Alahe`e

The Hawaiian name Alahe`e means, "slippery like the squid (octopus)." Ironically, spears fashioned for capturing heʻe (octopus) were often made from alahe`e, as were other digging tools and fishing implements. It is also known as Walahe'e and 'Ohe'e. In Australia it is known as the Shiny-leaved canthium.

Alahe`e` grows as a shrub or small tree similar to the mock orange, which is also known as alaheʻe haole. The elliptical leaves are glossy green on the top surface and up to 3 ½ inches long. The perennial small, white flowers grow in clusters and have a citrus-like fragrance. Alahe`e has a very hard wood with a straight grain. The fruit of Alahe`e is about 3/8 inch in diameter, more or less round, and glossy black and juicy when ripe. The fruits are generally ripe in the late fall and winter. The pulpy fruits generally contain two seeds.

Alahe`e is indigenous to Hawaii, Micronesia, and parts of the South Pacific. In Hawai'i, it grows in dry shrub land and in dry to moist forests to an elevation of 2,700 feet. Alahe`e has been found on all the main islands of Hawai'i except Ni'ihau and Kaho'olawe.

Traditional Cultural Uses

• The leaves and inner skin of the stem were cooked into a bitter medicine is drunk to cleanse the blood