Wild Edibles in Hawaii - Tropical Almonds

Plants on Hawaii have many different origins, some indigenous, others alien. Endemic plants are those species that evolved in isolation on the Hawaiian islands and are found nowhere else. Indigenous plants are those that colonized the island before the arrival of humans, such as those that arrive on the winds or over the ocean. Plants introduced by the first travelers to Hawaii, the Polynesians, are regarded as native. Most of these plants have important uses for food, fiber, medicine, and spiritual significance. Alien species are the plants introduced after the late 1700s since contact with European explorers. Some plants were brought purposely, many were accidental weed introductions. Many alien species are escaped cultivated plants and fruit trees, and many are causing damage to the native and less hardy Hawaiian plants.

Tropical almond seedlings and kernels on the beach

Tropical almond (Terminalia catappa) is a tree we have encountered before in the Caribbean on several islands. It is likely native to coastal areas along the Indian Ocean, and widespread along Indian, African, southeast Asian and Australian coasts. It was introduced to Hawaii before 1800, and is now considered naturalized along the beaches. It can grow in sandy soil and is mildly salt tolerant. It grows as a large tree with simple, broadly ovate leaves that are bright green turning to red before falling. The trees in Hawaii will flower and fruit all year long, often at the same time. The flower is a spike with many small, white flowers that will develop into a small cluster of fruits. The fruit ripens from green to red, and has very little pulp but a very large seed kernel. It is the seed kernel that is often found littering the ground beneath a tropical almond tree. The kernel is oval shaped with pointed ends, light, corky and fibrous, allowing it to float in sea currents for dispersal, and protecting a small edible seed. The tree grows very fast, and beneath each tree among its many shallow roots, hundreds of seedlings will be found. It can start producing fruit and nuts within 3-5 years. It is a somewhat messy tree with the leaves, fruit, and kernels littering the ground beneath the tree.

Tropical almonds, from green to opened nut

This kernel is a bit of a pain to open without smashing the elongated, small seed inside, but it can be managed. Matt Kirk showed us one method of selecting the largest and driest of the scattered nut kernels along the beach to open with a machete. Robert attempted a few more ideas on opening the kernels by leveling off one pointed end of the kernel and striking it in the right place along a naturally occurring seam to get the kernel to open cleanly in two halves with the nut intact. He and Robert then opened several handfuls of the nuts to let Gillian sample the nutmeat. The taste is a blend of coconut and almond, very delicious. It might seem like the effort for such a small amount of food is not worth it, but with the wonderful tropical sunshine and on being vacation with no schedule, it is almost fun. Matt told us about a Euell Gibbons book titled Beachcombers Handbook that describes his experiences with tropical almonds and his three years of living off the land in Hawaii. It is currently out of print, but I think we'll try to get a copy of it for its stories and lore. With this little bit of knowledge and experience, we look forward to opening and eating more on our next vacation.

Mushrooms in Hawaii

Our vacation in Hawaii took us through several different habitats: beach, open fields, alpine environments, lava fields, wet forests, and dry forests. After many roadside stops and a few off-trail hikes, we were surprised that we did not encounter more mushrooms. So many of the places we explored were wet and filled with decaying plant matter, we expected to find many mushrooms. Perhaps we were too dazzled by the myriad of fruits to spend a lot of time looking for mushrooms.

I did read that most of the mushrooms in Hawaii are wood decayers and recent introductions with building materials and imported plants. I also stumbled on plenty of information about hunting for "magic" hallucinogenic mushrooms on cow pies in the fields on Maui. There is one book dedicated to the mushrooms of Hawaii, but it would be a pricey addition to our library. Robert did photograph a few mushrooms, and I suppose we have an incentive to return to the islands to search for more fungi.

These clusters of mushrooms were found at a higher elevation in a wet forest on Maui, in Poli Poli Springs Park. They were growing in disturbed dirt under casuarina pines (Casuarina equestifolia). They made a spore print on the tops of some of the mushrooms, and it was a very dark, olive green. The flesh did not bruise at all when cut, gills were decurrent,  no ring or volva present.

This small mushroom (less than 1" high) was found in a wet forest on Maui, growing from the moss and trail under many strawberry guavas (Psidium cattleianum) and blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus). The stem is very thin, brittle and hollow and has a very small ring. The cap is covered in dark scales.








These were also found in a wet forest on Maui growing from mossy mud. The gills appear to be very slightly decurrent, no ring visible. There appears to be a white, fuzzy "foot" or mycelial down at the base of the stem.

This white, fleshy mushroom was growing in a wet forest in dirt under eucalyptus trees. Gills were attached, and the stipe was shaggy but I don't believe a ring was present. The base of the stem was bulbous with mycelial strands. This was a sturdy mushroom, about 3" tall.








These last three were all growing on wood. One is a jelly, one appears similar to a gilled oyster, and the third is a polypore shelf. Any identification suggestions are welcome!

Wild Edibles in Hawaii - Mango, Avocado, Blackberry, Nene berry

The 3 Foragers on the slopes of Haleakala, Maui

Plants on Hawaii have many different origins, some indigenous, others alien. Endemic plants are those species that evolved in isolation on the Hawaiian islands and are found nowhere else. Indigenous plants are those that colonized the island before the arrival of humans, such as those that arrive on the winds or over the ocean. Plants introduced by the first travelers to Hawaii, the Polynesians, are regarded as native. Most of these plants have important uses for food, fiber, medicine, and spiritual significance. Alien species are the plants introduced after the late 1700s since contact with European explorers. Some plants were brought purposely, many were accidental weed introductions. Many alien species are escaped cultivated plants and fruit trees, and many are causing damage to the native and less hardy Hawaiian plants.

Mango (Mangifera indica) is a fruit tree native to India and introduced in Hawaii in about 1824. It is mostly grown in gardens and yards for its delicious fruit, but there are trees out in the wet valleys and forests that are likely left over from an old garden, or have grown from a discarded pit. Mango trees are very attractive, tall with a rounded crown of evergreen foliage. The leaves are dark green and oblong, 6"-12" long and pointed. The mangoes grow in clusters and ripen in summer, from June through September, depending on the variety. The flesh is wonderfully sweet but sometimes fibrous, and there is a single, flat seed in the center. We saw many trees full of green fruit, but no ripe mangoes. Some people may have an allergic reaction to mangoes, they contain the same chemical that causes poison ivy sensitivity, urushiol.

There are over 200 varieties of avocados (Persea americana) grown on Hawaii. Native to Mexico and Central America, avocadoes grow very well in orchards, but also wild in low elevation wet forests. It was likely introduced in the early 1800s. The tree has large, evergreen, alternate pointed oval leaves, and is easily recognized when bearing fruit. The avocados can be pear-shaped or round, mostly dark green, with smooth or pebbly skin. The ripe fruit is bright green and not sweet, more of a buttery, nutty, and smooth flesh. There is one large, oval seed in the middle of the fruit. We saw many trees in the forests of Kauai, but the best place to find some fantastic avocadoes is at the Sunshine Markets around the island of Kauai. There were several different varieties to sample and buy for $1.00-$3.00 each, incredibly cheap for local, truly ripe fruit.

Blackberries (Rubus species) on Hawaii are non-native alien pests, and in several places they are considered highly invasive and need to be controlled. We came across some enormous, ripe berries in Poli Poli Springs on Maui. They tasted great, but the blackberry canes were very large, and very spiny. On Kauai, people were hiking at Kokee State Park and covered in scratches from the blackberry canes. Hikers are encouraged to report the blackberry infestations to the park employees for removal and control. Blackberries are spread by birds and by underground growth of the roots. While they make a great trailside edible, they do not belong in Hawaii and we can see how they could easily take over whole areas. Blackberries like to grow in disturbed areas like trails and open fields.

Ohelo 'ai flowers

Ohelo 'ai berry

A true endemic edible plant to Hawaii is ohelo 'ai, or the Nene berry (Vaccinium reticulatum). Ohelo 'ai is a shrub with alternate, oval, leathery and often toothed leaves that grow in the lava fields at higher, alpine elevations. It bears many tubular, waxy flowers in clusters that vary in color from pink to red or even yellow-green. The berries have a 5-petaled crown at the bottom, and ripen to red or dark purple. There are many small seeds inside the berry, and the taste is a bit tart. Flowers and fruit is often present at the same time, while most of the fruit ripens in late autumn. Ohelo 'ai is an important food source for the Hawaiian goose, the Nene, and we saw a pair of the geese out foraging for berries on Haleakala in the late morning. This berry might look similar to wild blueberries, as it is botanically related.