those unfamiliar with the names of all the islands. Occasionally, we will use the terms "main islands" or "main Hawaiian Islands." These two terms are synonymous and refer to the eight main islands of the Hawaiian Islands: Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, and Hawaiʻi Island. Please refer to this map when we describe the Natural Range & Environment of a species.

There are two ways to find information on a particular species:

Open the sidebar menu (click on ≡ in the upper lefthand corner), and scroll down to the first letter of the plant's genus name you are interested in. Click the ⌄ to the left of the letter to display all the native Hawaiian plant webpages that have a genus name starting with that letter (e.g., H for Heteropogon contortus). Lastly, click on the species name you are interested in to go to the webpage for that species.
Find and open the Search bar in the upper righthand corner of this Homepage (click on the 🔍). Type the species name, Hawaiian name, or common name of the plant you are interested in and hit return. You should then see a list of all the locations within this website where that name is mentioned. Be sure to watch your spelling since an incorrect spelling will fail to find the plant you are interested in.

The Search bar can also be used to find references to anything else you might be interested in, such as a specific insect pest (e.g., aphids).

Many of our webpages contain embedded links. These are useful for navigation through the website (e.g., Pest & Diseases), as well as going to websites we reference outside this one (e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capparis). All the embedded links are coded in blue and are underlined. Click on the link to go to that webpage. There are hundreds of embedded links within this website, and it is impossible for us to be constantly testing each to determine if it is working or broken. Therefore, if you come across a broken link, please contact us at EickhoffandKoebele@gmail.com so we can try to repair it. Thank you.

You will likely notice that we often place certain words or names in italics. Generally, the rule we have followed is that any non-English word or phrase (e.g., Hawaiian, Latin, Greek) is italicized, except for those of place names or the proper name of a specific person. Since, by convention, all species names are Latinized, they are also placed in italics. Additionally, when referencing places, we have prioritized using the accepted name over the sometimes more popular or commonly-used name (e.g., Hawai‘i Island rather than "Big Island"). Lastly, we have tried to use Hawaiian diacritics for all Hawaiian names and words because we believe it is important to match the written Hawaiian word as closely as possible to its oral ancestry.

Many of the photographs within this site are courtesy of other very gracious native Hawaiian plant enthusiasts. For these photographs, we have included an acknowledgment and link (whenever possible). The type of copyright varies for these photographs, so before you repost any, please investigate the copyright provisions to avoid any violations. Any photograph within this website that does not contain an acknowledgment is the property of either Bruce P Koebele or David Eickhoff. If you wish to repost any of these photographs, please contact us at EickhoffandKoebele@gmail.com to determine which of us took the photograph and how it should be acknowledged.

Neither one of us is a taxonomist. Therefore, we have chosen to rely on the knowledge of experts like Warren L. Wagner, Derral R. Herbst, David H. Lorence, Daniel D. Palmer, and others when it comes to the accepted scientific names for species, genera, etc., as well as for species' synonyms. Our go-to for this information is the Flora of the Hawaiian Islands website and Daniel Palmer's book, Hawaii's Ferns and Fern Allies. When it comes to Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian common plant names, we have been more subjective and have pulled names from numerous sources, always with the understanding that the primary Hawaiian name is the one we most often hear used here in Hawai‘i, and that the list of non-primary Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian common names is in no way comprehensive.

Undoubtedly, this site will contain errors in spelling, grammar, and (hopefully, not too many) dates and facts. We apologize in advance for these. If you wish to contact us about these errors or comment on the website, please email us at: EickhoffandKoebele@gmail.com.

Lastly, a note on webpage title colors. To help you decide which native plants to try first and which ones you should wait for awhile, we have color-coded the webpage title so a green title means an easy-to-grow and maintain plant, a red title means a plant with significant challenges to success, and an orange title is for all those plants somewhere in-between.