Hawaiian Flowers

A Morning Greeting from Hawaiian Beach

Beach Morning Glory

Scientifically registered as Ipomoea pes-caprae brasiliensis subspecies, this beach morning glory is an indigenous flower of Hawaii. The Hawaiian flower by its local name pohuehue, is a vigorously hard vine found along sand beaches above the high-water mark. The stems can grow from a thickened taproot up to fifteen feet long and become woody as it is aging. It has purple and pink, trumpet shaped petals that blossom early in the morning as the name does. It lies lose to the ground and the petals open only in the cool hours of the morning. The pohuehue lives on salt water, and its vines wind themselves down the beach and stretch into the ocean. Its seeds are dispersed in salt water too. The leaves are having, as already noted, the appearance of goat’s hoofprint and usuallu half-folded along the midrib.

The Pohuehue

It is not only found along the shores of Hawaii, but also on other tropical beaches around the world. The pohuehue is suitable for making leis, but it also has a very important role in the ecosystem of the shore. It holds together the sand, so that it stops erosion and small dunes can form. Native Hawaiians used the pohuehue for various medical solutions, such as for healing sprain by dressing the mixture of crushed pohuehue leaves and salt. Surfers used to slap pohuehue vines in the ocean water to convince the sea to provide good waves on the day. Old folks of Hawaii used to eat small amount of this Hawaiian flower’s stem and root in times of famine.