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.

Wild Edibles in Hawaii - Starfruit, Noni, and Java Plum

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. Here we'll discuss three trees very foreign and exotic for us: starfruit, noni, and Java plum.

Starfruit tree

Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola) is a tropical fruit you might be able to find in the supermarket at home. It is native to southeast Asia and India. It is likely a recent introduction to Hawaii as a fruit tree that has escaped into the wild. It is evergreen and will produce fruit all year in tropical, wet forests. We encountered one tree in the woods on Maui, and saw several planted on Kauai in people's yards, as well as the ripe fruit for sale at the local Sunshine Markets. Starfruit is a bushy tree has compound leaves with 5-11 leaflets that are sensitive to light and will fold up at night. Each leaflet is bright green, ovate, smooth on top and slighly hairy and lighter colored on the underside. Purplish-streaked flower clusters and fruit are present at the same time, continually producing. The fruit has a thin, waxy skin that is edible, and ripens to yellow from a light green. The taste is difficult to describe, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. It can taste like grapes, apples, or citrus with varying degrees of sweetness. Starfruit is eaten raw, sliced along the fleshy midribs to display its star shape, or made into chutneys or juiced. The fruit are high in vitamin C and contain oxalic acid.

Ripe Noni and Noni leaf

Noni fruit and flower

Robert recognized the noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit I pointed out to him at once. He is familiar with some of the medicinal claims of the juice of the noni, while I remain skeptical. Noni is a Polynesian introduction to Hawaii, originally from southeast Asia. It has many medicinal uses, its roots are used to dye fibers, and it can be eaten as a famine food. Noni grows in shady, wet forests and among lava-strewn coasts as a shrub or small tree. It has large, glossy green  and deeply veined leaves that seem much too big for such a spindly trunk. It produces white flowers and fruit all year. The fruit looks like a giant mulberry, a lumpy oval about the size of a grapefruit with spots on the outside in each many-sided section. The fruit ripens to white from light green, and smells awful when ripe, like vomit or bad cheese. The Hawaiians only ate the fruit as a last resort, since there were other, better tasting fruits available. Robert did add a bit of a ripe one to a smoothie, but I thought it was too gross to drink.

Java plums

Java plum (Syzygium cumini) was likely introduced to Hawaii in the 19th century for its fruit, and is now considered an invasive. It is spread by birds that eat the fruits and spread the seeds. Java plum is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Indonesia. It makes massive amounts of purple fruit in autumn and winter that stains the roads and any unlucky car parked beneath a tree. It is a fast growing tree with lance-shaped leaves that provide plenty of shade. It produces small, white flowers in March, and fruit in June. The fruit is abundant, ovoid, ripening to purplish-black from green. All of the Java plums we sampled were incredibly astringent with a bit of a resinous aftertaste, but it was suggested to us that different trees have different levels of sweetness. The ripe fruit can be eaten raw, or juiced and made into ice cream.

Resources: Identifying Wild Edible Plants in Hawaii

When the weather in Connecticut is cold and dreary, we like to head out to someplace warm and lush. Robert and I are not luxury-seeking travelers, looking for pristine beaches with personal butlers and jacuzzis. We like to rough it a bit, and find some small, out-of-the-way lunch joints and hidden paths, meander without schedules through forests and play on secluded beaches without umbrellas and chairs. Foraging on vacation is just a perk for us, visiting tropical islands with new environments and finding fruits and trees we would never encounter at home. It is difficult to prepare for what we might find, but we did find some resources to help.

After taking the long, winding sunrise drive up to the volcano on Maui, we stopped at the station of the Haleakala National Park to warm our chilled bones. We picked up a souvenir, and saw a book on the shelf called "A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Plants and Shrubs" by H. Douglas Pratt that we grabbed. The pictures are a bit small and the information is limited, but this is a good starting point to identifying many of the trees and shrubs on Hawaii. It is arranged by environment from the high alpine hillsides of the volcanoes down through the wet forests and onto the beaches. There is not really a lot of information on edibility, but this book provides the Latin names and I was able to use the Latin names to look up more extensive information on each plant. The book is small in size (13cm x 18cm x .5cm), which makes it convenient to carry. This is also a reasonably priced pocket guide. I referenced the pictures in this book many times in the two weeks we were in Hawaii, and is proved useful immediately after we bought it as I recognized the edible 'ohelo 'ai or Nene berry (Vaccinium reticulatum) growing on the alpine lava flows of Haleakala.

We visited the Kokee Visitor Center on Kauai and found a second useful guide, "A Hiker's Guide to Trailside Plants in Hawaii" by John B. Hall. This is another light, small guide(13cm x 20cm x 1cm) that is convenient to carry. It contains a bit more information, as it covers greens, herbaceous plants and vines in addition to shrubs and trees. This book also discusses the invasive nature of many of the plants you would find while hiking along the many trails in the wilderness. Again, the pictures are small and the plants are arranged by environment. The descriptions and histories of the plants are much longer in this book, but there is still minimal information on the edibility of the plants so you will still have to do additional research. This book is very helpful with the vines in the wet forests, which are incredibly abundant and beautiful.

Matt Kirk

The best resource we found was a human guide that we found by chance. Kauai Nature School runs educational programs for children and adults about wilderness skills, nature tours, and nature connection and appreciation programs. We chose to take a private tour with Matt Kirk to a site along the shore of Kauai that we would have never found on our own. In a very short walk, he showed us some edible flowers and herbs, how to eat tropical almonds and sprouted coconuts, and helped pry some opihi limpets from the rocks at the beach so I could eat them raw. This is the kind of tour we were looking for, and would recommend it to anyone who wanted a personal experience with the wild edibles of Hawaii. This vacation was a fantastic introduction for us to the wild food adventures and experiences we can look forward to in the future.

Tropical almonds: from green to opened

Wild Edibles in Hawaii - Edible Flowers and Spices

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. Here we'll discuss two edible flowers and two other plants, parts of which are used as spices. Three of these plants were shown to us by Matt Kirk of the Kauai Nature School on the walk we took with him on Kauai.

Sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) is only found here in Connecticut as a greenhouse curiosity, but on Hawaii it is a common weed. It is native to South and Central America, and is now so common it is considered naturalized. It grows along roadsides, in agricultural areas, and edges of the forests, preferring full sun. It is a small creeping herb with pinnately compound leaves, with 10 to 26 pairs of oval leaflets along the stem. When touched, the leaflets droop and fold up along the stem, happening right before your eyes. The leaflets also close at night. The sensitive plant produces a pink puff-ball flower that is edible. While pretty, it is a bit bitter, and is mostly used as a garnish or for Ayurvedic medicinal treatments.

Another much tastier flower we tried was Jamaican vervain (Stachtarpheta sp.), also known as porterweed or rat's tail. It is native to tropical Central America, and there are several species found in Hawaii. It grows along roadsides and disturbed areas at lower elevations, we found plenty on seaside cliffs. The leaves are opposite and toothed, with a rough surface. The plant produces a long, spindly flower spike about 12" above the leaves, and there are a few tubular, 5-petaled, blue or purple flowers blooming along this flower spike at a time. This flower tastes like shiitake mushrooms, and Matt explained to us that the flowers have a slight sedative effect when eaten in quantity.

Ti (Cordyline fruticosa) is a common plant in Hawaii, brought by the Polynesians for its many uses. It is used in traditional Hawaiian cooking as a food wrapper, and thereby food flavoring, and it is useful medicinally. The roots of mature plants are starchy and also edible. Ti is planted in yards for good luck, and is a common landscaping addition with its many possible color varieties. It is found in shaded areas of wet forests in mountainous areas of Hawaii. Ti  has a long, spindly stalk topped with a whorl of long, oval leaves, 18"-30" long. It can produce sprays of white 6-petaled flowers from the center of the leaf whorl. The leaves were once used to thatch the roofs of houses, in the making of skirts, twisted into cordage, and to wrap and cook food in the traditional volcanic rock ground oven. The mature roots can be cooked into a sweet treat, or fermented into a potent liquor.

Finding a cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum sp.) was not at all on our list of expectations, but it may be one of our favorite finds. There are several species on Hawaii, each with varying levels of the essential oil that gives cinnamon its distinct flavor. Cinnamon is a recently introduced alien native to southeast Asia and Indonesia. It grows as an understory tree in wet forests and has the potential of becoming a pest. It has dark green, glossy pointed elliptical leaves with 3 prominent veins running from the stem to the tip. New leaf growth is coppery red. What I noticed first were green, unripe berries on a tree that led to closer inspection. The bark is light brown, and Robert peeled off a chunk. All parts of the tree are aromatic, with the distinct spicy-sweet smell of cinnamon. We dried a bit of bark and are grinding it to use fresh at home on oatmeal and in drinks.

Cinnamon bark

Wild Edibles in Hawaii - Breadfruit and Banana Poka

Waimea Canyon, Koke'e State Park, Kauai

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. Here we'll discuss a native plant, breadfruit, and a very destructive alien, banana poka.

breadfruit leaves and male flower

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a fruit we have encountered before on a few Caribbean islands. It was one of the trees brought to Hawaii by the Polynesians as a food source, as lumber, and its sticky latex sap was useful as a glue. It grows in the forest lowlands where it was most likely planted on now-invisible homesteads. It can be a tall tree, up to 60 feet. The leaves are very large, hairy, deeply lobed, and glossy dark green with light green veins. All parts of the tree will exude a sticky, white latex when cut. The breadfruit tree produces two types of flowers, male and female on the same tree. The female flower develops into the fruit, which is about the size of a cantaloupe when fully grown. The flesh of the ripe fruit is light green, and it is starchy and needs to be cooked before eating. The tree produces the fruit all year around on Hawaii. It is closely related to another tree we spotted on Maui, jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus).

sprouted seeds in breadfruit!

Most literature we have read on the Hawaiian breadfruit states that it cannot produce viable seeds, and all breadfruit trees have been planted. We found several fruits in the forest, and inside of one of them, we found 3 large seeds, one which had sprouted and was starting to grow! We also questioned this bit of information when we spotted breadfruit trees growing in impossibly steep ravines off the side of the road. Who would have planted a food tree there, where you can't pick the fruit?

breadfruit

Breadfruit tastes a lot like potatoes, so we boiled up some we foraged from a large tree in Hana, Maui. Robert served it with a sprinkle of soy sauce, and Gillian gobbled it up. On Kauai, we purchased a breadfruit at the Sunshine Market, and Robert boiled it to mash. It may have been more ripe than the ones we found, since it was a bit sweet like a pumpkin. In Barbados, we ate breadfruit at a restaurant scalloped like potatoes.

ripe poka

One of the many destructive alien plants on Hawaii, banana poka (Passiflora mollissima), is a variety of passionfruit. It prefers to grow in wet forests at a higher elevation. Banana poka is spread by pigs and birds. It was originally introduced from South America as an ornamental plant for its beautiful pink flowers. Banana poka is a vine that can climb trees very easily, often smothering the plants below. Its leaves are 3-fingered and veined, and the vine uses tendrils to grab and climb. The 10-petaled pink flower dangles from a long stem, and develops into a green, cucumber-shaped fruit, about 3 inches long. The fruit ripens to yellow, and inside is an orange pulp with black seeds, tasting like a tart passion fruit.

sliced banana poka

We saw thickets of banana poka in Koke'e State Park on Kauai and Polipoli Springs Recreational Area on Maui. As we drove up the mountainsides into the wet forests, we noticed the vines over large areas, and then noticed the pretty pink flowers. We stopped to examine the yellow fruits hanging from the trees, and sliced one open to see the orange pulp and seeds, and the smell was fragrant and sweet. The taste was a bit tart, it needed a bit of honey to make a good juice. Some people don't like the flavor, but we thought it was fine for juice.