Scaevola Gaudichaudiana Cham

Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced)

Naupaka kuahiwi, Range mountain naupaka Kauai and Oahu only Other common names Scaevola gaudichaudiana Cham. naupaka, Gaudichaud scaevola, half-flower

Goodenia or naupaka family (Goodeniaceae) This species honors Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupre (1789Ð1854), French botanist on the world scientific Native species (endemic) cruise of the Uranie. He collected in Hawaii in 1819 and published the first report on the Hawaiian flora. It The genus Scaevola with about nine species in Hawaii, has been known also by the name of a closely related mostly shrubs, is easily recognized by the corolla as in a species, Scaevola chamissonana Gaud. That species is half flower. This example, mountain naupaka, is a much a slightly smaller shrub of Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and branched evergreen native shrub of wet mountain areas, Hawaii. It has leaves with fewer branching side veins, has the distinctive fragrant white flowers with narrow tufts of hairs in vein angles, and several prominent sharp tubular corolla split to base and five narrow lobes spread- 1 teeth; large flowers 1Ð1 ⁄4 inches (2.5Ð3 cm) long, with ing on one side. Sometimes a small tree to about 16 ft (5 longer pointed lobes, white often with violet lines; and m) tall and 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter. Bark light 1 larger fruits more than ⁄2 inch (13 mm) long. brown. Twigs slender, greenish, hairless except for tufts at base of young leaves. Botanical synonyms Leaves alternate, hairless or nearly so, with slender Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb., S. frutescens Krause 1 leafstalk about ⁄2 inch (13 mm) long. Blades elliptical 3 to lance-shaped, 2Ð5 inches (5Ð13 cm) long and ⁄4Ð2 Naupaka kahakai or beach naupaka, Scaevola inches (2Ð5 cm) wide, long-pointed at both ends, with sericea Vahl, is a common native much branched shrub several short inconspicuous yellowish teeth in upper hall, on beaches through the Hawaiian Islands and other Pa- thin, shiny green, the sides often slightly unequal, with cific Islands to the western Indian Ocean. It has fleshy long fine nearly parallel side veins, with thick yellow- silky hairy stout twigs, elliptical blunt-pointed, thick ish midvein raised beneath. brittle, light green leaves finely hairy beneath, yellow- Flower clusters (cymes) at leaf bases, becoming ish white flowers, and white fruits. Other common slightly longer than leaves, with slender forking branches names: naupaka kai, huakekili, aupaka. often zigzag, bearing 10Ð17 flowers, the end flower The odd half-flower of this genus has been the source 3 opening first. Flowers almost ⁄4 inch (2 cm) long, com- of several Hawaiian legends. The following is from 1 posed of greenish base (hypanthium) about ⁄16 inch (1.5 Degener (1933–1986): “ ... two lovers were forced to be mm) long with tiny rim of five-toothed calyx; irregular separated by the man’s departure for war on another is- (bilaterally symmetrical), narrow tubular corolla white land. On taking leave, he tore a naupaka blossom in 5 but turning yellowish, about ⁄8 inch (1.5 cm) long, split half, saying: ‘When the flower is whole again I shall 3 to base and five narrow three-pointed lobes about ⁄8 inch return.’ To this day the naupaka flower is seemingly only (1 cm) as in a hall flower; five slender stamens almost half a flower as a sad reminder that the man never re- as long as tube, withering early; and pistil with inferior turned from battle.” two-celled ovary, slender curved greenish style, and en- Neal (1965, p. 820Ð821) had two other versions, larged stigma. Flowering nearly through the year. quoted in full: 1 Fruit (drupe) elliptical, about ⁄4 inch (6 mm) long “According to an old Hawaiian chant, the ocean with calyx rim at apex, hairless, shiny purplish black naupaka was born of heaven and earth. The story of the (whitish in a form), with purple juice, containing large naupaka flower, though of recent origin, is one of the elliptical pointed two-celled stone. Seeds one or two. best known of Hawaii. It has several variants. Two lov- Common in understory of open wet forests and in ers quarreled and the maiden tore a naupaka flower in open areas at 600Ð2600 ft (183Ð792 m) elevation. two and declared she would not love her old sweetheart again until he should bring to her a perfect flower. He Special area searched in vain all over the islands, for these flowers, Waimea Arboretum whether they grew on the seashore, on the plains, or in

This information is from Agriculture Handbook no. 679 by Elbert L. Little Jr. and Roger G. Skolmen, published by the Forest Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, in 1989. Its present format is that of a reprint version published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003. Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced) the mountains, had become but half flowers. And it is the mountains hurling lava after him. Then the gods took said that he died of a broken heart. pity on him and transformed him into a half flower, the “Another story tells of a beautiful stranger who fell naupaka. Pele shrieked with rage and fled on a river of in love with a village youth. When he turned from her lava to the ocean. She overtook the maid, whom the gods and went back to his sweetheart, the beautiful woman turned into a beach naupaka. The lovers are forever sepa- followed him and tore him from her embrace. Anger rated, for the half flowers of the youth still bloom alone blazed about the woman, and they knew that she was in the mountains, and the half flowers of the maiden Pele, goddess of volcanoes. She pursued the youth into blossom alone on the beach.”

Naupaka kuahiwi, mountain naupaka Scaevola gaudichaudiana Cham. 1 Twig with flowers and fruits, ⁄2 X; flower, 1 X, seeds and fruit (lower left), 3 X; leaf (lower right), 1 X (Degener).