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Heliotropium anomalum
Alternative Botanical Names
Lithospermum incanum
Pentacarya heliotropioides

Common Names
Hinahina
Beach Heliotrope
Hinahina ku kahakai
Nohonohopu'uone
Pohinahina
Family
Boraginaceae
Potential or Traditional Uses
Landscape
Lei (Flower or Seed)
Photo of Heliotropium anomalum flowers
Description
Heliotropium anomalum is a small plant that forms a prostrate mat 6 to 12 inches deep and up to 30 inches across. The 1 to 2 inch long narrow leaves are are covered with soft silky hairs that give them a silvery appearance. The leaves are somewhat succulent and often grow in rosettes towards the tips of the stems. The small, white, tubular flowers are sweetly fragrant. They are produced in clusters on stems that grow above the foliage. (Criley 1998: Koob 2001; Wagner 1990)
Habitat and Geographic Range
Heliotropium anomalum is endemic to sandy coastal habitats throughout most of Polynesia. In Hawai'i it is found on Ni'ihau, Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Moloka'i. It is rare on Maui and the island of Hawai'i and is not currently found on Lana'i or Kaho'olawe. (Wagner 1990)
Propagation by Seeds
Heliotropium anomalum can be propagated from seeds, but propagation by cuttings is more successful. The seeds of Heliotropium anomalum are very small. The seeds should be dried on absorbent paper out of direct sunlight before they are planted. Sprinkle the seeds on the top of a well-drained, sterile potting medium. Place the pots under shade and keep moist. Germination generally takes 2 to 3 months. (NTBG 1992; Wagner 1990)
Propagation by Cuttings
Heliotropium anomalum can be easily grown from cuttings without the use of a rooting hormone. Crivellone obtained 100 percent rooting using untreated softwood cuttings with leaves. She also obtained 100 percent rooting with untreated tip cuttings, but transplant survival of the softwood cuttings was much higher than for the tip cuttings. She had very little success with leafless hardwood cuttings. In her work, none of the indolebutyric acid (IBA rooting hormone) treatments improved rooting rates or quality of the roots.

Although Crivellone had best results from softwood cuttings, Koob, on the other hand, recommends tip cuttings consisting of leave rosettes with at least 1 inch of stem.

Use a well-drained mix for rooting the cuttings. Crivellone found that the best quality root systems developed using 100 percent vermiculite no. 2. NTBG suggests 3 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite. Bornhorst recommends 1 part black or red cinder, 1 part peat moss, and 2 parts perlite. Mew recommends using sand as a rooting medium under a misting system. Koob suggests using potting mix, sand, or perlite. Some sources recommend that at least two nodes of the cutting should be below the surface of the rooting medium.

Cuttings root with or without use of a mist system. Koob recommends rooting the cuttings without using mist. Crivellone recommends intermittent mist for 5 seconds every 6 minutes. Criley found that cuttings root in 3 weeks using an intermittent mist system set to run for 6 to 8 seconds every 5 or 6 minutes; these cuttings were rooted under 30% shade.

Roots often begin forming on Heliotropium cuttings within 1 week, but sometimes it may take as long as 2 or 3 weeks for rooting to begin. (Bornhorst 1990; Criley 1999; Crivellone 1991a; Crivellone 1991b; Crivellone 1991c; Crivellone 1991d; Koob 2001; Mew 1987; NTBG 1992)


Propagation by Division
Not applicable.
Propagation by Air Layers
No information located to date.
Propagation by Grafting
No information located to date.
Propagation by Tissue Culture
No information located to date.
References
Bornhorst, Heidi L. 1990. Low-growing native Hawaiian plants for your garden. The Bulletin of the National Tropical Botanical Garden 20 (4):86-89.

Bornhorst, Heidi L. 1996. Growing native Hawaiian plants: a how-to guide for the gardener. Honolulu: The Bess Press. p. 29-30.

Criley, Richard A. 1998. Propagation of indigenous and endemic ornamental Hawaiian plants. Combined Proceedings of the International Plant Propagators' Society 48:669-674.

Criley, Richard A. 1999. Aloha Hawai'i. American Nurseryman 190 (3):50-61.

Crivellone, Carmelle F. 1991a. Hinahina for use as a landscape groundcover. In 1989 Hawaii Nursery Research, edited by F. D. Rauch, Research Extension Series 126. Honolulu: Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii. p. 13-14.

Crivellone, Carmelle F., and Fred D. Rauch. 1991b. The influence of cutting type on the rooting of hinahina. In 1989 Hawaii Nursery Research, edited by F. D. Rauch, Research Extension Series 126. Honolulu: Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii. p. 15-16.

Crivellone, Carmelle F., and Fred D. Rauch. 1991c. The influence of indolebutyric acid (IBA) on the rooting of hinahina. In 1989 Hawaii Nursery Research, edited by F. D. Rauch, Research Extension Series 126. Honolulu: Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii. p. 14-15.

Crivellone, Carmelle F., and Fred D. Rauch. 1991d. The influence of mist and medium on the rooting of hinahina. In 1989 Hawaii Nursery Research, edited by F. D. Rauch, Research Extension Series 126. Honolulu: Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii. p. 17.

Koob, Gregory A. 2001. Hinahina is perfect for oceanfront gardens. Hawai'i Horticulture 4 (7):6-9.

Mew, Randal K. T. 1987. Cultivation and propagation of selected coastal plants at the Waikiki Aquarium. Newsletter of the Hawaiian Botanical Society 26 (2):27-32.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG). 1992. Hinahina. In Native Hawaiian plant information sheets. Lawai, Kauai: Hawaii Plant Conservation Center. National Tropical Botanical Garden. Unpublished internal papers.

Wagner, Warren L., Darrel R. Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i. 2 vols., Bishop Museum Special Publication 83. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press and Bishop Museum Press. p. 395.


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Last updated:
4 August 2001

Please send comments and suggestions to eherring@hawaii.edu