Island residents who live near salty, dry and arid habitats deal with antagonistic conditions when landscaping with native plants.
Aweoweo (Chenopodium oahuense), also known as aheahea, ahea, ahewahewa, alaweo, alaweo huna (on Niihau), kahaihai, goosefoot, lamb’s quarters and pigweed, is an endemic, weak-scented shrub or tiny tree that survives in parched habitats from the coastline to dry forest and subalpine heights. Aweoweo is a pioneer plant-colonizer on old lava flows.
The U.S Army has documented that aweoweo is the most prevalent woody plant species in the 108,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area along Saddle Road on Hawaii island.
The three-lobed, light greenish-blue leaves are a bit fleshy and thick. Both upper and lower surfaces are coated with delicate, dense down. Juvenile stems often exhibit reddish slashes. Compactly clustered flowers are bunched, ball-shaped, at the terminal. Home gardeners can eliminate the flowers to promote foliage growth. Seeds are dark brown and production is prolific.
New leaves and young stems were bundled in ki (ti) leaves, steamed and consumed as greens and roughage. Aweoweo wood was carved into makau mano (shark hooks), with bone points.
Aweoweo was incorporated into medicinal treatments for paaoao (general ailments). Leaf buds and the bark, either alone or combined with kukui, lipoa (brown seaweed), niu (coconut), or poi, were ingested as a skin cosmetic for keiki. For ea (thrush), aweoweo was pulverized with uluhe (false staghorn fern), alaula (seaweed), ilima and marine shells, then infused with water and fed to keiki in poi or sometimes uala (sweet potato). Leaves were also crushed into a poultice for minor wounds.
Mokumanamana island, also known as Necker island, in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is the exclusive habitat for an endemic, nocturnal beetle (Rhyncogonus biformis) that emerges from its underground domain to feed entirely on aweoweo leaves.
On Oahu, red-foot boobies and sooty terns use the plant as protective cover and dead branches as nest material.
The wonderful book, "A Native Hawaiian Garden," by John L. Culliney and Bruce P. Koebele, states: " (A)heahea’s ability to reseed and its tenacity in alien shrublands may make it a useful species for those attempting native restoration in Hawaii’s lowlands."
Aweoweo is versatile not only for ecosystem restoration but for erosion control and botanical diversity in riparian (river bank) environments.
This native Hawaiian plant loves full sun and needs only sporadic watering. Insect problems are minor. Pruning is performed for aesthetic appearance.
Within the challenging growing environment of our coastal areas, aweoweo is a kamaaina winner.
Duane Choy is a native Hawaiian plant specialist. Reach him at HanaHou@ecologyfund.net.
