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Hinahina on the Beaches of Hawaii
Posted: February 4, 2008
I love to visit the wild unspoiled beaches of Hawaii to photograph Hinahina, one of the most attractive native plants on the coast. Its stunning silver color, beautiful leaf rosettes and fragrant white flowers make it a splendid sight on the native beaches of Hawaii.
Hinahina (Heliotropium anomalum) is endemic to sandy coastal areas of the Hawaiian Islands and throughout Polynesia. Hinahina is found on Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu, and Moloka’i, is rare on Maui and Hawai’i, but is not found on Lana’i and Kahoolawe. While hinahina it not endangered, it is not common and is usually found in more remotes areas not frequently trampled by humans.
Hinahina grows as ground cover 6 – 12 inches high. In this photo taken at Kaena Point on the western-most tip of Oahu, the silvery leaves of hinahina grow in the foreground and on the rock in the background which is known as “the leaping rock” or “Leina a ka ‘Uhane” in Hawaiian. According to Hawaiian culture, the souls of the dead leap into the after life from this rock.
Hinahina is well adapted to the beaches at Ka’ena Point — it grows directly in sand and tolerates salt spray kicked-up by waves that pound the shoreline. Hinahina produces clusters of small white tubular flowers with yellow centers that have a sweet delicate fragrance.
Hinahina also thrives in great numbers on the sand dunes at Moomomi Preserve on the northwestern coast of Moloka’i. In this photo of liko hinahina — the young leaves of hinahina — the rosettes are densely packed together, forming an amazing pattern in the sand.
The leaves of hinahina are covered with soft silky hairs that reflect the light and give them a silvery sheen. Hinahina is named after the Hawaiian goddess of the moon – Hina, who represents growth and reproduction – for the silvery color of moonlight.