Pōhinahina (Vitex rotundifolia)

pohinahina flowering
Photo courtesy of MNBG

Hawaiian name: Pōhinahina
Botanical name: Vitex rotundifolia
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Status: Indigenous
Where found: Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, Ni‘ihau & Kaua‘i
Water/Light: Dry, with full sun exposure
Elevation: 0 to 50 feet (up to 2,500 feet in cultivation)
Height: Up to 9 feet, with an up to 8 foot spread

 

Pōhinahina has a pleasant, sage-like, aroma with beautiful blue-violet flowers, which are often used in lei making. In old Hawai‘i, the edible leaves were used to relieve illnesses such as headaches, stomach pains, insomnia and queasiness. Pōhinahina is a tough coastal plant that is rather easy to grow inland, and can provide excellent erosion control in any landscape. Pōhinahina is drought, wind, salt and heat tolerant.

close up of pohinahina flowers

Photo credit: MNBG

full pohinahina

Photo credit: MNBG

pohinahina lei

Photo credit: Alexa Helge

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