In the Garden
Michael Miyashiro
Nanea
LATIN NAME
Vigna o-wahuensis
Description: Slim, vinelike herbs with small, trifoliate leaves (three smaller leaflets comprising a single leaf). Each leaflet is triangular. Tiny hairs cover the stems and underside of the leaves but are most noticeable on the seed pods, which are about 3 inches long and green when young, turning brown when seeds are ready for planting. Up to 10 or more mottled brown-black-gray-white seeds can be found within each pod.
The most attractive feature of this plant is its flowers. They are bright yellow with light brown streaks leading in toward the center of the flower. Unlike its more common relative, the indigenous nanea (Vigna mariana), the flower of this plant has sharper-pointed lobes and keels.
Distribution: Although this plant was once found on all the main islands except Kauai, it is now extremely rare and listed among the state's many endangered plants. It is usually found in low dry-forest shrub-land regions, which, in terms of native ecosystems, are the most damaged.
Cultural uses: There are no known cultural uses for this plant, although its flowers can be, and most likely were, used in leis.
Landscape uses and care: This nanea prefers full sun and dry conditions. It will look good planted as a ground cover because it forms dense mats, and one plant will cover a fairly good area. Keep an eye out for slugs because they tend to munch on these poor little guys.
Also: This is one plant that I've been interested in for years but never had the chance to see, nonetheless own until recently, and boy, was I stoked!
I was also amazed by how easy it is to propagate and care for this plant, considering how rare and endangered it is. This goes to show that native plants aren't as finicky and difficult to grow as some people claim them to be and that the status of a plant -- whether it is common or endangered -- is a direct result of how we use the land where the plant is found. In other words, this plant would not be endangered if we didn't destroy its home.
Rick Barboza co-owns Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a native Hawaiian plant nursery, with Matt Schirman. Contact him at 259-6580 or e-mail rickckbarboza@aol.com.
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