Plant Profile
Cheirodendron platyphyllum
ʻŌlapa, ʻŌlapalapa, Ehu, Kauila māhu, Lapalapa, Māhu
Main Plant Information
Genus
Cheirodendron
Species
platyphyllum
Subspecies
- kauaiense
- platyphyllum
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- ʻŌlapa
- ʻŌlapalapa
- Ehu
- Kauila māhu
- Lapalapa
- Māhu
Hawaiian Names
- Ehu
- Kauila mahu
- Lapalapa
- Mahu
- Olapa
- Olapalapa
Synonyms
- Cheirodendron kauaiense
- Cheirodendron kauaiense var. keakuense
- Cheirodendron platyphyllum
- Hedera platyphylla
- Panax ? platyphyllum
Plant Characteristics
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Tree
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Tree, Dwarf, Less than 15
- Tree, Small, 15 to 30
- Tree, Medium, 30 to 50
Mature Size, Width
To over 25 feet.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
Source of Fragrance
- Leaves
- Wood
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Characteristics
Flower Type
Not Showy
Leaf Characteristics
Plant texture
- Medium
Leaf Colors
- Medium Green
Pests and Diseases
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Weeds and ants can weaken the plant and weeds use moisture needed for the plant.
Growth Requirements
Water Requirements
- Moist
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Partial sun
Soils
- Organic
Special Growing Needs
The publication “Growing Hawaiʻi’s Native Plants” by Kerin Lilleeng-Rosenberger notes this species “require cooler higher elevations with moist, well draining soil and environment.”
Environmental Information
Natural Range
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- 2000 to 2999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 2000 to 2999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 3000 to 3999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 3000 to 3999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 4000 to 4999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 4000 to 4999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
Habitat
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
Lapalapa is known from wet to mesic forest at about 2300 to 4265 feet on Kauaʻi (subsp. kauaiense ) ** and Oʻahu (subsp. platyphyllum ).
Special Features and Information
General Information
Cheirodendron belongs to the Araliaceae or Ginseng family. Except for one species found in the Marquesas ( C. bastardianum ), the genus Cheirodendron , with six species, are found only in Hawaiʻi.
Etymology
The generic name Cheirodendron is from the Greek cheiros , hand, and dendron , tree in reference to leaflets arranged like a five-fingered hand. However, some forms or varieties have more or less leaflets.
The specific epithet platyphyllum is Greek and meaning wide- or broad-leaved, in reference to its wider leaves than others in this genus.
Hawaiian Names:
ʻŌlapalapa is presumably the onomatopoeia* for the sound made by the leaves as they flutter in the wind.
ʻŌlapa also means to flash or flare up, an uneasy rumble such as a queasy stomach. Another meaning is a dancer accompanied by chanting or drumming.
The name ʻōlapa is another name for the fish āholehole . [8]
- The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Background Information
The fruit is, or was, a source of food for many native birds such as ʻōmaʻo, a native thrush, and ʻōʻō and ʻōʻū, two honeycreepers now quite likely extinct. [9]
Early Hawaiian Use
Though no specific mention of this species used by early Hawaiians, the publication “Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced)” mentions that “it is quite likely that that the tree had uses similar to those of …ʻōlapa ( C. trigynum ).” [9] If this is the case, the the following information would apply to Cheirodendron platyphyllum as well. Let the reader use discernment.
Bird Catching:
The wood was also used in placing pāpala kēpau ( Pisonia spp.) gum on branches higher and farther out that one can reach easily. The gum was used to trap birds. [7]
Clothing:
The bark was also used for scenting kapa (tapa), which can have an unpleasant odor. [5] Specifically, ʻōlapa bark and kūpaoa ( Dubautia spp.) was used to scent māmaki kapa. [7]
Dye:
Early Hawaiians used the fruit, leaves and bark of ʻōlapa to produce a bluish-black dye. [1,6,9]
Hula:
The term for Hawaiian dancers is also ʻōlapa. Hula dancers were divided into two groups, ʻōlapa and hoʻopaʻa. The ʻōlapa dancers, perhaps because their movements were like like the fluttering of ʻōlapa trees. The hoʻopaʻa stayed in one place, chanting and playing musical instruments. [9]
Lei:
One older source (Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré,1819) states that Hawaiians “used all fragrant plants, all flowers and even colored fruits” for lei making. The red or yellow were indicative of divine and cheifly rank; the purple flowers and fruit, or with fragrance, were associated with divinety. Because of their long-standing place in oral tradition, the leaves of ʻōlapa ( C. trigynum ) were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources. [2,9] Too, a highly reputable contemporary source, Kepā Maly, also notes its traditional use for lei. [Kepā Maly, Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center]
Medicinal:
Medicinally, the inner bark was mixed with other plants and used for pūhō (abscess, burst sore, ulcer), pala (infected boil), and ʻaʻai ʻinoʻino (spreading sore, infection or cancer). [3,4,6]
Weapons:
ʻŌlapa ( Cheirodendron spp.) wood was among the materials for making battle spears. [7]
Modern Use
The wood is pale yellow without distinctive heartwood. It is moderately heavy and somewhat dense and burns even when green. [9]
Additional References
[1] “Plants in Hawaiian Culture” by Beatrice H. Krauss, pages 66, 77.
[2] “Nā Lei Makamae–The Treasured Lei” by Marie A. McDonald & Paul R. Weissich, pages XIV-XV, 122-123.
[3] “Native Hawaiian Medicine–Volume III” by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, page 80.
[4] Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/index.asp
[5] East Maui Watershed Partnership http://eastmauiwatershed.org/Plants/Plants.htm [Accessed 11/29/10]
[6] “Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest” by A.C. Medeiros, C.F. Davenport & C.G. Chimera, page 15.
[7] “Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants” by Isabella Aiona Abbott, pages 58, 106, 111.
[8] http://wehewehe.org [Accessed on 10/04/11]
[9] “Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced)” by Elbert L. Little Jr. and Roger G. Skolmen, page 258.
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