Pūkiawe is a hardy, adaptive, and morphologically variable plant that occupies a variety of ecosystems, from dry forest up to alpine bogs and shrublands.[5] Despite being common, it is difficult to propagate, taking months to years for seeds to germinate and growing very slowly.[6]
The nēnē and other birds eat the berries of this shrub and thus distribute it.[6]
Human Uses
Native Hawaiians would inhale ground leaves of the pūkiawe to treat congestion, and used the fruit to make lei.[4]
Hawaiian nobility used the smoke of pūkiawe to modify their mana before interacting with people of lower caste.
[7][5] The bodies of executed criminals were cremated on pyres of pūkiawe to drive the mana from their bones and ensure their ghosts were harmless.[5]
