Common Name: Hawaii Blue-Eyed Grass

General Information

Hawaii blue-eyed grass is a clump-forming perennial plant growing 15 - 30cm tall.
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a dye and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Pacific - Hawaii.

Habitat

Open, dry to boggy habitats and subalpine shrubland, at elevations of 1,550 - 2,950 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.25 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of higher elevations in the tropics, usually found at elevations above 1,500 metres[, ]. It has been cultivated successfully at elevations as low as 100 metres[].
Succeeds in full sun or partial shade[]. Prefers a moist but well-drained soil[]. Best planted under or near other plants for added protection[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaves are mashed and mixed with salt; white sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum); and the root bark of Senna occidentails. This mixture is used to clean diseased skin and to draw out the liquid of the splotchy skin disease known as 'pu‘upu‘u hakuma'[].

The burnt ashes of the plant have been used medicinally for treating ringworm, a fungal disease of the skin[].

Other Uses

The leaves and juice are used to give a blue stain to tattoos[]. The dye is used for ornamenting the body and for painless tattooing[].

Propagation

Seed -

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