Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Charpentiera elliptica is a shrubby tree that grows up to 6 meters tall. Its tough and leathery leaves are elliptic or egg-shaped to lance-shaped up to 21 centimeters long. The new leaves are hairy, while the older or mature leaves are hairless and develop a distinct rib around the margin or edge. The panicles or flower clusters are usually 10 to 63 centimeters long and have one to several branches with a few, about 8 to 20, tiny flowers per branch spaced 4 to 12 millimeters apart. A bract or small leaf-like structre is always found near the bottom of the main panicle branch.
(Wagner, W.L., Herbst, D.R., Sohmer, S.H. 1999. Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai'i.; Krauss, B. 1993. Plants in Hawaiian Culture.)

During specific times of the year especially when the winds were blowing good off the Na Pali or north coast of Kaua'i, early Hawaiians would toss firebrands off the cliffs as people watched from the beach or ocean below. This sport was called 'oahi. They used the wood of the papala or Charpentiera ovata tree because it was light and flammable.
(Krauss, B. 1993. Plants in Hawaiian Culture.; Pukui, M.K., Elbert, S.H. 1986. Hawaiian Dictionary.)

Papala or Charpentiera elliptica is endemic to Kaua'i. It is a common tree only found in the dense mesic forests of Koke'e at 250 to 1,250 meters elevations.

(Wagner, W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i.)

The name papala, meaning firebrand, refers to the famous Kaua'i sport of tossing burning pieces of wood of any of the Charpentiera species to create a sort of fireworks display. (Pukui, M.K., Elbert, S.H. 1986. Hawaiian Dictionary.)

We currently have 43 herbarium specimens for Charpentiera elliptica in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 068271 - collected by Derral Herbst in 1968
• 001400 - collected by Derral Herbst in 1971
• 001393 - collected by Derral Herbst in 1971
• 001405 - collected by John H. R. Plews in 1981
• 001391 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1983
• 001390 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1986
• 001388 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1987
• 001389 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1987
• 012587 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1991
• 016311 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1994
• 060665 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1995
• 054713 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1996
• 052235 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1998
• 058323 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2005
• 055991 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2007
• 048976 - collected by Clay Trauernicht in 2008
• 053253 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2008
• 056065 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2008
• 049411 - collected by Clay Trauernicht in 2008
• 064774 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2009
• 030513 - collected by Steve Perlman in 2010
• 064739 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2011
• 072896 - collected by Steve Perlman in 2011
• 064964 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2012
• 064518 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2012
• 061679 - collected by J. Christopher Havran in 2012
• 064065 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2012
• 065080 - collected by Steve Perlman in 2012
• 065205 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2013
• 067246 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2013
• 070661 - collected by Steve Perlman in 2014
• 086041 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2014
• 068533 - collected by Merlin Edmonds in 2014
• 068549 - collected by Merlin Edmonds in 2014
• 086795 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2015
• 085416 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2015
• 076270 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2015
• 073648 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2016
• 076410 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2016
• 076005 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2016
• 076339 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2017
• 082639 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2020
• 095780 - collected by Emily Brines - NARS in 2024