Common Name:

General Information

Chenopodium oahuense is a lightly scented, evergreen plant with stems that become more or less woody. It can vary in shape from erect, ascending or prostrate; growing from 0.5 - 2 metres tall, and sometimes becoming more like a small tree[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is occasionally cultivated as a hedge and as an ornamentl in xeriscape gardens[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Pacific - Hawaii.

Habitat

Occurring as a common or occasional element of dry habitats, ranging from sea level to 2,520 metres from coastal zones to dry forest and subalpine shrubland[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position or light shade and a well-drained soil[]. Plants are very tolerant of corraline soils[]. The plant appears well adapted to tolerate drought by dying-back during periods of low moisture and then rapidly growing during periods of higher available moisture[]. Tolerant of strong winds and salt spray[].
The plant grows rapidly and remains fleshy during the first several months of growth. In later stages, the branches become brittle and are easily damaged. However larger, older individuals become single-stemmed and develop
thickened woody branches[].
Peak flowering and seed production are linked to favourable environmental conditions, though the plant can generally be found flowering and seeding throughout the year. Seed production is extremely high for this species[].
The plant recovers well after fire. Following a wildfire in one area on Hawaii, reestablishment was delayed for approximately 1 year. Within 4 years, however, the plant had exceeded its preburn density by approximately 15-fold[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves and shoot tips - cooked and eaten as greens[, ].

Medicinal

This plant is used to treat thrush and other ailments[]. A poultice of the plant is applied to minor wounds[].
When treating thrush, the plant is ground together with uluhe (Huperzia spp. Or Lycopodium spp.), ‘ala‘ula (Codium edule), ‘ilima (Sida fallax), and marine shells, then mixed with water and fed to children in poi or possibly ‘uala (sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas)[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants can be trimmed and grown as hedges[].

Other Uses

The wood is sometimes used for fuel[]. It is not true wood, but secondary growth[].

Propagation

Seed bearing utricles are easily collected by hand, don't bury them deep. The seeds start to germinate in 1 week and continue for another 2 - 3 weeks. The first or second set of true leaves appear in 1 month and at this stage the seedlings should be transplanted to individual pots. Two to three months after they reach 30cm, they should be planted out[].

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