Hō‘awa (Pittosporum glabrum)

Photo courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr

Hawaiian name: Hō‘awa (hā‘awa, papahekili)
Botanical name: Pittosporum glabrum
Family: Pittosporaceae (Pittosporum Family)
Status: Endemic
Where found: Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, O‘ahu & Kaua‘i K/ O/ Mo/ L/ M
Water/Light: Moist, with full to partial sunlight
Elevation range: 80 to 6,460 feet
Height: 13-26 feet, with a 10 foot spread

Of the 11 endemic Hawaiian species of hō‘awa, this one is the most widespread throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. Hō‘awa have beautiful clusters of white to cream colored flowers that are fragrant at night. They have fascinating fruits that resemble walnuts, but split to open to show bright orange interiors with black seeds. Hō‘awa wood was fashioned into gunwales (upper sides) of canoes and was likely used for fuel. In lāʻau lapaʻau (Hawaiian medicine), the outer layer of the fruit were used to treat external sores and the inner layers in medicines for “swollen neck."