‘Ānapanapa (Colubrina asiatica)
Hawaiian name: ‘Ānapanapa
Botanical name: Colubrina asiatica
Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)
Status: Indigenous
Where found: Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, O‘ahu, Ni‘ihau & Kaua‘i
Water/Light: Dry, with full sun exposure
Elevation range: 0 to 330 feet
Height: About 10 feet, with an 8 foot spread
Notes: ‘Ānapanapa have bright, shiny green leaves that stay vibrant even in the harshest of conditions. In Hawaiian, ‘ānapanapa means “to sparkle”. When crushed and mixed with water; the roots, bark and leaves produce a sudsy soap that was used throughout Polynesia. ‘Ānapanapa is considered passively aggressive. As a free form shrub, it can help to control erosion on hillsides or stream banks but, if planted too close, the sprawling habit of these shrubs can overwhelm other native plants, climbing up and over them. ‘Ānapanapa is drought, wind, salt and heat tolerant.

From Work Done by Whit Germano to Catalog Native Hawaiian Plants
MNBG
Join Us for the
20th Annual
Arbor Day Garden Expo!
Trees Giveaway
A Few Native Hawaiian Plants from the MNBG Collection
- ‘A‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscosa)
- Alahe'e (Psydrax odorata)
- ‘Ānapanapa (Colubrina asiatica)
- Hala (Pandanus tectorius)
- Hala pepe (Dracaena auwahiensis)
- Hau (Hibiscus tileaceus)
- Hō‘awa (Pittosporum glabrum)
- ‘Iliahi (Santalum haleakalae)
- Kamani (Callophyllum inophyllum)
- Koa (Acacia koa)
- Koai‘a (Acacia koaia)
- Koki‘a, Hau hele ‘ula (Kokia drynarioides)
- Koki‘o ke‘o ke‘o (Hibiscus arnottianus subsp. arnottianus)
- Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o (Hibiscus arnottianus subsp. immaculatus)
- Koki‘o ‘ula‘ula (Hibiscus kokio ssp. kokio)
- Koki‘o ‘ula‘ula (Hibiscus kokio ssp. saintjohnnianus)
- Koki‘o ke‘o ke‘o (Hibiscus waimeae ssp. waimeae)
- Kou (Cordia subcordata)
- Kukui (Aleurites moluccana)
- Loulu (Pritchardia remota)
- Maʻo (Gossypium tomentosum)
- Ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)
- Māmaki (Pipturus albidus)
- Mau‘u lā‘ili (Sisyrinchium acre)
- Milo (Thespesia populnea)
- Naio (Myoporum sandwicense)
- Nānū (Gardenia brighamii)
- Ōhai (Sesbania tomentosa)
- ʻŌhiʻa ʻai (Syzygium malaccense)
- ‘Ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)
- Pōhinahina (Vitex rotundifolia)
- Pōkalakala (Polyscias racemosa)
- ʻUlu cv. ‘Maʻafala’(Artocarpus altilis)
- Wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera)
- Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis)