Lepidium bidentatum var. o-waihiense
Genus
Lepidium
Species
bidentatum
Varieties
- o-waihiense
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Kūnānā
- Naunau
- ʻĀnaunau
- ʻĀnounou
Hawaiian Names
- Anaunau
- Anounou
- Kunana
- Naunau
Common Names
- Kūnānā pepperwort
- Peppergrass
- Pepperweed
- Pepperwort
Synonyms
- Lepidium o-waihiense
Names with Unknown Sources
- Scurvy grass
- Scurvygrass
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Partially Woody / Shrub-like
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Herbaceous, Short, Less than 1
- Herbaceous, Medium, 1-3
- Shrub, Dwarf, Less than 2
- Shrub, Small, 2 to 6
Mature Size, Width
These small shrubs can be from 1 to over 2 feet wide.
Life Span
Short lived (Less than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Container
- Ground Cover
Additional Landscape Use Information
ʻĀnaunau is easy to grow and self propagates. They form loose small herbaceous shrubs to dense covering as a groundcover. These herbs seem more suited for the herb garden, than as a landscape plant.
Source of Fragrance
- All Parts
Additional Fragrance Information
The edible leaves have a peppery smell and flavor to them and can be added to spice up green salads. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Not Showy
Flower Colors
- White
Plant texture
- Fine
- Medium
Leaf Colors
- Dark Green
- Medium Green
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Thrips and red spider mites.
Pruning Information
The spent flowers/fruits can be trimmed off for a cleaner appearance.
Water Requirements
- Dry
- Moist
Additional Water Information
Naturally found on the dry side but they appreciate moisture and foliage will be more lush.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Full sun
- Partial sun
Tolerances
- Drought
- Wind
- Salt Spray
- Heat
Soils
- Sand
- Cinder
- Organic
- Coral
Natural Range
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
- Northwest Islands
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- Less than 150, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- Less than 150, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
Habitat
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
Lepedium bidentatum is found throughout the Pacific region but is sporadic in distribution. However, var. bidentatum is not found in the Hawaiian Archipelago.
ʻĀnaunau (Lepidium bidentatum var. o-waihiense), an endemic variety, is found on all the Main Islands, except Niʻihau and Kahoʻolawe. In the Northwest Islands it is found on Kure Atoll (Kānemilohaʻi) and Pearl & Hermes Atoll (Holoikauaua), but now extinct on Midway (Pihemanu) and Laysan (Kauō). It can be found from sea level to about 280 feet on dry, rocky slopes near the coast.
Special Features and Information
General Information
Lepedium bidentatum belongs to the same family (Brassicaceae) as mustard, cabbage, turnip, horseradish, and wasabi. There are five endemic species known in the Hawaiian Islands.
While Lepidium serra, also called ʻānaunau, from Kauaʻi is perhaps secure in their numbers, two others, Lepidium arbuscula from the leeward Waiʻanae Mountains on Oʻahu and Lepidium orbiculare from Haʻupu Ridge, Kauaʻi, are both endangered species.
The fifth species Remy's pepperweed (Lepidium remyi), once considered a variety of bidentatum, was collected by French naturalist Jules Achille Rémy (1826–1893) between 1851 and 1855 on Hawaiʻi Island (specific locality unknown) and a single collection made by Otto Degner in 1949 in "Metrosideros" forest on the lava flow of 1859 probably represents this species. This species is now presumed extinct.
There is also at least five naturalized (non-native) Lepidium spp. in the islands.
Etymology
The generic name Lepidium is derived from the Greek lepis, scale, in reference to the small, flat, scale-like fruit.
The specific epithet bidentatum is from the Latin bidentatus, double toothed, in reference to the serrated or toothed leaves.
The specific epithet o-wahaiense has reference to an old spelling version of O-Waihi for Hawaiʻi. [3]
Interestingly, author William Bright notes this regarding Owyhee County (Idaho): "From Chinook Jargon [owáihi] 'Sandwich Islands, Hawaiʻi, borrowed either from English or from the Hawaiʻian form Hawaiʻi, at a time in the early nineteenth century when a number of Hawaiʻians had settled in the Pacific Northwest (D. Kinkade p.c.) The placename Owyhee also occurs in Ore. (Malheur Co.)." [4]
Background Information
ʻĀnaunau, or pepperweed, also imparts the same sharp peppery bite to its flavor as its cousins elsewhere in the world.
Early Hawaiian Use
The plant (root) was used medicinally by early Hawaiians. [2,5]
Modern Use
Leaves of other Lepedium bidentatum varieties are eaten raw or cooked and used as for medicinal purposes in other parts of Polynesia. [1]
Additional References
[1] "Flowers of the Pacific Island Seashore" by Dr. W. Arthur Whistler, page 93.
[2] "Native Hawaiian Medicine--Volume III" by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, page 76.
[3] "The Voices of Eden: A History of Hawaiian Language Studies" by Albert J. Schütz, page 46.
[4] "Native American Placenames of the United States" by William Bright, page 362.
[5] Hawaiian Dictionaries http://wehewehe.olelo.hawaii.edu [Accessed 01/20/12]
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