Naupaka kahakai.
A wave-tough beach shrub with distinctive "half-flowers."
Naupaka kahakai is a wave-tough beach shrub found on shorelines across the Pacific. Its most distinctive feature is its flower — the petals only form on one half of the bloom, as if torn down the middle.
Hawaiian legend says the mountain naupaka (naupaka kuahiwi) and the beach naupaka were once lovers torn apart by jealous gods. The two species, which never grow near each other, each carry half of the same flower.
It is one of the most important plants for stabilizing Hawaiian beaches, with a deep root system that holds sand against storm surge. Its waxy leaves and white berries are also edible and were used in traditional medicine.
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