Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_cheirodendron_platyphyllum
Lapalapa
Cheirodendron platyphyllum
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About Lapalapa
Lapalapa (Cheirodendron platyphyllum) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Tree 2–10 m tall with leaves usually divided into three broad ovate to kidney-shaped leathery leaflets.
Kauaʻi evidence
Taxonomy, nativity, island-level occurrence, growth form, names, and source conservation assessments are documented in the 2026 census audit. Broader ecology and conservation recommendations still require claim-level source review. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Cheirodendron platyphyllum
- Common names
- lapalapa
- Hawaiian names
- Lapalapa · ʻŌlapa · ʻŌlapalapa · Ehu · Kauila māhu · Māhu
- Other names
- lapalapa · Cheirodendron platyphyllum · Cheirodendron kauaiense · Cheirodendron kauaiense var. keakuense · Hedera platyphylla · Panax platyphyllus · ʻŌlapa · ʻŌlapalapa · Ehu · Kauila māhu · Māhu
- Family
- Araliaceae
- Order
- Apiales
- Record type
- Species or taxonomic group
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Endemic
- Conservation status
- Smithsonian checklist assessment: Apparently Secure; U.S. source status: No Status
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Island-level occurrence is retained; finer locality is intentionally withheld. Growth-form tags describe the taxon across its range, not a measured Kauaʻi population. Checklist source statuses are not a new legal-status determination.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Wet native forest
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable soil or substrate
- Reproduction
- Viable propagules and suitable establishment conditions
- Shelter
- Suitable soil, substrate, and vegetation structure
- Growth form
- Tree
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Ungulates, weeds, disease uncertainty
- Conservation actions
- Protect forest stands, monitor recruitment, control ungulates
- Monitoring
- Protect forest stands, monitor recruitment, control ungulates
- Data gaps
- Additional ecological and conservation citations are recommended
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not assessed
- Seasonal description
- Lapalapa (Cheirodendron platyphyllum) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Tree 2–10 m tall with leaves usually divided into three broad ovate to kidney-shaped leathery leaflets.
Sources and further reading
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cheirodendron_platyphyllum_kauaiense_60047076.jpg
- https://doi.org/10.5479/si.32124043
- https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/hawaiianflora/speciesdescr.cfm?genus=Cheirodendron&species=platyphyllum
- https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/hawaiianflora/result2.cfm?family=araliaceae
