Nāʻū
Gardenia brighamii
A large shrub or small tree 4-12 ft. tall (some of the few natural plants are about 20 ft tall) with light green leaves and light tan trunk. Tiny clear to opaque yellow resin balls develop at stem tips prior to new leaves forming. Small flowers about 2 inches across resemble a puakenikeni flower in petal shape rather than a gardenia and smells like the larger bushy, non-native gardenia flower but with a hint of coconut oil, that’s right you heard me, coconut oil. It smells so good you want to eat it, but I wouldn’t recommend that, it tastes terrible. Once the flowers are pollinated a large green fruit about the size of a golf ball forms. Inside the ripe fruit, brilliant yellow-orange pulp surrounds a hard seed capsule filled with even a bright, richer yellow orange pulp and housing around 100 seeds.
He lāʻau pūnohunohu a he kumulāʻau liʻiliʻi ia (ʻehā a ʻumikūmālua kapuaʻi). Ma ka ulu ʻana i ka nahele, iwakālua kapuaʻi. He lau ʻōmaʻomaʻo, a hāʻulaʻula ka ʻili. Ma mua o ka puka ʻana o nā muʻo, he pōpō melemele e pale ana i ka wēlau. Kohu pua kenikeni ke ʻano o nā pua nāʻū. Like nō naʻe ke ʻala me ke ʻala o ke kiele. He hua ʻano nui ko ka nāʻū, a he ʻiʻo ʻālani ko ka hua; ma kahi o 100 ʻanoʻano i loko o nā hua.
This extremely rare plant is one of many native ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi plants found on the federal list of endangered species. In the wild there is only one plant remaining on O’ahu and a handful on Lana’i, all totaling around 10 plants left in the state, and since this is a species endemic to Hawai’i, that means 10 plants left in the world! In fact the plants in this pot are the grandchildren of the last remaining plant from O’ahu. They were once believed to have existed on all of the main islands in the dry forest, but are now restricted to the populations mentioned above. The lowland dry forest where this and many other native plants are found is the most species diverse ecotype in Hawaiʻi, even more than the rainforest! It is also the most threatened since only 5% of it remains, 95% of the native lowland-dry forest including the all plants and animals within it are gone.
Kākaʻikahi loa ka nāʻū. Hoʻokahi wale nō nāʻū i koe ma ka nahele o Oʻahu, a liʻiliʻi nā nāʻū i koe ma Lānaʻi. Ma kahi paha o ʻumi nāʻū i koe e ulu ʻāhiu ana ma ka honua. Ma mua, ulu paha ka nāʻū ma nā mokupuni a pau o ka pae ʻāina ma ka wao maloʻo. ʻAʻole loa pēlā i kēia wā. Ua lehulehu nā ʻano lāʻau o ka wao maloʻo ma mua, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā ʻano lāʻau ma mua o ka wao maʻukele. A i kēia wā, ʻelima pakeneka wale nō o ka wao maloʻo ʻōiwi i koe.
The yellow-orange pulp found within the seed capsule was highly valued for making a rich yellow dye for Ali’i. The color is so unique that it was called na’u, after the plant from which it is derived. The light colored wood was also used for making house posts for people of high status and the fragrant flowers are also strung into beautiful lei. Now days this would be the perfect flower for ‘behind da eeah’ (behind the ear) to make the beautiful women of Hawai’i even more beautiful, at least they’ll smell better! Nah, only joke! The color of the na’u dye resembles the color of the setting sun and there was a game that would be played by ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi children when the sun was setting who ever could start off the word na’u first and hold it (na’uuuuuuuuuuu….) until the sun set was the winner.
He wai hoʻoluʻu melemele ko ka nāʻū i kapu i nā aliʻi, a makemake nui ʻia ia waihoʻoluʻu nona ka inoa o kēia lāʻau. Hoʻohana ʻia ka lāʻau no ka pou hale (no nā aliʻi paha) a kui ʻia nā pua onaona i lei. He wahi pāʻani keiki nō hoʻi i ka napoʻo ʻana o ka lā, ʻo ia nō ka ʻōlelo lōʻihi ʻana o ka huaʻōlelo ʻo nāʻū a hiki i ka napoʻo ʻana o ka lā; ʻo ke keiki i ʻōlelo lōʻihi loa, ʻo ia ke lanakila.
This must have plant looks great as a hedge (if enough are available) or as a specimen plant that stands alone in all its glory. Treat this plant like how many people treat their Puakenikeni, they put it where everyone can see it! No be shame! Show this plant off, it deserves it. Full sun is best; it will grow faster, stay bushier and flower most although I’ve seen it grow quite well in partial shade. Daily watering is fine if you have well drained soil; if not then wait until the surrounding soil dries out before watering again. Once the plant is established reduce watering to only when needed, this plant doesn’t require much water which is great for times like now when water conservation is so important.
Nani ke kanu ʻana i pā nāʻū, inā nui nā nāʻū. Eia naʻe, nani ke kū hoʻokahi ʻana o ka nāʻū. E aho e kanu i ka nāʻū ma kahi o ka pua kenikeni. E kanu i kahi e pā nui ai ka lā no ka ulu wikiwiki ʻana a no ka ulu nui ʻana. Hiki naʻe ke ulu ma ka malu (ʻaʻole naʻe like ka ikaika). Inā kanu ʻia i ka lepo ʻākeke, hiki ke hāinu i kēlā me kēia lā. Akā, inā kanu ʻia i ka lepo ʻalolo, e kali a hiki i ka maloʻo ʻana o ka lepo ma mua o ka hāinu hou ʻana. Ke paʻa nā aʻa, mai hāinu nui i ka nāʻū.
Another name for na’u is nanu and either name could be used but there are actually two more species of gardenia that are native to Hawaiʻi in addition to the one mentioned here, do you know what they are, I’ll give you a hint, they’re both called either na’u or nanu, still can’t get it? No, not the Tiare, that comes from Tahiti, and no, not the Amy, even though she sounds local the gardenia isn’t. The two other na’u are Gardenia manii, another endangered plant found only on O’ahu and Gardenia remyi, a rare plant, not listed as endangered but still very rare found on Kaua’i, Maui, Molokai and Hawai’i.
ʻO nānū kekahi huaʻōlelo ʻē aʻe no ka nāʻū. ʻElua ʻano ʻokoʻa o ka nāʻū. ʻO ia ka Gardenia manii, ma Oʻahu wale nō e ulu ai, a ʻo Gardenia remyi, e ulu ma Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi a ma Hawaiʻi.