Pāʻu o Hiʻiaka, or “skirt of Hiʻiaka” (the goddess sister of Pele), are long native vines which have many small light to dark green leaves and small white flowers. It is said that Pele left her little sister Hiʻiaka on the shore while she went surfing for a long time. A nearby vine noticed the baby's skin starting to burn from sun exposure and quickly grew to cover her up. When Pele returned and found her sister covered by leaves, she thanked the vine and gave it its name.

 

A coastal species, they have stems covered with soft hair to help them tolerate dry weather. This plant thrives at sites like Kaloko Inlet, and there are some as keiki at our Nimitz Beach site which are part of our regular watering routine.

 

The plant had many cultural uses, being used medicinally as a laxative and to treat babies with thrush. It could also be braided and used to secure cargo during transport. 

Maiapilo is a beautiful bright green shrub with large, fragrant, showy flowers typically found in coastal environments. The flowers open after sunset and are then pollinated by native moths.

 

Maiapilo gets its name from the small fruit that turns yellow when it matures, resembling a banana or “maiʻa.” Unlike a banana or the flowers of this plant, the fruit emits a foul odor or “pilo," giving us the “stinky banana” plant.

 

In traditional Hawaiian medicine, the entire maiapilo plant was ground up and used to treat broken or fractured bones. 

 

This plant can be found at our Kaiwi and Kaloko Inlet sites, and it is also going to be featured in our new t-shirt design available at our next fundraiser in October.