Arbor Day is being celebrated at several Big Island locations today, Nov. 2. Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook will be participating by giving away free native Hawaiian trees and shrubs starting at 9 a.m. Lots of different plants will be offered including milo, kou, kamani, ulu, ohia, koai’a and hala.
Most of the offerings are trees ranging in size from 15-40 feet tall at maturity. With judicious pruning, most of them can be reduced to fit into even a small garden site.
Of these choices the hala is probably the most unusual specimen. In the Pandanaceae or Screwpine family, this tree (Pandanus tectorius) has an interesting growth habit and some uncommon features.
Native to tropical regions of Australia, Madagascar, southeast Asia, and the southwestern Pacific Islands, hala was brought to Hawaii by early Polynesian settlers for her many cultural uses. Though it is an indigenous plant, a fossil discovery in 1993, determined that it was here prior to humans and is therefore a true native Hawaiian plant.
Hala is perhaps best known today for its long flexible leaves that are used to make lauhala mats, hats, baskets and other artifacts. The tree grows somewhat slowly and develops in stages. For two to four years, it remains rather shrub-like in its juvenile stage. Between five and ten years, a trunk forms and the prop roots develop. As it reaches maturity, the male trees will begin flowering and the females will start to produce fruit.
At this point the plant becomes more of a multi-stemmed tree from which lateral branches grow with long green leaves that grow in a spiral on terminal rosettes. It is this spiral growth habit which gives hala the common name screw pine.
The sword-like leaves or lau often grow from two to six feet long and are flexible but durable. Most varieties do however have small spines along the leaf edges, which are removed before they are used for weaving.
Another interesting feature of the hala tree is the prop roots which have given it another common name: “walking tree.” The roots definitely serve to anchor it in sandy soils when it grows near the ocean. The root tips are known by native Hawaiians to have medicinal properties.
Yet another distinguishing feature of the hala tree is its unusual flowers. This is a dioecious species which means that separate male and female trees exist. The male flower appears in clusters that are surrounded by white pendant bracts. These are fragrant and known in Hawaiian as hinano. The female flower looks very different and once pollinated takes almost a year to produce an interesting fruit that is pineapple like in appearance.
The female fruit is made up of 40-80 drupes. These segments are fairly dry and not very tasty. They can, however, serve as small paint brushes as used by the ancient Hawaiians. Most of the hala in the Arbor Day give away are seedlings from the red fruited variety, which is especially prized for lei. Though sex and fruit color cannot be determined when young, all varieties have appealing qualities.
A new hala plant can be propagated from the seeds that are in the segments or drupes of the female fruit. To start the process, the segments need to separated and kept moist so the seeds can easily be removed from the thin layer of pulp. Soaking the seeds overnight will improve the germination rate. Sow them in loose potting mix and cover them with about an inch of soil. Keep the mix moist and expect germination in one to four months.
Once the seedlings produce three or four leaves, put them in a small pot. Repot into a larger pot in about six months and plan to outplant in a year. They should mature and begin flowering in about ten years. To get a fruiting tree in less time, you can propagate from cuttings. A tree grown from a cutting should begin fruiting in about five years.
Choose a spot in full sun in soil that drains well to plant your new tree. Hala is a tough plant that is drought tolerant and can thrive in windy coastal areas. It can even sit in and drink salt water. The plant is found in some upland native forests as well attesting to its versatility.
Hala trees are easy to maintain. They only need pruning to control size. Care is needed as the branches do not have dormant buds. It is advised to remove branches rather than cutting into old wood. Occasionally aphids, mealy bugs or scale may attack these plants, but once detected they can be easily controlled with and oil and soap spray or a standard insecticide.
Hala has many landscape uses. It will grow well as an interesting specimen plant in the garden or in a container. Its multiple prop roots can also be useful to control erosion on a slope. Once a mature tree, hala makes a lovely accent to a garden and will provide shade in a sunny spot.
Do consider picking up a hala tree of your own from the Arbor Day give away at Amy Greenwell Garden.
The Garden is located 12 miles south of Kailua-Kona on Highway 11 across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Free parking will be available on the grounds. For more information go to the Garden website at https://www.amygreenwell.garden.
Information about the hala was provided by Amy Greenwell Garden Manager Emeritus, Peter Van Dyke.
Gardening events
Friday, Nov. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 10: Kona Coffee Cultural Festival. Numerous events. Go to https://konacoffeefest.com/events/ to find out what’s happening and where to get your button.
Monday, Nov. 4: MicroSort Optical Color Sorter Demonstration, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Kona Research and Extension Center Research Station at 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua. Farmers are encouraged to bring 30-50 pounds of green bean to have sorted during the demonstration. Go to https://www.hawaiicoffeeed.com/microsortdemo.html or contact Matt at 808-322-0164 or mnmiyahi@hawaii.edu to learn more or to reserve a time block for sorting.
Thursday, Nov. 7: Coffee Tasting Workshop, morning session 9 to 11 a.m., afternoon session 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.at the Kona Research and Extension Center Conference Room in Kainaliu. Learn how to brew the perfect cup of Kona coffee. Registration is required at www.hawaiicoffeeed.com/kccfcoffee. Donation of $25 includes a 2024 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival button.
Tuesday, Nov. 19: Crop Insurance Webinar, starting at 9:30 a.m. Learn about crop insurance from several insurance services. Free. For more information or to register go to https://hawaiicoffeeed.com/cropinsurance.
Farmer direct markets
(Check websites for the latest hours and online markets)
Wednesday and Friday: Ho’oulu Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort at Keauhou Bay
Saturday: Keauhou Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center; Kamuela Farmer’s Market, 7:30 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables; Waimea Town Market, 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Parker School in central Waimea; Waimea Homestead Farmers Market, from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Waimea middle and elementary school playground.
Sunday: Pure Kona Green Market, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook; Hamakua Harvest, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hwy 19 and Mamane Street in Honokaa.
Plant advice lines
Anytime: konamg@hawaii.edu
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu: 322-4893 or walk in.
Mon., Tues. and Fri: 9 a.m. to noon at UH CES at Konohana in Hilo, 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living part time in Kailua-Kona.
