By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
At Beretania Florist, June Nakamoto holds up a
red hibiscus lei and a green maile lei. She said it is harder to
get good maile due to the dry weather. This year they
celebrate 61 years in business.

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El Niño has no
aloha for maile

The dry weather puts the
fragrant, traditional garland leaves
in short supply

By Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin

Seniors may be taking dates to the prom without the traditional maile lei.

Bridegrooms also may have to find a substitute lei for the trip to the altar.

Fragrant maile leaves, loved and worn by men on special occasions for their light, royal look, are in short supply this season.

Droughts on the Big Island, Kauai and the Cook Islands caused by El Niño have created a shortage of the leaves, which love the moisture and only grow in the wild.

"We're losing over $100,000 from this maile. It's hurting us big time. But it's going to hurt these kids, that's what we're going to feel worse about," said Leland Watanabe, cut flower manager for Watanabe Floral Inc. in Honolulu.

"Our concern is mainly for the students. We know how much they like the maile. It's become a favorite," he said. "I remember when I wore a maile lei at my prom."

During the peak prom and graduation season, Watanabe sells between 1,000 to 3,000 maile leis a week. He is the state's sole distributor for maile flowers from Cook Islands, which make up an estimated half of the state's maile supply, he said.

Watanabe recommends prom-goers choose alternative leis, such as the heehee lei, sea grape, tuberose, cigar lei, ilima lei, hala lei or the Christina orchid lip lei.

But many people have their hearts set on maile, said Elaine Larson, manager of the Flower Shoppe in Kahala Mall, which won't get maile until April 18. "They won't settle for anything else." In old days, people gave maile leis to royalty on special occasions, Larson said. "It's very ceremonious."

This is Hawaii's first maile shortage in 14 years, Watanabe said, although it seems to be harder to come by every year because of overpicking.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Mable Sumida makes maile leis in the workshop of
Beretania Florist. It is getting more and more difficult to
get maile. Droughts on the Big Island and Kauai and in the
Cook Islands have created a shortage of the leaves.

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On Kauai, lei makers keep secret the location of where they pick maile, said Jay Blanco, owner of Petal Pushers in Princeville Center. "I've been having a harder time getting them," Blanco said. "It's raining today, thank God."

Making matters worse, florists on Kauai will only use maile from Kauai because consumers refuse to buy anything but Kauai-grown, Blanco said.

"I hate to sound like a snob, but Kauai has the best maile," he said. "People come from all around to Kauai to pick them. They have smaller leaves and they are more fragrant than any other. When we wear our maile leis to other islands, people want to buy them off our necks."

Marshals with guns have taken to guarding some areas of Kauai maile from pickers, said Alan Tada, owner of Flowers Forever in Lihue.

"There's a big fine if caught picking in guarded areas," Tada said. "Most people have friends who know where to go. But you can't pick too much. If you overpick, you kill the plant and that's our future."

But at least one florist said he's not seeing a problem -- George Shikuzawa, manager of Fujikama Florist in Honolulu.

The store only buys maile from the Big Island.

"I know there's been a water shortage, but it hasn't affected our supply."

He said the problem comes down to the same story every year: planning.

People who place advance orders for the prom flower, Shikuzawa said, should be able to get the maile.