Plant Profile
Charpentiera obovata
Pāpala
Main Plant Information
Genus
Charpentiera
Species
obovata
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Pāpala
Hawaiian Names
- Papala
Common Names
- Broadleaf papala
Plant Characteristics
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Tree
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Tree, Small, 15 to 30
- Tree, Medium, 30 to 50
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Hedges
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Characteristics
Flower Type
Not Showy
Flower Colors
- Red
- White
- Yellow
Additional Flower Color Information
Tiny yellow or red flowers grow on 5 to 20 branches with 5 to 20 flowers per branch. While the flowers themselves are insignificant, when combined with the yellow or red stems (panicles), pāpala presents a showy display of inflorescence.
Blooming Period
- Year Round
- Sporadic
Leaf Characteristics
Plant texture
- Fine
- Medium
Additional Plant Texture Information
Leaves ranges from 1 to 5 inches long.
Leaf Colors
- Medium Green
Pests and Diseases
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Pāpala is prone to aphids, spider mites, root mealy bugs and scale infestations.
Growth Requirements
Fertilizer
Pāpala are known to be heavy feeders. An application of a balanced slow release fertilize with minor elements every 6 months. Foliar feed monthly with kelp or fish emulsion, or a water-soluble fertilizer with a dilution of one half to one third of recommended strength. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Water Requirements
- Moist
Additional Water Information
Does best with good moisture.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Full sun
- Partial sun
Additional Lighting Information
Tolerates full sun, but does best in partial shade.
Soils
- Cinder
- Organic
Environmental Information
Natural Range
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
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
Pāpala are known to grow in mesic to sometimes wet forest from over 620 to around 5740 feet.
This pāpala is from Kauaʻi, Oʻahu (Waiʻanae Mountains; Koʻolau Mountains), Lānaʻi, East Molokaʻi, West and East Maui, and Hawaiʻi. It is apparently most abundant in the Waiʻanae Mountains.
Charpentiera obovata is fairly common in parts of the Waiʻanae Mountains. In the Koʻolau Mountains it is rare, and only observed from a single location in Maunawili on the windward (northern) side of the southeastern part of the mountain range and in several locations in Wailupe on the leeward (southern) side of the same part of the mountain range. In the Waiʻanae Mountains C. obovata hybridizes extensively with C. tomentosa , while in the Koʻolau Mountains their ranges are largely non-overlapping. [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.).
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. [4]
The specific epithet is from the Latin obovata , conidial, in reference the shape to the spoon- to egg-shaped leaves.
Background Information
This species of pāpala ( Charpentiera obovata ) is a host plant for an endemic long-horned beetle ( Plagithmysus elegans ).
Early Hawaiian Use
The wood is very light when dried and will burn like paper. [2] The Hawaiian name pāpala originated from a practice on Kauaʻi. Formerly on the north coast of Kauaʻi, Hawaiians most often used the flammable pāpala wood as firebrand. During times when the strong winds swept out to the sea, they would throw burning pieces from cliffs which floated along on the winds. When the fire would reach the center of the wood sparks shot out like fiery rockets in what must have been an impressive display. This sport was called ʻōahi. [1,3]
Additional References
[1] “Plants in Hawaiian Culture” by Beatrice H. Krauss, pages 95-96. [2] “The Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands” by Joseph F. Rock, page 139.
[3] “Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest” by A.C. Medeiros, C.F. Davenport & C.G. Chimera, page 15.
[4] “Annales maritimes et coloniales” by Ministère de la marine et des colonies, Volume 2, Part 2, page 953.
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