Plant Profile
Canavalia hawaiiensis
ʻĀwikiwiki, Puakauhi
Main Plant Information
Genus
Canavalia
Species
hawaiiensis
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- ʻĀwikiwiki
- Puakauhi
Hawaiian Names
- Awikiwiki
- Puakauhi
Common Names
- Hawaiian jackbean
Plant Characteristics
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Vine/Liana
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
No data available.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Container
- Ground Cover
- Trellis or Fence Climber
Additional Landscape Use Information
The quick growing and vining ʻāwikiwiki ( Canavalia spp.) soon provide a thick barrier on a fence. Stems will get woody, especially at the base, upon maturity.
Seeds can be planted directly in the soil at the base of a trellis or fence post. Portection from rodents, slugs, and snails may be needed.
Apparently while not necessary for growing ʻāwikiwiki, innoculated plants tend to be the most vigorous. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
They can also be grown as a groundcover over cinder and rocks.
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Characteristics
Flower Type
Showy
Additional Flower Color Information
Standard white spot at the base of the corolla (flower petals).
Leaf Characteristics
Plant texture
- Medium
Additional Plant Texture Information
Leaves wider than long.
Pests and Diseases
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Southern green stink bugs ( Nezara viridula ), a polyphagous* feeder, can gather in great numbers if left uncontrolled.
- Eating, or subsisting on, many kinds of foods.
Growth Requirements
Fertilizer
Fertilize every 6 months or foliar feed monthly for more flowers.
Water Requirements
- Moist
Additional Water Information
Water weekly if weather is dry.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Full sun
- Partial sun
Environmental Information
Natural Range
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- 150 to 1000, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 150 to 1000, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 1000 to 1999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 1000 to 1999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 2000 to 2999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 2000 to 2999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 3000 to 3999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 3000 to 3999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 4000 to 4999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 4000 to 4999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
Habitat
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
Canavalia hawaiiensis occurs in dry to mesic forest from about 395 to around 4000 feet on Lānaʻi, Maui, and on Hawaiʻi Island at South Point, Hualālai, Mauna Loa, and the Kaʻū Desert.
Special Features and Information
General Information
Canavalia are members of the very large Pea or Legume family (Fabaceae).
There are six endemic species. The introduced maunaloa ( Canavalia cathartica ) is very closely related to ʻāwikiwiki and naturalized in some areas.
Etymology
The generic name Canavalia comes from the Indian kanavali , a common name for Canavalia maritima .
The specific name hawaiiensis refers to the island of Hawaiʻi, one of the islands where this species is found.
Hawaiian Names:
The name ʻāwikiwiki comes from wikiwiki meaning fast or speedy, referring to its rapid growth rate!
Early Hawaiian Use
Food (Fishing):
Early Hawaiians made roughly constructed fish nets and traps from stems and scoop nets probably made from ʻāwikiwiki vines for small rock paoʻo (blennies) and ʻopae (freshwater shrimps). [1,3] Isabella Abbott notes that “crude, temporary traps were improvised from vines such as ʻāwikiwiki ( Canavalia galeata ).” [3]
Lei:
Flowers and seeds used for lei making. [1]
Medicinal:
A topical for skin disorders was made from leaf buds, leaves, bark, and roots. [2]
Additional References
[1] “Plants in Hawaiian Culture” by Beatrice H. Krauss, page 77.
[2] “Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database” http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb [Accessed 2/5/13]
[3] “Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants” by Isabella Aiona Abbott, page 84.
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