ʻOhe

ʻOhe is a tree that can be observed usually at higher elevations on Oahu. Although it is quite common, the occurrence on our hiking trails aren't as plentiful as you would think. ʻOhe does exist in the wild and you'll see a tree here or there.

Background Information

ʻOhe is in the ginseng family. There are 11 endemic species. In Ancient Hawaii, mothers with newborns would eat the fruit of this plant. By eating the fruit it would provide breast milk which would prevent what Hawaiians called pāʻaoʻao (child weakness). Theoretically, it was used to either as a preventative measure or to cure illness.

ʻOhe

ʻOhe can grow between 10-30 feet tall. Their leaves are pinnately compound ( which is a key feature in identifying the plant. The scientific name of this species is polyscias oahuensis. As you can see it looks similar to many native plants.

Pōkūlakalaka

This species of polyscias is a treat. It is a rare species found only on Kauai and only on steep parts of mountains. This one has a Hawaiian name of Pōkūlakalaka. It is also known as False 'Ohe. I saw this in the botanical gardens during its bloom cycle in late December. It is quite amazing how the flower dangles and produces this what looks like a lei. It features many round balls that have a purple color. Different species have different looking flowers, some have orange to them.

Source:

• Hawaiian Plant Life, 55-56
• Native Plants Hawaii
• UH Botany