Pohinahina

Pōhinahina is also known as beach vitex. It makes for a beautiful ground cover as well as natural retainer against soil erosion. In the Hawaiian language, Pōhinahina is the reduplication of pōhina which means "gray" or "misty," as in the color of the leaves of this plant.

Pōhinahina varies in leaf color depending on its location. The plant likes to spread out. Shrubs can grow from less than 2 feet high to 10 feet tall. The light green leaves can grow up to 2 inches or more in length. They have a gray-white underside. The small, sweetly fragrant fragile flowers grow in clusters at the top of the plant. They are bell-shaped and range in color from white to bluish lavender.

Pōhinahina blooms year round. It grows well in dry, rocky and sandy areas.

Traditional Cultural and Medicinal Usages

• Leaves were layered between folded kapa to repel insects
• Leaves and flowers were also used in making haku (head lei)