Pa'iniu Plant Facts

Boggy Habitat

• Pa'iniu lives only in high mountain bogs on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10b through 11. Specifically, it lives in the Alakai Swamp of Waimea Canyon, which was created from the caldera, or center, of a now extinct volcano. The ecosystem lies between 4,000 and 5,000 feet in elevation and gets more than 75 inches of rainfall yearly.

Endangered Species

• Threatened by feral pigs and goats, by non-native plants and by climate change, pa'iniu is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species. Pigs are the most destructive factor for pa'iniu, trampling and eating the plant, causing erosion of its habitat and allowing non-native plants to invade and take over areas where pa'iniu might survive. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that research conducted December 2005 to January 2006 led to the belief that the total number of pa'iniu individuals was 27, but it added that number may represent merely 13 genetically distinct plants.

Name Origins

• The genus name "Astelia" comes from the Greek for "without a column," referring to pa'iniu's stem growing as a rhizome, horizontally on the surface or slightly underneath soil rather than vertically. The species name, "waialealae," like Mount Wai'ale'ale near to where the plant grows, means "rippling waters" in Hawaiian. In fact, Mount Wai'ale'ale is sometimes called the wettest spot on Earth, averaging 440 inches of rain per year.

Uses

• Early Hawaiians made leis and hats from pa'iniu leaves braided alone or with other leaves and flowers. They also occasionally used the leaves as part of thatch for houses. Modern Hawaiians still use the leaves in leis, elaborate head wreaths, wrist and ankle bands and sometimes as horse leads. The pa'iniu leaves typically are braided with their silver side facing outward, making the leis and headgear especially eye-catching.