Nehe

Scientifically known as Melanthera integrifolia, Nehe is the Hawaiian name for all the plants in the Lipochaeta and Melanthera genera. This group of plants is found only in Hawai'i and there are 20 different species of Lipochaeta and Melanthera.

Melanthera integrifolia is native to all the main Hawai'ian islands. In the wild it grows along the coasts and is still relatively common in its native habitat.

Melanthera integrifolia is a perennial herb that spreads along the ground, never getting much taller than a few inches. The branches can grow to be 1½ to 6½ feet long. These radiate out from the main stem so that the branches from adjacent plants intermesh to create a mat of foliage. The leaves are small (about to 1¼ inches long by 1/8 to 2/3 inch wide) and are shaped like elongated eggs. They are light green to dark green in color and can get quite fleshy, especially when grown in high light and drought conditions (as in their native habitat on the beach).

Nehe are in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The flowers look like little yellow daisies and range from ½ to 2/3 inch in diameter. The flowers are held up just above the foliage and appear to float above a backdrop of greenery. Mature, established plants will have flowers on them all year long. Under good growing conditions, the stems root along their length, pretty much wherever the nodes touch the ground. It can be hard to distinguish where one plant starts and another ends in an established bed.

Traditional Cutural Uses

• One source (Charles Gaudichaud,1819) states that Hawaiians "used all fragrant plants, all flowers and even colored fruits" for lei making. Because of their long-standing place in oral tradition, the flowers of Nehe were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources.