| Common Name(s) | Species Name | Local? | UH Botany page | Typical height |
Description and notes |
| `a`ali`i | Dodonaea viscosa | indigenous | 9 pictures | 2-3 m? | abundant shrub, sea level to above tree line grows to an understory tree in koa groves and mid-elevation ohi‘a forests |
| `ama`u | Sadleria spp., Sadleria cyatheoides |
endemic | yes | less than 1 m | large fern, with fronds that are often tinted red bot130 fern page |
| eucalyptus | Eucalyptus spp. | alien | yes | 45 m? | which eucalyptus species are most prevalent in Hawai‘i? appears to be E. globulus (blue gum) and E. robusta (swamp mahogany) |
| ginger, yellow | Hedychium flavescens | alien | yes | 1-1.5 m? | |
| ginger, white | Hedychium coronarium | alien | yes | 1-1.5 m? | |
| guava | Psidium guajava | alien | yes | 2-5 m? | |
| hala | Pandanus tectorius | indigenous | 5 pictures | 3-6 m | characteristic of wet coastal forest |
| hapu'u | Cibotium spp. (splendens / glaucum, chamissoi / hawaiiense) |
endemic | yes | 3-7 m | hawaiian tree fern fronds 1-3m long, pale green on lower surface bot130 fern page "There are 4 species of Cibotium that are endemic to Hawai‘i. They are Cibotium chamissoi, C. glaucum, C. menziesii, and C. nealiae. A hybrid between C. chamissoi and C. menziesii is also known." |
| `iliahi, sandalwood | Santalum spp. | some endemic species |
lots of pictures | the Santalum family includes some native, endangered sandalwood
species page of rough sandalwood notes |
|
| `ilima | Sida fallax | indigenous | 4 pictures | up to 1.3 m | low sprawling shrub, from sea level to 650 m flower colors range from yellow, to rich orange, to dull red, resembling a small hibiscus |
| ironwood | Casuarina equisetifolia | alien | yes | 10-30 m | also called Horsetail beefwood, Horsetail tree, South sea ironwood,
Mile tree, and Australian pine - not to be confused with Indonesian "ironwood"
(Eusiderox zwageri) page at the NPS |
| kiawe, mesquite | Prosopis spp. (pallida, glandulosa, juliflora) | alien | yes | 2-6 m | most common tree in arid regions, from sea level to 700 m small yellow-white flowers, fruits are legume type grayish bark and trunk have a distinctive twisted appearance |
| klu | Acacia farnesiana | alien | yes | 2-6 m ? | looks a lot like koa haole, but with yellow blossoms instead of white grows in dry habitats from sea level to 1,000 m on all islands |
| koa | Acacia koa | endemic | 6 pictures | 3-15 m | found in humid forest areas from 450-1220 m elevation |
| koaia | Acacia koaia | endemic | |||
| koa haole | Leucaena leucocephala | alien | 3 pictures | 3-6 m? | |
| kukaenene | Coprosma ernodeoides | endemic | yes | under 1 m | A member of the coffee family, creeps along the ground. |
| kukui, candlenut tree | Aleurites moluccana | naturalized (polynesian) |
bot130 | up to 20 m | produces large nuts official state tree |
| lantana | Lantana camara | alien | yes | up to several meters | thorny shrub, a noxious weed, can form impenetrable thickets
which crowd out other plants perennial and aromatic, native to subtropical and tropical Central America found up to 600 m on all islands, principally in dry areas, has infested both mesic and wet habitats |
| miconia | Miconia calvescens | alien | yes | 4-15 m | tree from South America which is "the one plant that could really destroy
the Hawaiian forest" leaves up to 80 cm long page at HEAR includes a detail report |
| mamaki | Pipturus albidus | endemic | yes | ||
| mamane | Sophora chrysophylla | endemic | up to 16 m (4-6 m typical?) | native legume tree with yellow pea-like flowers threatened by feral ungulates |
|
| naio | Myoporum sandwicense | indigenous | 6 pictures | 2-4 m? | large shrub with glossy green leaves and small white flowers |
| nehe | Lipochaeta spp. | endemic | green groundcover, yellow flowers | ||
| 'ohi‘a lehua | Metrosideros polymorpha / collina | endemic | bot130 | 2-10 m? | most common tree on the island grows very differently depending on climate 8 varieties |
| `olapa | Cheirodendron platyphyllum / trigynum | endemic | 6 pictures | 3-6 m | looks like a large shrub with round leaves and dark berries, found in rainforest areas |
| panini, prickly pear cactus | Opuntia spp. | alien | no | up to 2 m? | the Hawaiian name translates as "very unfriendly," undoubtedly because
of the sharp spines covering the flat thick leaves very common in North Kohala, especially on the Parker Ranch lands |
| paperbark tree | Melaleuca quinquenervia | alien | yes | up to 12 m | from Australia, has been planted extensively in reforestation projects invades open swampy areas |
| silk oak | Grevillea robusta | alien | fast-spreading tree on leeward side | ||
| silversword | Argyroxiphium kauense | endemic | yes | up to 2.5 m | on Mauna Loa, from about 1,625 to 1,900 m |
| Argyroxiphium sandwicense | endemic | yes | up to 3 m | subspecies sandwicense is found upper slopes of Mauna Kea from 2,125 to 3,750 m | |
| strawberry guava | Psidium cattleianum / littorale | alien | yes | 5-8 m | page at the NPS |
| uluhe, false staghorn fern | Dicranopteris lineari | indigenous | 4 pictures | n/a | bot130 fern page |
| domesticated / agricultural | |||||
| banana | Musa spp. | alien | yes | 3-5 m? | |
| breadfruit | Artocarpus altilis | naturalized (polynesian) |
yes | 15-20 m | |
| coconut | Cocos nucifera | indigenous | |||
| coffee | Coffea arabica | alien | |||
| macadamia | Macadamia integrifolia | alien | the island has 700 farms on 20,200 acres planted around 10m apart |
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| mango | Mangifera indica | alien | |||
| papaya | Carica papaya | alien | planted 1m apart in rows 3m apart | ||
| sugarcane | Saccharum officinarum | alien | bot130 | ||
| taro, kalo | Colocasia esculenta | naturalized (polynesian) |
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| ti, ki | Cordyline fruticosa | naturalized (polynesian) |
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