Nānū

Nānū also known as the native gardenia is rare in the wild. It is federally listed as endangered. One thing I know is that the smell of the flower is showstopping. It really smells amazing. One should make a perfume out of it. It smells more fragrant than a typical gardenia and that is saying something. Some say it has a hint of coconut oil.

Background

Although rare in the wild, it grows plentiful in botanical gardens. It actually grows as a tree shorter than 20 feet in height. The website says that the tree still exist on Oahu, but not many. The plant is hard to identify. The flower is pure white. The leaves look like any other plant leaves similar to a coffee leaf, when not blooming is hard to identify. Another Hawaiian name for the plant is Nāʻū. If you do get a chance, take in that smell. It really smells amazing. The scientific name is Gardenia brighamii. I believe there is only one endemic species of gardenia, the brighamii species.