Hawaiian Plants Used to Make Leis

Plumerias

• The plumeria flower is white with a colored center that gives the whole blossom a pastel glow. They are exceptionally fragrant flowers and very fragile. A lei made from plumeria flowers will last only a couple of days so they are used more often in homemade lei than commercial lei for the tourist trade.

Orchids

• Orchids are exquisite, sweet-smelling exotics that are used for special lei. Dendrobiums are commonly chosen for lei making because they are easy to string, and the flowers are clustered and plentiful on orchid plants. Purple and white dendrobiums are popular picks for lei and they last a surprisingly long six days or more once strung.

Pikake

• Commercial growers raise pikake for lei making. The flower is a type of jasmine and extremely fragrant. It has small, white blossoms that resemble tiny rose buds before they unfurl and look vaguely like a peacock's tail when completely open. Pikake means "peacock." The flower was a favorite of Hawaiian Princess Kaiulani, who also loved peacocks.

'Ilima

• 'Ilima come in shades of yellow to deep orange and are specially raised for lei making. 'Ilima lei were once reserved for royalty. The flowers are tissue-thin; it takes hundreds of them to make a single lei. For that reason, 'ilima lei are valued highly but they are no longer reserved for anything or anyone special. 'Ilima may be used for a new graduate, a first-time tourist or a wedding, during which they are often worn in the hair instead of a bridal veil. The flower is sacred to the goddess of hula. Dancers still wear 'ilima lei and place them on altars dedicated to the goddess.