Charpentiera ovata var. niuensis
Genus
Charpentiera
Species
ovata
Varieties
- niuensis
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Pāpala
Hawaiian Names
- Papala
Common Names
- Koʻolau Range papala
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Shrub
- Tree
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Shrub, Tall, Greater than 10
- Tree, Small, 15 to 30
Mature Size, Width
Plants have a spread of 10 feet or more.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Container
- Indoor
- Hedges
Additional Landscape Use Information
Does well as an understory plant in moist or wet shady locations. If grown in pots, the bigger the pot, the bigger the plant will grow. In a 2 or 3 gallon pot they will grow about 3 or 4 feet tall and 7 or 8 feet in a 7 gallon container.
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Not Showy
Flower Colors
- Red
- White
Additional Flower Color Information
Pāpala has several to numerous red flowers per spike. While the flowers themselves are insignificant, when combined with the bright red stems (panicles), the plant presents a showy display of inflorescence.
Blooming Period
- Year Round
- Sporadic
Plant texture
- Medium
- Coarse
Leaf Colors
- Light Green
- Medium Green
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Pāpala is prone to aphids, spider mites, root mealy bugs and scale infestitaions.
Fertilizer
Pāpala are known to be heavy feeders. Apply a balanced slow release fertilizer with minor elements every 6 months. Foliar feed monthly with a kelp or fish emulsion, or a water-soluble fertilizer with a dilution of one- half to one-third of the recommended strength.
Pruning Information
The plants respond well to pruning. Prune just above an outward-facing leaf to encourage new branches.
Water Requirements
- Moist
- Wet
Additional Water Information
This pāpala can tolerate both moist and wet conditions but prefers to be kept moist. This is a good plant for those people who tend to overwater.
Soil must be well drained
No
Light Conditions
- Partial sun
Additional Lighting Information
Pāpala is an understory plant that tolerates shading. North or east facing locations are ideal. If plants are grown indoors they fare best facing south or west and placed away from the window, on opposite sides of the room.
Soils
- Cinder
- Organic
Natural Range
- Oʻahu
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- 150 to 1000, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 1000 to 1999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
Habitat
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
This variety is found only in the Niu and Wailupe Valleys in the southern Koʻolau Mountains, Oʻahu in dry to mesic gulch bottoms and lower gulch slopes. It has been recorded only from the eastern Honolulu area on the leeward (southern) side of the mountain range from Mānoa Valley to Kaʻalākei Valley. [Joel Lau, Botanist]
Special Features and Information
General Information
Pāpala belong to the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). There are six species of Charpentiera, five endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and one, C. australis, found in the Austral (Tubuai and Raivavae) and Cook Islands (Rarotonga).
Other native Hawaiian family members include four other species in the same genus Charpentiera, a rare and little known amaranth (Amaranthus brownii) from Nīhoa, ʻāweoweo (Chenopodium oahuense), three species of Achyranthes, and three species of kuluʻī (Nototrichium spp.).
The variety niuensis can be distinguished from variety ovata by its smaller, nearly elliptic leaves.
Etymology
The generic name Charpentiera was given by French botanist Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré (1789-1854) and named in memory of a 19th-century naval pharmacist and professor named Charpentier. [2]
The specific epithet is Latin, ovata, egg-shaped in reference to the leaf shape.
The varietal name niuensis, is in reference to Niu Valley, Oʻahu, one of the few places this species is found.
Early Hawaiian Use
Though this particular species of pāpala is not found naturally on Kauaʻi, the Hawaiian name "pāpala" did originate from a practice there. (See notes in this same section in Charpentiera obovata).
Additional References
[1] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, pages 95-96.
[2] "Annales maritimes et coloniales" by Ministère de la marine et des colonies, Volume 2, Part 2, page 953.
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