A living guide to Kauaʻi

Kauaʻi species, habitats and conservation records

Explore the island’s native and introduced species, habitats, watersheds and conservation work. Each record connects its description, images and sources with the interactive Atlas.

Page 49 of 58

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  Taro

  Colocasia esculenta

  kalo is a wetland crop in the Kauaʻi vascular and land plants group. Its origin status is polynesian introduction.

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  ʻĀnapanapa

  Colubrina asiatica

  ʻĀnapanapa (Colubrina asiatica) is a tree; shrub; vine / climber recorded on Kauaʻi. It is indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Buttonwood

  Conocarpus erectus

  Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. A tropical coastal shrub or tree native around the sh

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  Pilo

  Coprosma elliptica

  Pilo (Coprosma elliptica) is recorded as an established shrub on Kauaʻi. A compact, often very low shrub with closely spaced opposite leaves. Plants in forest around bogs can be more sprawling and larger-leaved. Stems may root at their node

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  Black-fruited Coprosma

  Coprosma ernodeoides

  ʻaiakanene is a shrub in the Kauaʻi vascular and land plants group. Its origin status is endemic.

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  Pilo

  Coprosma foliosa

  Pilo (Coprosma foliosa) is a tree; shrub; vine / climber recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Pilo

  Coprosma kauensis

  Pilo (Coprosma kauensis) is a tree; shrub recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Coprosma kawaikiniensis

  Coprosma kawaikiniensis

  Coprosma kawaikiniensis (Coprosma kawaikiniensis) is a tree recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  ʻŌlena

  Coprosma waimeae

  ʻŌlena (Coprosma waimeae) is recorded as an established shrub on Kauaʻi. A shrub roughly 1.5–4 metres tall with loose branching and opposite, generally oval leaves about 6–12 centimetres long. Small flowers occur in stalked clusters; male a

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  Kou

  Cordia subcordata

  Kou (Cordia subcordata) is a tree recorded on Kauaʻi. It is indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Ti plant

  Cordyline fruticosa

  Cordyline fruticosa is a culturally important Polynesian introduction cultivated across tropical Pacific landscapes. It persists around gardens, former home sites, agroforests, and moist forest edges through stem growth and human propagatio

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  Lemon-scented gum

  Corymbia citriodora

  Lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native from Queensland to northeastern New So

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  Red-flowering Gum

  Corymbia ficifolia

  Red-flowering Gum (Corymbia ficifolia) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. A small tree endemic to a restricted part of s

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  Red Bloodwood

  Corymbia gummifera

  Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native to subtropical eastern Australia, includi

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  Spotted Gum

  Corymbia maculata

  Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native to eastern New South Wales to eastern Victor

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  Karaka

  Corynocarpus laevigatus

  Karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. A subtropical forest tree native to New Zealand, inc

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  Silverleaf Cotoneaster

  Cotoneaster pannosus

  An evergreen, upright to spreading shrub with slender arching branches and small elliptic leaves, green above and persistently white-woolly beneath. Compact clusters carry small flowers with spreading white petals and dark pink-purple anthe

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  Fairy Crassula

  Crassula multicava

  A low, mat-forming succulent subshrub with creeping to ascending stems that root at nodes. Broad oval-to-rounded, opposite fleshy leaves have smooth margins and numerous pale or reddish hydathode dots. Loose branching flower clusters rise a

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  Jade Plant

  Crassula ovata

  A hairless, much-branched succulent shrub with a thick grayish trunk and fleshy, shiny green obovate leaves. The sharply defined, smooth leaf margins may be reddish. Terminal clusters carry small white to faintly pink flowers with five poin

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  Smooth Rattlepod

  Crotalaria pallida

  An ascending or erect perennial herb or subshrub with three elliptic to ovate leaflets per leaf. Long, loose terminal racemes bear many yellow pea flowers with basal lines and a prolonged, untwisted keel beak. Pods turn brown and contain nu

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  Hōlio

  Cryptocarya mannii

  Hōlio (Cryptocarya mannii) is a tree recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Sugi / Japanese cedar

  Cryptomeria japonica

  Sugi / Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) is an introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through cultivation records. Native to warm, moist forest in East Asia and widely planted for timber. Kauaʻi evidence concerns intentional forestry plan

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  Chinese Fir

  Cunninghamia lanceolata

  Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native to southern China in warm-temperate to

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  Tuckeroo

  Cupaniopsis anacardioides

  Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to coastal eastern and northern Australia

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  Mediterranean Cypress

  Cupressus sempervirens

  Mediterranean Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native to the eastern Mediterranean

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea asarifolia

  Hāhā (Cyanea asarifolia) is recorded as an established shrub on Kauaʻi. A short, sparsely branched shrub about 0.3–1 metre tall. Long leaf stalks support broad heart-shaped leaves. Numerous slender flowers are white with purple lengthwise m

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea coriacea

  Hāhā (Cyanea coriacea) is recorded as an established shrub on Kauaʻi. A shrub about 2.5–3 metres tall with a single stem or limited branching. Large smooth leaves are relatively long and narrow, with a pale underside. Clusters bear slender

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea fissa

  Hāhā (Cyanea fissa) is recorded as an established shrub on Kauaʻi. A tall, sparsely branched shrub, sometimes reaching five metres, with yellow latex. Its very long leaves narrow toward the stalk and have a hairy lower surface. Curved, hair

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea habenata

  A branched endemic shrub with narrow elliptic to oblong leaves, dark green above and lighter below, and finely toothed, often rolled margins. Small clusters carry gently curved white tubular flowers faintly tinged purple, with slender lobes

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea hardyi

  Hāhā (Cyanea hardyi) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Branched shrub or tree 1–7 m tall.

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea hirtella

  An unbranched or sparsely branched shrub with oblanceolate to oblong, finely toothed leaves. Leaf undersides vary from hairy to nearly hairless. Upright tubular flowers are densely hairy, white to pale purple with purple lengthwise stripes.

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea kahiliensis

  A branched shrub with narrow elliptic to oblong, shallowly scalloped leaves on long stalks. Clusters of eight to ten slender, nearly upright or slightly curved flowers are white, sometimes with greenish or purple tint. The staminal column p

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea kolekoleensis

  An unbranched shrub with narrow elliptic leaves that are green above and whitish green below. Its long flowering stalk bends downward, and individual flower stalks curve sharply backward. Hairy, curved tubular flowers are white shading to p

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  Hāhālua

  Cyanea leptostegia

  Hāhālua (Cyanea leptostegia) is a tree recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea pseudofauriei

  A sparsely branched shrub or treelet with white latex, chambered pith and narrow, shallowly scalloped leaves. Racemes carry slender, nearly upright white flowers tinged, striped or suffused purple. Globose ripe berries are purple and contai

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea recta

  An unbranched shrub with narrow elliptic leaves, pale undersides and very fine marginal teeth. Small clusters carry densely hairy, nearly upright flowers that are purple or white with purple lengthwise stripes. The lower two anthers have wh

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea remyi

  A largely unbranched shrub with broad glossy leaves, pale undersides and maroon to purple stalks and lower midribs. Hairy curved flowers are dark purple, with pale inner lobe tips. Rounded maroon to dark-purple berries have orange flesh and

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  Cyanea salicina

  Cyanea salicina

  The historical Cyanea larrisonii account, mapped to this regional name, describes a fleshy, apparently unbranched shrub leafy at its apex. Narrow linear-lanceolate leaves are light green above and whitish beneath, with smooth margins or min

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea spathulata

  A branched shrub with narrow oblanceolate to elliptic leaves, often with rolled, finely scalloped margins. Leaf stalks may be winged. Condensed clusters bear slender white to greenish-white flowers, sometimes faintly purple, with nearly upr

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  Hāhā

  Cyanea undulata

  An unbranched shrub with long, narrow elliptic leaves whose margins are conspicuously wavy. The lower leaf surface is hairy, and the blade grades into a winged stalk. Slightly curved hairy flowers are described as yellowish before full expa

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  Coastal flatsedge

  Cyperus javanicus

  ahuawa is a sedge in the Kauaʻi vascular and land plants group. Its origin status is indigenous.

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra confertiflora

  A short shrub with few branches and closely spaced opposite pairs of large elliptic to ovate leaves near the shoot tips. The leaves have coarse teeth and often winged stalks. Dense leaf-axil clusters carry white, narrowly funnel-shaped, cur

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  Māpele

  Cyrtandra cyaneoides

  A fleshy unbranched shrub with very large, thick obovate to nearly round leaves. Deeply impressed veins and coarse, irregular marginal teeth give the upper surface a wrinkled appearance. Shaggy brown-haired leaf-axil clusters bear curved wh

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra heinrichii

  A low, often largely herbaceous subshrub with opposite broad elliptic to obovate leaves. Red-brown hairs occur on the lower leaf surface and its raised veins. Dense leaf-axil clusters carry white tubular flowers that scarcely exceed the clo

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra kamoolaensis

  A bushy branched shrub with opposite elliptic to obovate leaves and golden-brown hairs, particularly on the veins and young shoots. Solitary upper leaf-axil flowers have large, deeply divided green leaflike calyx lobes and a curved white co

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  Ulunahele

  Cyrtandra kauaiensis

  A many-branched shrub with unequal opposite pairs of elliptic leaves, velvety lower surfaces and raised veins. One or two flowers arise at a leaf axil. The green calyx is divided almost to its base, surrounding a curved, densely shaggy whit

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra kealiae

  A native shrub whose typical subspecies is few-branched or unbranched, with opposite large elliptic-to-ovate leaves, fine marginal teeth and a dense yellow-brown velvet layer beneath. Solitary leaf-axil flowers have densely hairy tubular-fu

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra longifolia

  A usually many-branched shrub with closely spaced opposite pairs of thick, narrow elliptic to oblanceolate leaves. Leaf margins are smooth or bear widely spaced small teeth. White curved funnel flowers grow in small leaf-axil cymes; the pal

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra oenobarba

  A low fleshy subshrub with reclining stems that root at their nodes and may become buried. Unequal opposite leaves appear tufted above ground and bear reddish-brown hairs. Dense leaf-axil clusters contain curved white funnel flowers. The re

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra paliku

  A low subshrub with two to five thick upright stems densely covered in long reddish-brown hairs. Opposite leaf pairs are unequal, strongly asymmetric and often curved, with fine marginal teeth. Branched cymes carry white flowers and persist

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra paludosa

  An unbranched to sparsely branched shrub with thick, narrow leaves, usually opposite but occasionally in whorls. Leaf margins are coarsely scalloped or toothed. Leaf-axil cymes carry curved white funnel flowers with a pale-green, beaked cal

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra pickeringii

  A small branched shrub with unequal opposite leaves, long-tapered bases, serrate margins and velvety yellow-brown hairs below. Open leaf-axil cymes are shaggy reddish brown. Flowers have a broad saucer-shaped calyx and a short, curved white

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  Haʻiwale

  Cyrtandra wawrae

  A branched shrub with large, broad, opposite leaves whose stalks attach inward from the blade base. Unequal leaf pairs have coarse teeth and velvety yellow-brown hairs below. Dense clusters carry white tubular flowers and large leafy calyce

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  Kauaʻi delissea

  Delissea kauaiensis

  Kauaʻi delissea (Delissea kauaiensis) is a tree recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

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  Slender Mimosa

  Desmanthus pernambucanus

  A lightly branched perennial herb or subshrub with twice-pinnate leaves and numerous tiny linear leaflets. A red nectary lies between the lowest pinna pair. Small round heads carry white flowers and projecting stamens. Several narrow, often

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  Tick Trefoil

  Desmodium cajanifolium

  An upright shrub with hooked hairs on young stems and leaves of three narrow, smooth-edged leaflets. Large, branched racemose flower systems carry lavender-to-blue pea flowers. Stalked pods divide into usually five or six obtusely triangula

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  Spanish Clover

  Desmodium incanum

  A variable prostrate to upright herb or shrub with hooked stem hairs and three firm elliptic leaflets per leaf. The upper leaflet surface may show a pale central mark. Racemes carry small pink-to-purple pea flowers. Stalked pods divide into

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  Florida Beggarweed

  Desmodium tortuosum

  An upright herb or subshrub with hooked hairs and leaves of three elliptic to ovate leaflets. Small pink-to-blue-purple pea flowers occur in loose racemes or diffuse branched flower systems. Stalked pods divide into several rounded to broad

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  Chili Clover

  Desmodium uncinatum

  An upright or spreading herb or subshrub with long and minute hooked hairs. Each leaf has three ovate leaflets, sometimes with a pale stripe along the upper midrib. Racemes carry pink, occasionally white, pea flowers. Nearly stalkless pods

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  Uluhe

  Dicranopteris linearis

  uluhe is a fern in the Kauaʻi vascular and land plants group. Its origin status is indigenous.