Native Hawaiian plants for honey bees: Oʻahu
Elev Bloom Period* Scientific Name+ Common Name Soil Sun (ft) J F M A M J J A S O N D Forbs Argemone glauca Pua kala <6200 Well drained Full 2000- Partial- Astelia menziesiana Pua’akuhinia Well drained 7000 shade Bacopa monnieri Water hyssop <300 Moist Full-partial 650- Well drained- Bidens torta+ Ko’oko’olau Full 4000 moist 400- Dianella sandwicensis ‘uki’uki Dry to moist Full-partial 7000 Polynesian Heliotropium anomalum Coastal Well drained Full heliotrope Heliotropium Salt heliotrope <6800 Well drained Full curassavicum Melanthera integrifolia Nehe <150 Well drained Full-partial 2000- Lobelia hypoleuca Opelu Dry to moist Full-partial 5000 Portulaca lutea Yellow purslane <130 Well drained full Portulaca villosa Hairy purslane <2000 Well drained Full Scaevola coriacea Dwarf naupaka <150 Well drained Full Shoreline Well drained- Sesuvium portulacastrum <150 Full seapurslane wet Well drained- Waltheria indica ‘uhaloa <4000 Full moist Vines 600- Canavalia galeata ‘awikiwiki Moist Full-partial 2600 1000- Well drained- Freycinetia arborea ‘ie’ie Full-partial 5000 moist Ipomoea pes-caprae Puhuehue <2000 Well drained Full Jacquemontia Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka <100 Well drained Full-partial sandwicensis 600- Well drained- Smilax melastomifolia ‘hoi Shade 6800 wet Vigna marina Mohihihi <1000 Well drained Full-partial Shrubs 650- Abutilon menziesii Ko’oloa ‘ula Well drained Full-partial 1700 150- Well drained- Alyxia stellata Maile Full-partial 5000 moist 1000- Well drained- Broussaisia arguta Kanawao Partial 6000 moist Capparis sandwichiana Maiapilo <325 Well drained Full Euphorbia celastroides ‘akoko <1000 Well drained Full var. kaenana+ 1100- Well drained Full Gardenia brighamii Nāʻū 1700 Gossypium tomentosum Ma’o <400 Well drained Full O’ahu koki’o 390- Well drained- Full-partial Hibiscus arnottianus ke’oke’o 2500 moist 400- Well drained Full-partial Hibiscus brackenridgei Ma’o hau hele 2600 500- Well drained Full-partial Hibiscus kokio Koki’o 3000
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Native Hawaiian plants for honey bees: Oʻahu
Bloom Period* Scientific Name+ Common Name Elev (ft) Soil Sun J F M A M J J A S O N D Shrubs (continued) 2000- Well drained- Ilex anomala Kawa’u Full-partial 4500 moist 700- Myrsine lessertiana Kolea lau nui Well drained Full-partial 7200+ 1000- Well drained- Myrsine sandwicensis Kokea lau li’i Full-partial 4800 wet Osteomeles anthyllidifolia ‘ūlei <7600 Well drained Full-partial Pittosporum 550- Ho’awa Well drained Full-partial confertiflorum 7000 Naupaka 555- Well drained- Partial- Scaevola gaudichaudiana kuahiwi 2600 moist shade Scaevola taccada Beach naupaka Coastal Well drained Full Sesbania tomentosa ‘ohai <2500 Well drained Full-partial Well drained- Styphelia tameiameiae Pūkiawe <10,000 Full wet 1600- Well drained- Vaccinium calycinum Ohelo kau la’au Full-partial 5800 moist 2100- Well drained- Vaccinium reticulatum Ohelo ‘ai Full-partial 12,000 moist Vitex rotundifolia Pōhinahina <50 Well drained Full Trees 200- Acacia koa Koa Well drained Full-partial 6500 1500- Well drained- Antidesma platyphyllum Hame Partial 4000 moist Antidesma pulvinatum Hame <5000 Well drained Full-partial Caesalpinia kavaiensis/ 250- ‘uhi’uhi Well drained Full Mesoneuron kavaiense 3000 1600- Well drained- Cheirodendron trigynum ‘ōlapa shade 7000 wet 1200- Well drained- Full- Coprosma pubens Pilo 6200 wet filtered 490- Well drained Partial- Diospyros hillebrandii elama 2500 Diospyros sandwicensis lama <4000 Well drained Full-partial Erythrina sandwicensis Wili wili <1950 Well drained Full Metrosideros <7200 Well drained- Full-partial ‘ohi’a lehua polymorpha moist Myoporum sandwicense Naio <7700 Well drained Full 425- Well drained Nesoluma polynesicum Keahi Full-partial 2100 100- Well drained Nestegis sandwicensis Olopua Full-partial 4265 850- Well drained Pisonia sandwicensis Aulu Full-partial 3500 295- Well drained Pisonia umbellifera Pāpala kēpau Full-partial 2625 785- Well drained- Pittosporum glabrum Ho’awa Full-partial 6465 moist 2000- Well drained- Psychotria greenwelliae Kōpiko nui Full-partial 4000 moist 200- Well drained- Psychotria mariniana Kōpiko Full-partial 4000 moist
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Native Hawaiian plants for honey bees: Oʻahu
Bloom Period* Scientific Name+ Common Name Elev (ft) Soil Sun J F M A M J J A S O N D Trees (continued) Psydrax odorata Alahe’e <2700 Well drained Full-partial 500- Well drained- Rhus sandwicensis Neneleau Full-partial 2500 moist Santalum 800- Well drained- ‘iliahi Full-partial freycinetianum+ 3000 moist 200- Sapindus oahuensis Ionomea Well drained Full-partial 2000 1400- Sophora chrysophylla Māmane Well drained Full-partial 10,000+
+Indicates plant species endemic to Oahu
Bold names indicate plants that have been used in traditional Hawaiian medicine. Note: Do not attempt to consume or self-treat with plants you are not familiar with. Phytochemicals can be toxic, or interfere with other medications you are taking. Always consult a physician before consuming unfamiliar plant materials for medicinal use. Purple names indicate plants that are used in lei making. Blue names indicate plants that are edible, at least in part. Orange names indicate plants that are used in lei making and also edible, at least in part.
*Line color corresponds to flower color (gray=white), however multiple color variants may exist
This table is adapted from “Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Hawaiian Islands Province” (full publication available at https://www.fws.gov/pollinators/pdfs/hawaiianisland.ecoregguide.final.hi-res.pdf). Further information about these plants may be found in the Native Plants Hawaii online database (nativeplants.hawaii.edu).
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