Niu Niu.
Coconut palm — a complete toolkit brought by the first Polynesian voyagers.
Niu (coconut palm) was one of the original canoe plants carried to Hawaiʻi by the first Polynesian settlers, who valued it as a complete portable toolkit: food, water, fiber, oil, shelter, and timber from a single tree.
Every part of the palm was used: the husk became cordage and brushes, the shell became cups and bowls, the meat and water were food and drink, the fronds were woven into baskets and thatch, and the trunk was carved into drums and house posts.
Today coconut palms line nearly every Hawaiian beach, but they are not native — they are an integral part of the cultural landscape rather than the original ecology. Falling coconuts are managed in public spaces for safety.
More from Coastal Plants.
ʻŌhai
An endangered native shrub with stunning orange-red pea-like flowers and silvery foliage.
Naupaka kahakai
A wave-tough beach shrub with distinctive "half-flowers."
Maʻo hau hele
The bright yellow Hawaiian hibiscus — official state flower of Hawaiʻi.
Hala
The Hawaiian screwpine, instantly recognizable by its aerial prop roots and pineapple-like fruit.