Paleaku Plant List

Tahitian Gardenias are very fragrant creamy-white flowers with glossy, dark-green leaves. The flowers are solitary or in small clusters, white or pale yellow.  Gardenia plants are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall.

Heliconia are native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia.  Heliconia varieties are beautiful flowers with multi-color bracts and varied flower structures and have over 400 varieties.  They are also known as lobster-claw, parrot’s beak, wild plantain or false bird-of-paradise.

Gingers are one of the most beautiful and colorful flowers in the world of flowers. Botanically, Ginger is a rhizome of the perennial herb which is indigenous to the South west coast of India and the Malabar Coast of the state of Kerala. Gingers enjoy a special position in the botanical kingdom with their elegance in form, texture, sparkling color, and amazing symmetry and there are approximately 1,300 species of this very diverse family.

Lotuses are aquatic perennials native to southern Asia and Australia and are found growing in shallow and murky waters. Lotus flowers enjoy warm sunlight and are intolerant to cold weather.  The floating leaves and Lotus flowers have long stems, which contain air spaces to maintain the buoyancy. The Lotus symbolizes purity, beauty, majesty, grace, fertility, wealth, knowledge and serenity.

Hawaiian Hibiscus (Hibiscus Brackenridge) is the state flower of Hawaii. Hawaiian hibiscus is a popular ornamental flower which bear blooms almost every day, but the blossoms last only for a day even when on the bush.

Frangipani or Plumeria, also known as the Hawaiian Lei flower, is native to warm tropical areas of the Pacific Islands, Caribbean, South America and Mexico.  Frangipani flowers have wonderful tropical essence. The flower is propeller shaped with a delicate yellow center melting into the creamy white outer petals or can be also found in shades of pink.

Monstera  are herbs or evergreen vines, growing to heights of 20 m in trees, climbing by means of aerial roots which act as hooks over branches; these roots will also grow into the soil to help support the plant. The leaves are alternate, leathery, dark green, very large, from 25-90 cm long and 15-75 cm broad, often with holes in the leaf blade. The flowers are born on a specialized inflorescence called a spadix, 5-45 cm long; the fruit is a cluster of white berries, edible in some species.

Jade is a succulent plant native to South Africa but common as houseplants worldwide.  They are evergreen plants with thick branches and smooth, rounded, fleshy leaves that grow in opposing pairs.  It is commonly known as jade plant, friendship tree, lucky plant or Money Plant.

Green Jade Vine (also called Blue Jade Vine) is a spectacular vine, native to the Philippines. The vine itself has a thick woody trunk, which branches out with leaves that are a waxy light green.  The flowers of the Blue Jade are extremely vivid. Dropping from the vine itself, a stalk of flowers can reach over 5 feet in length and can have 50 to 100 flowers. Each flower is 2 to 4 inches, curved and very durable. The flowers are all a stunning blue-green and are often used in Leis.

Autograph Tree gets its common name because of the leaves. Each leaf is fairly large, 5 to 8 inches, oval, thick and sturdy. You can scratch the leaf with a sharp object and it will remove the dark green outer layer and reveal a light green inner layer. People write messages, their name, love notes and other types of graffiti into the leaves. The messages stay as long as the leaf is attached to the tree, often months. The leaves have also been used in the past as playing cards.  It has an apple sized green fruit and as the fruit dries, it opens at one end and disperses tiny red seeds. The fruit drops to the ground and turns into a hard star shape that is quite attractive.

Palapalai   fern can be found growing in the shadier and wet areas of the Big Island. The ferns were used by ancient Hawaiians to decorate hula alters to Laka, the hula goddess. Today the ferns are a favorite to use for lei making and can appear alone or in combination with other flowers. The ferns grow from the ground and will have fully developed fronds as small as 6 to 8 inches long. They can grow up to 4 to 5 feet tall and usually feature only two or three fronds from a single point.

Hāpu’u is a very dense tree and are extremely heavy. It is not uncommon for a big tree to become so top heavy that it cracks at the base and falls over. Even though the roots are completely severed from the ground, the tree does not die. Instead, within a week or two, the branches will begin lifting upwards and new ferns will grow straight up from the now horizontal trunk. Cutting a hāpu’u into large segments can often result in each segment starting a new fern – they are very hearty plants.

Raphis Excelsa or Lady Palm is one of the more slow growing tropical palms as it takes many years to reach a 6-foot height, but the wait is well worth it. The elegant, dark green fronds with the serrated tips are born on wiry stems that emerge from a scruffy trunk that looks like it is partially wrapped in loose burlap. Raphis palms will also sprout new growth from its thickened, underground roots.

Bromeliads are exotic, tropical tree-dwellers are known for their long-lasting, colorful blooms. They will produce a flower spike from the central rosette. The flowers will last for several months. Once the flower head dies the leaves will start to die too, but they will be replaced by pups (offsets) at the base of the plant.

Spathiphyllum or Peace Lily grows from 1 foot tall to 6 feet tall and they have long dark green, shiny leaves that grow from the soil with white blooms.

Ilima is a low spreading shrub capable to attain the height of 4 feet. The plant bears tiny leaves in pale green color and produces pretty flowers on short stems in yellow, orange, red and brownish. The blooms have the diameter of nearly 1 inch and look like small hibiscus plant. The yellow Ilima flower is recognized as ‘the Flower of Oahu’ and it’s a popular flower to string into leis.

Kukui Nut Tree or Candlenut Tree is the state tree of Hawaii.  Native to Southeast Asia, it was brought to the islands by the early Polynesian settlers. In Hawaii, the tree has a spiritual significance of hope and renewal, and was involved in many legends. As the most common of Hawaii’s forest trees, the kukui tree can grow up to 80 feet tall. Its light-colored leaves are covered with a silvery powder which helps to distinguish it, along with the twisted trunks and branches of the kukui tree. With the tree’s striking form, its eight-inch, maple-shaped leaves and its fragrant white flowers, the kukui tree remains a beautiful symbol of Hawaii.

Hoya Plant of the family Asclepiadaceous is a member of the Milkweed family and has over 200 species of Hoya that is native to Eastern Asia and Australia. Clusters of attractive, star shaped, white to reddish-pink blossoms called umbels are produced from a climbing vine.  Hoyas also have a wide variety of leaf shape and color. This plant is also called the wax plant.

Jacaranda Mimosifolia is a native to Brazil and Argentina and can reach 35-45 ft in height and about 20-30 ft in width. The tree will be totally smothered in lavender blue flowers when in bloom and is a spectacular sight.

Pencil Tree is a succulent tree that can grow up to 30 feet tall.  It has pencil shaped stems, very small deciduous leaves and milky corrosive sap.

Neem is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is native to India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions.  Neem is a fast growing tree and can reach heights of 65 – 115 feet tall.  All parts of the tree (seeds, leaves, flowers and bark) are used for preparing many different medical preparations.

Sandalwood is the name of different fragrant woods. These woods are yielded by the tree Santalum and Santalaceae, which are often used for the essential oil it contains. They are found across India, Australia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. These trees are heavy and yellow in color as well as fine-grained.

Formosa Koa is a beautiful tree from the Philippines that is similar to the Hawaiian Koa tree. Its leaves are straighter and narrower. It can reach 50′ and produces flower heads that are bright yellow.

Aloe is a genus containing about four hundred species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe Vera or “true aloe”. The genus is native to Africa, is common in South Africa‘s Cape Province, and in the mountains of tropical Africa. Most Aloe species have a rosette of large, thick, fleshy leaves. The leaves are often lance-shaped with a sharp apex and a spiny margin. Aloe flowers are tubular, frequently yellow, pink or red and are borne on densely clustered, simple or branched leafless stems. Aloe Vera is used both internally and externally on humans and is claimed to have some medicinal effects, which have been supported by scientific and medical research.

Taro is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like them it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear. In Hawaii, taro is a traditional staple, as in many tropical areas of the world, and is the base for making poi.

Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth; it has been measured surging skyward as fast as 47.6 inches in a 24-hour period and can also reach maximal growth rate exceeding 39 inches per hour for short periods of time. Many prehistoric bamboos exceeded heights of 250 feet. Unlike trees, all bamboos grow to full height and girth in a single growing season of 3–4 months. There are more than 1,000 species of bamboo and they are found in diverse climates, from cold mountains to hot tropical regions reaching their southernmost point anywhere, at 47°S latitude.

Brugmansia  or Angel’s Trumpet are large shrubs or small trees with tan, slightly rough bark, large leaves with an entire or coarsely toothed margin, and are covered with fine hairs.  The name Angel’s Trumpet refers to the large, very dramatic, pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers up to 20 inches long.  They are white, yellow, pink, orange or red, and have a delicate, attractive scent with light, lemony overtones, most noticeable in early evening.

Jasminum Sambac or Pikake is the name Hawaiians give this beautiful and most fragrant flower of the world.  It is widely used for leis, in perfumes and to flavor teas. Clusters of 1”creamy white flowers form tight clusters, each like a tiny rose and dark shiny green leaves cover the 3′ tall shrub.

Nerium Oleander is an evergreen shrub and is one of the most poisonous plants in the world.  It grows well in warm, subtropical regions.  It grows 2 – 10 ft tall, spreading to erect branches. The leaves are in pairs or whorls of three, thick and leathery, dark green and narrow. The flowers grow in clusters at the end of each branch; they are white, pink, red or yellow.

Carica Papaya is native to the tropics of the Americas and was cultivated in Mexico.  It is a large tree-like plant, the single stem growing from 15 to 30 feet tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The flowers appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing into the large 5- 10” long, 4 – 20” diameter fruit. It is the first fruit tree to have its genome deciphered.

Carambola or star fruit is a fruit from the species of tree native to Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. The tree is cultivated also throughout the tropics such as in Trinidad, Guyana, and Brazil, and, in the United States, in south Florida, and Hawaii. Carambolas are best consumed when ripe, when they are yellow with a light shade of green. It will also have brown ridges at the five edges and feel firm. The fruit is entirely edible, including the slightly waxy skin. It is sweet without being overwhelming and extremely juicy. The taste is difficult to compare, but it has been likened to a mix of papaya, orange and grapefruit all at once.

Soursop is a broadleaf flowering evergreen tree native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The flesh of the fruit consists of an edible white pulp and a core of indigestible black seeds. The sweet pulp is used to make juice as well as candies, sorbets, and ice cream flavorings.  The fruit, seeds, and leaves have a number of herbal medicinal uses among indigenous peoples of regions where the plant is common.

Lychee  is a tropical fruit tree  primarily found in China, India, Madagascar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, >Taiwan, northern Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Southern Africa and Mexico. It is a fragranced fruit with a sweet taste. Lychee grow on a medium-sized evergreen tree, reaching up to 60 feet tall, with alternate leaves and the flowers are small, greenish-white produced in panicles up to 12” long.  The fruit’s outside is covered by a pink-red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed. The inside consists of a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh, rich in vitamin C, with a texture somewhat similar to that of a grape only much less moist.

Macadamia Nut Trees are small to large evergreen trees growing up to 40 feet tall.  The leaves are arranged in whorls of three to six, with an entire or spiny-serrated margin. The flowers are produced in a long slender simple raceme 5 – 11” long and the individual flowers are white and very sweet smelling.  The fruit is a very hard woody globose follicle with a pointed apex, containing one or two seeds.  Macadamias are highly nutritious nuts having the highest amount of beneficial monounsaturated fats of any known nut.