Peperomia blanda var. floribunda
Genus
Peperomia
Species
blanda
Varieties
- floribunda
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Kupaliʻi
- Kūpaoa
- ʻAlaʻala
- ʻAlaʻala wai nui
- ʻAlaʻala wai nui kupa liʻi
- ʻAlaʻala wai nui kāne
- ʻAlaʻala wai nui pehu
- ʻAlaʻala wai nui pōhina
- ʻAwalauakāne
Hawaiian Names
- Alaala
- Alaala wai nui
- Alaala wai nui kane
- Alaala wai nui kupa lii
- Alaala wai nui pehu
- Alaala wai nui pohina
- Awalauakane
- Kupalii
- Kupaoa
Common Names
- Arid-land peperomia
- Hairy peperomia
Synonyms
- Peperomia candollei
- Peperomia insularum
- Peperomia leptostachya
Did You Know…?
Peperomias are in the same family (Piperaceae) as black pepper (Piper nigrum) and like their famous cousins the sticky, poppy-like seeds of the fruits have a slight to sharp peppery taste.
Distribution Status
Indigenous
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Non-Woody, Spreading
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Herbaceous, Short, Less than 1
- Herbaceous, Medium, 1-3
Mature Size, Width
ʻAlaʻala wai nui spreads to 2 feet or more.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Container
- Ground Cover
- Hanging Basket
Additional Landscape Use Information
ʻAlaʻala wai nui grows best in cinder mounds, on shady rocks, as an epiphyte on hāpuʻu or on a mossy tree trunk if it can be provided with frequent waterings.
This is an excellent bedding plant or looks great around large stones in the landscape as an understory groundcover.
Also a great plant for containers or hanging baskets.
Source of Fragrance
- Fruits
Additional Fragrance Information
Fruits/seeds smell and taste like black pepper. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Not Showy
Flower Colors
- Greenish-White
Additional Flower Color Information
ʻAlaʻala wai nui has numerous flower spikes.
Blooming Period
- Year Round
Plant texture
- Fine
- Medium
Additional Plant Texture Information
The firm and fleshy downy leaves of ʻalaʻala wai nui range from under an inch to about 2 1/2 inches long.
Leaf Colors
- Dark Green
- Medium Green
Additional Leaf Color Information
The leaves can be green to dark green with a paler underside which is sometimes reddish, reddish purple or with reddish streaks.
Additional Pest & Disease Information
ʻAlaʻala wai nui is prone to ants, slugs, and snails. Fungal rot may be a problem usually due to poor soil drainage.
Fertilizer
An application of a balanced slow release fertilizer with minor elements every six months. Foliar feed with a kelp or fish emulsion, or a water-soluble fertilizer with a dilution of one-half to one-third of recommended strength, every month. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Water Requirements
- Moist
Additional Water Information
Poor drainage can be a problem for this plant since it likes moist to drier conditions.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Partial sun
- Shade
Additional Lighting Information
Try to mimic the shadier and somewhat dry environment where the ʻalaʻala wai nui naturally grow in the wild.
Spacing Information
ʻAlaʻala wai nui is an excellent plant for containers, hanging baskets, as an epiphyte, an understory herb or a groundcover over/around large stones, logs or stumps. Plants can be spaced from one to two feet apart for groundcovers; further apart as an accent or to showcase the plant.
Tolerances
- Drought
- Wind
Soils
- Cinder
- Organic
Natural Range
- Niʻihau
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- Less than 150, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- Less than 150, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- Less than 150, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 150 to 1000, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 150 to 1000, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 150 to 1000, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 1000 to 1999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 1000 to 1999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 1000 to 1999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 2000 to 2999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 2000 to 2999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 2000 to 2999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 3000 to 3999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 3000 to 3999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 3000 to 3999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 4000 to 4999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 4000 to 4999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 4000 to 4999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
Additional Habitat Information
This peperomia is found growing on rocks, cliffs and ʻaʻā lava in dry to mesic forests and but rarely in the wet forest from near sea level to 5,495 feet. ʻAlaʻala wai nui is rare as an epiphyte in dry to mesic forests.
Special Features and Information
General Information
With a total of 25 native species in the Hawaiian Islands, the featured species and Peperomia tetraphylla are the only two indigenous peperomias, with the remainder being endemic. Only the variety floribunda of Peperomia blanda is native here.
Being in the same family (Piperaceae) as black pepper (Piper nigrum), the sticky, poppy-like seeds of the fruits have a slight to sharp peppery taste. Peperomias, despite the name, are not related to bell and chili (nīoi) peppers which belong to an entirely different family.
However, there are other well known local relatives of peperomias and they are ʻawa, or kava, (Piper methystichium), and the mis-named betle nut (Piper betle), which is chewed with the nut of the areca palm (Areca catechu). Both Pipers are stimulants. [2]
Etymology
The generic name Peperomia is drived from the Greek peperi, pepper, and homoios, resembling, referring the to similarity to the true pepper, Piper.
The specific epithet blanda carries the meanings of "smooth, flattering, seductive, alluring, tempting."
The Latin varietal name floribunda literally means many or abundant flowers.
Hawaiian Names:
Another totally unrelated plant, an indigenous native mint (Plectranthus parviflora), also goes by the name ʻalaʻala wai nui.
Background Information
Early Hawaiian Use
Dye:
From the leaves and stems of Peperomia spp. a rich gray green dye called ʻahiahia, or puahia, made from the ashes was used for dying kapa (tapa) by the early Hawaiians. [1]
Medicinal:
The juice was used as a tonic and for inner ear disorders. [3] Various parts of the plants with other ingredients were used orally for fetid vaginal discharge, debilitating consumption, relapse after recovery from illness, severe asthma, and possibly for various stages of appendicitis. [4]
Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database notes:
"There are a number of medicinal uses of the plant called ‘ala‘ala wai nui (see Abbott 1992:102; Chun 1994:31–38; Handy et al. 1934), but there may be some confusion between two plants, the Peperomia species and Plectranthus parviflorus. The Peperomia species are associated with kane (man). Chun notes that the leafbuds of ‘ala‘ala wai nui pehu are combined with ‘ilima flowers in a treatment for newborn babies. In the treatment of ‘ea, the leaves are processed with bark of the ‘ohi‘a ‘ai (Syzygium malaccense), kō kea (white sugarcane Saccharum officinarum), kukui flowers and fruit (Aleurites moluccana), ‘aka‘akai ‘oliana (onion) and kikania. For treatment of kohepopo, hinanawe, hopilo, and wai‘opua the stems are mixed with pith of ‘amau‘ama‘u (Sadleria cyatheoides), hala (Pandanus tectorius), ‘ohi‘a ‘ai bark (Syzygium malaccense), kō kea (white sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum), and noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia). For ke‘ewai and ni‘au, ‘ala‘ala wai nui is used in conjunction with ‘uala (sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas), noni bark, hāpu‘u shoots (Cibotium spp.), kō kea, and kukui. In treatment of ma‘i wai kohepopo a nawai hele a lena ka walewale, flower, leaf and stem are ground and mixed with niu, and eaten with a "sticky" banana (Chun 1994:31–35)." [5]
Additional References
[1] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, page 65.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_betle [Accessed 10/4/08]
[3] "Native Planters in Old Hawaii--Their Life, Lore, & Environment" by E. S. Handy and Elizabeth green Handy, page 239.
[4] http://www.k12.hi.us/~waianaeh/HawaiianStudies/index.html [accessed 8/21/07]
[5] "Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database" http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb [Accessed 2/5/13]
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