1. Na‘ena‘e (Dubautia)
Na‘ena‘e flowers grow in tight clusters
Na‘ena‘e fruit have
hairs on top that help them drift on the wind.
© Starr
This is a Na‘ena‘e fruit with a single seed attached.
© G. Carr
©Forest and Kim Starr
©Forest and Kim Starr
Na‘ena‘e are small herbs, shrubs, woody vines, or trees. Plants grow in dry shrub-lands, forest, or even on old lava flows. Na‘ena‘e is a member of the Sunflower family. All members of this family have flowers that grow in tight clusters. The fruit are dry and are spread by the wind.
The other Hawaiian Silverswords
FACT BOX:
Hawaiian name: Na‘ena‘e
Scientific name: Dubautia
Scientific family: Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
Hawaiian species: There are 26 different Dubautia species that are endemic to Hawai’i.
The Hawaiian Silverswords: Na‘ena‘e is one of a group of plants known as the Silverswords that are closely related because they evolved from a common ancestor. Their ancestor arrived in Hawai‘i from North America 5 million years ago!
Iliau
Silversword
© J.L. Birch, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (with support from the National Science Foundation (Award # ))