We have gleaned the following information from a number of sources

We have gleaned the following information from a number of sources. It is not meant to be exhaustive or totally comprehensive. We will be adding plants and photographs on an ongoing basis so please bookmark this page and return often. Mahalo. Mike Hopkins, President, Aloha Kauai Tours, Inc.					Indigenous-arrived without human help, native elsewhere
					Endemic-evolved from indigenous species, found only in Hawaii
Aloha Kauai Tours, Inc.					Polynesian-brought to Hawaii before 1778
Plants of Hawaii					Alien-brought to Hawaii after 1778
Plants of Hawaii
Common Name	Latin Name	Family	Hawaiian Name	Also Known As	Origin	Edible/Non Edible	If Introduced, when/by whom	Uses	Other Information
'Ohi'a lehua	Metrosideros polymorpha	Myrtaceae			Endemic	Non-edible		flowers,leaves medicinal: wood used for canoes, houses, heiau, and poi bowls	Sacred to Pele; subject of many songs and legends; 1st tree on new lava flow
'Uki'uki	Dianella sandwicensis	Liliacensis			Indigenous	Non-edible	Polynesians	fruit used for cloth dye; leaves sometimes for roof thatching
Africa Tulip Tree	Spathodea campanulata	Bignoniaceae		Fountain Tree	Tropical Africa	Non-edible		Ornamental	pests in lowland forests; unopened buds squirt water when pinched
Albizia	Paraseriantes falcataria	Leguminosae		Molucca Albizia	Molucca	Non-edible			Nitrogen fixer
Australian Pine	Casuarina equisetifolia	Casuarinaceae		Ironwood, beefwood family, she oak & horsetail tree	Australia, Malaysia, southern Asia & Oceania	Non-edible
Bamboo	Bambusa vulgaris	Poaceae	'Ohe		Polynesian	Edible		flutes, percussion instruments(pu'ili), fishing rods, house frames, knives, needles, water pipes
Bamboo Orchid	Arundina graminifolia	Orchidaceae
Banana	Musa x paradisiaca	Musaceae	Mai'a		Polynesian	Edible		food, cooking, cordage, inside thatching,	Ancient Hawaiian women only allowed to eat 2 of over 70 varieties
Banana Poka	Passifloraceae mollissima	Passifloraceae			Andes Mts., South America	Edible	early 20th century	fruit used in desserts, drinks	1st introduced to cover an outhouse; extremely aggressive
Banyan Tree	Ficus benghalensis	Moraceae		Vada Tree	Asia	Non-edible		Ornamental	Name is derived from ancient Hindu merchants - Banyans, who sold in their shade
Beard Grass	Verbiceana					Non-edible
Blue Rat's Tail	Stachytarpheta australis	Verbenaceae	Owi			tastes like mushroom		Flowers used for salad
Bougainvillea	Bougainvillea glabra	Nyctaginaceae			Brazil	Non-edible		Ornamental	Named after French navigator, Louis A. Bougainville
Bracken Fern	Christella denata	Thelypteridaceae	Kilau	Downey wood fern		Edible
Breadfruit	Artocarpus altilis	Moraceae	'Ulu		Polynesian	Edible	Polynesians	Wood used for drums, poi boards , surfboards; bract used for sandpaper; sticky sap used to catch birds for feathers
Buffalo Grass	Stenotaphrum secundatum					Non-edible
Castor	Ricinus Communis	Euphorbiaceae	Pa 'aila			Poisonous		Castor oil	Roadside weed
Christmas-berry Tree	Schinus terebinthifolius	Anacardiaceae	Wilelaiki	Brazilian Pepper	Brazil	Non-edible		Ornamental	Hawaiian name honors Willie Rice who often wore it in his hat
Climbing Screw Pine	Freycenetia Arborea	Pandanaceae	'ie 'ie		Endemic	Edible		Leaves woven into mats, baskets, fish traps, sandals	Vine's tender new growth makes a highly nutritious tonic
Coconut Palm	Cocos nucifera	Arecaceae	Niu		Polynesian	Edible	Polynesians	matting, thatching,food syrup,toys, cordage, body oil, medicines and shelter.	Can germinate after 4 months in seawater; bears apprx. 40 nuts/year
Cook Pine	Araucaria columnaris	Araucariaceae		Star pine, Hawaiian Christmas tree	New Caledonia(Isle of Pines)	Non-edible	1870's	Christmas trees, lumber, ship masts	Often confused with Norfolk Pine; Named for Captain Cook; has leaf scales, not needles
Croton	Croton texensis					Non-edible
Elephant Ear	Alocasia macrorrhizos	Araceae	'Ape		Asia	Non-edible		milky juice relieves nettle stings	Poisonous; stinky
False Kamani	Terminalia catappa	Combretaceae		Tropical Almond, Kamani haole	Southeast Asia	Edible	1800	fruits contain a tasty "almond"	found in FL, Puerto Rico, India, and Virgin Islands; salt resistant
Fan Palm	Pritchardia lanigera	Arecaceae	Loulu			Non-edible	Native to Hawaii
Ginger - White	Hedichium coronarium	Zingiberaceae	'Awapuhi Ke'oke'o		Asia	Non-edible	Chinese immigrants - 1880's	Fragrant lei, perfume	Genera name means "sweet snow"
Ginger - Wild	Zingiber zerumbet	Zingiberaceae	'Awapuhi Kuahiwi		India	Edible(rhizomes)	Polynesians	Juice from blossom used as shampoo, medicine, powdered rhizomes perfumed tapa	Green leaves indispensable in celebrations honoring Laka, the goddess of hula
Ginger - Yellow	Hedichium flavescens	Zingiberaceae	'Awapuhi Melemele		India	Non-edible		Fragrant lei, perfume	Invasive-spreads tenacious rhizomes; problem in parts of Alakai Swamp
Glory bush	Tibouchina urvilleana	Melastomataceae		Lasiandra	Southern Brazil	Non-edible		Ornamental	Aggressively invasive
Golden Shower Tree	Cassia fistula	Leguminosae		Indian Laburnam, Pudding-pipe	Tropical Asia	Non-edible		Ornamental, sticky brown pulp cathartic	Related to Monkey Pod Tree
Guava	Psidium guajava	Myrtaceae	Kuawa		Tropical America	Edible	Don Marin, 1813	fruit high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium	leaf buds used for medicinal tea; favorite of fruit flies
Guinea Grass	Panicum maximum	Poaceae		buffalo grass	Africa	Non-edible		animal fodder, protection from erosion, invasive resistant to fire
Hairy Indian Mallow	Abutilon grandifolium		Ma'o	Hair Abutilon	Tropical America
Hau	Hibiscus tiliaceus	Malvaceae			Polynesian	Non-edible		Excellent cordage, outrigger booms and floats, kites, and adz handles, hula "grass" skirts	Blossoms symbols of the human soul
Hawaiian Raspberry	Rubus rosifolius	Rosaceae		Thimbleberry, Mauritius raspberry	Native to Asia	Edible	1880's, from Jamaica	produces fruit year round
Heavenly Chief	Allamanda cathartica		Lani-alii		Brazil	Non-edible
Hibiscus	Hibiscus kokio	Malvaceae	Koki'o ula, Maku	Aloalo	Endemic	Non-edible		Ornamental, flowers mild laxative, buds pounded with salt used to treat boils	State flower of Hawaii - 1923; 80 genera and over 1000 species
Hila Hila	Mamossa pudica					Non-edible
Ironwood	Casuarina equisetifolia	Casuarinaceae	Paina	beefwood, she-oak	Northern Australia	Non-edible	A.S Cleghorn, 1890	medicinal-bark high in tannin: wood used for war clubs, spears, tapa beaters	Named after Australian bird, the Cassowary; symbol of faithfulness
Italian Cypress	Cupressus sempervirens				Eastern Mediterranean
Java Plum	Syzygium cumini	Myrtaceae		Jambolan plum	Southeast Asia	Edible		jelly	fast growing tree; fruit stains everything
Jobe's Tears	Coix lacryma-jobi	Poaceae				Non-edible
Kamani	Calophyllum inophyllum	Clusiaceae		Alexandrian Laurel	Asia, Pacific Islands			Oil used as medicine for skin and hair, wood,perfume	seed is poisonous. Sacred to the Polynesians - subject of many chants
Kiawe	Prosopis pallida	Leguminosae		Mesquite, Algaroba	Peru	cattle feed	Father Bachelot, 1828	fuel, flowers produce honey nectar, reforestation, charcoal	deep tap roots can lower water table
Koa	Acacia koa	Fabaceae			Endemic	Non-edible		wood used for canoes, house beams, spears, and surfboards	Early Hawaiian chose a Koa tree for canoes that the 'elepaio hadn't been pecking
Koa-haole	Leucaena leucocephala	Fabaceae	ekoa, lilikoa			cattle feed	early 19th century	fixes nitrogen, seed lei	Aggressively invasive
Koster's Curse	Clidemia hirta	Melastomataceae			Western Hemisphere	Non-edible	1941		pest- hairy seeds spreads by hikers
Kou	Cordia subcordata	Boraginaceae	Kou	devil pepper		Edible	endemic to hawaii	utensils, wood, dye	In old Hawaii, the wood was cherished - 2nd only to Koa
Kukui Nut	Aleurites moluccana	Euphorbiaceae	Kukui	Candlenut tree	Malaysia, Pacific Islands	Edible	Polynesians	flowers, nuts and bark used medicinally, for leis, tattoo dyes, canoe paint, bark cloth, candles, oil, and a spicy condiment called 'inamona: wood for canoes and fishing floats	State tree of Hawaii; Official flower of Molokai
Lantana	Lantana camara	Verbenaceae	Lakana		Tropical America	Non-edible	1858 as an ornamental		Invasive pest
Lichens	Sterocaulon vulcani		Limu
Lobelia	Lobelia yuccoides	Campanulaceae	'Oha, Haha, panaunau	110 endemic species in 7 genera		Non-edible
Macadamia	Macadamia integrifolia			Queensland Nut	Australia	Edible		Delicious nuts grow year-round
Macaranga	Macaranga tanarius	Euphorbiaceae		Mahang Puteh
Maiden Hair Fern	Adiantum capillus-vereris	Polypodiaceae		Southern Maiden Hair Fern	Southern United States
Maile	Alyxia oliviformis	Apocynaceae			Endemic	Non-edible		Lei - Sacred to Laka, Goddess of the Hula
Malasian Orchid	Spathoglottis plicata	Orchidaceae		Philippine ground orchid	S.E. Asia	Non-edible
Mamaki	Pipturus kauaiensis	Urticaceae	Mamaki, Mamake		Endemic	Non-edible		seeds laxative, bark and leaves medicinal, bark fibers used for cloth, cordage
Mandalay Gum						Non-edible
Mango	Mangifera indica	Anacardiaceae	Manko		India (via Mexico)	Edible	Don Marin, 1813	Delicious fruit	Skin and leaves poisonous like poison ivy/oak and sumac.
Milo	Thespesia populnea	Malvaceae	Sea Mahoe	Portia tree		Edible (young leaves)		Sapless wood excellent for calabashes; oil, dye, medicine, cordage	Popular shade tree, sometimes confused with Hau
Mokihana	Malcope Anisata	Rutaceae			Endemic to Kauai	Non-edible		Fragrant lei, perfume	fresh berries can burn the skin
Monkey Pod	Samanea saman	Mimosaceae	'Ohai	Rain Tree (South America)	Asia	Non-edible		wood used for bowls and carvings
Montbretia	Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora	Iridaceae			South Africa	Non-edible			Sterile hybrid, spreads by rhizomes
Morning Glory	Ipomoea indica	Convolvulaceae	Koali 'awa		Indigenious	Non-edible		stems, roots used to relieve aches, pain, and constipation
Moss	Lycopodiella cernua	Lycopodiaceae	wawae iole, Limu	Ruku Ruku		Non-edible		medicine for rheumatism- extrenal soak
Naupaka - Beach	Scaevola sericea	Goodeniaceae	Naupaka Kahakai			Non-edible
Naupaka - Mountain	Scaevola glabra	Goodeniaceae	'ohe naupaka		Endemic	Non-edible			Pollenized by honeycreepers
Noni	Morinda citrifolia	Moraceae		Indian Mulberry	Polynesians	Edible	Polynesians	Medicinal: External as a poultice/internally as a tonic,dyes, famine food(fruit stinky)	seeds have an air sack which floats them on breezes, widely distributed
Norfolk Island Pine	Araucaria heterophylla				Norfolk Island	Non-edible		Christmas trees, lumber, ship masts	Has wider cone shape than Cook Pine, more numerous and leaf scales(no needles)
Octupus Tree	Schefflera actinophylla	Araliaceae	"Rubber tree"	Umbrella tree or Brassaia actinophylla	Australia
Oleander - Yellow	Cascabella peruviana	Apocynaceae	Noho Malie	Be-Still Oleander	Peru	Non-edible		Ornamental	Poisonous
Pandanus	Pandanus tectorius	Pandanaceae	Hala, Lauhala(leaves)	Screwpine; Tourist pineapple	Polynesians	fruit is edible	Polynesians	leaves used to weave mats, hats,sandals, sails, fans; medicinal	pollen from male flowers considered an aphrodisiac in ancient Hawaii by young girls; lei of individual orange fruits symbolic of a new beginning
Papala	Charpentiera elliptica	Amaranthaceae			Endemic	non-edible		used for fireworks, called " 'oahi ", branches flung from cliffs;soft pith gives off sparks
Papala kepau	Pisonia umbellifera	Nyctaginaceae			Endemic	non-edible		sticky gum from fruit exterior used to catch birds	5 native species
Papaya	Carica papaya	Caricaceae	Mikana, He'I	Pawpaw(British)	Brazil	Edible	early 1800's	Delicious fruit, high in Vitamins A & C; Leaves used as soap, meat tenderizer	seeds medicinal; 45 varieties
Paper Bark	Melaleuca quinquenervia	Myrtaceae		Cajeput tree	Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia	non-edible		timber, fuel, reforestation, and oil from leaves used externally for rheumatism
Papyrus	Cyperus papyrus	Cyperaceae		Giant sedge, punktree		Non-edible
Passion Fruit	Passiflora flavicarpa	Passifloraceae	Lilikoi		Alien- South America	Edible	1923	used for desserts, drinks	Hawaiian name honors place where it was 1st cultivated
Pink Malestoma	Melastoma candidum	Melastomataceae		Indian rhododendron
Plumeria		Apocynaceae	Melia	Frangipani(British)	Tropical America	Non-edible		Commonest lei flower	Widely planted in graveyards
Poinsettia	Euphorbia pulcherrima					Non-edible
Pomello
Pothos Vine	Epipremnum aureum					Non-edible
Rainbow Eucalyptus	Bagras eucalyptus	Myrtaceae			South Pacific	Non-edible		Reforestation, lumber
Rose Myrtle	Rhodomyrtus tomentosa	Myrtaceae		rat berry or Isenberg berry, Downy Rose Myrtle	Asia	fruit edible
Royal Poinciana	Delonix regia	Leguminosae	Ohai 'ula	Flame Tree	Madagascar		1855	Ornamental, seed lei
Sandalwood	Santalum freycinetianum	Santalaceae	'ilahi		Four Endemic Hawaiian species	Non-edible		medicinal, wood highly aromatic-used for incense, furniture	almost depleted in 18th,19th centuries; partly parasitic
Satin Leaf	Chrysophyllum oliviforme	Sapotaceae		false coffee
Sea Grape	Coccoloba uvifera	Polygonaceae		West Indian Sea Grape		Edible		leaves used as writing paper, grapes made into jelly
Sisal Hemp	Agave sisalana	Agavaceae				Non-edible		brought to Hawaii as a fiber crop, now naturalized
Spiderwort	Commelina diffusa		Hono Hono					medicine and animal food
Strawberry Guava	Psidium cattleianum	Myrtaceae	Waiawi, 'ula'ula	Purple strawberry guava	Brazil	Edible	Early 1800's	fruit	Invasive pest; seeds germinate better after passing through wild pigs
Sugar cane	Saccharum officinarum	Poaceae	Ko		Polynesians	Edible		Sugar; made into darts for game (ke'a pua)
Swamp Mahogany	Eucalyptus robusta	Myrtaceae	Palepiwa	Gum Tree	Australia	non-edible		Reforestation, timber, tannin, and essential oils: watershed protection	grows rapidly, regenerates from stumps, shallow roots
Sword Fern	Nephrolepis exaltata	Nephrolepidaceae	Oku Pukupu	DaVallia fern		Edible
Taro	Colocasia esculenta	Araceae	Kalo		Polynesians	Edible	Polynesians	food (Poi & Laulau), medicine	over 275 types; insects and herbivores avoid it due to calcium oxalate crystals
Teak Tree	Tectona grandis				India, the Phillipines & Java	Non-edible		furniture	can grow 50 feet in three years and reach 150 feet
Ti	Cordyline fruticosa	Agavaceae	Ki	la'I (leaves)	Polynesians	Edible - roots famine food	Polynesians	used like tinfoil,made into hula skirts; many utilitarian, religious uses