Okra, a distant cousin of hibiscus, is grown for edible seed pods and is popular in US southern and even Japanese cuisine. The variety we have is Jambalaya Okra, which produces prolifically and can be harvested quickly. Well suited to Hawaii’s climate, after its large yellow and red flower blooms […]
Plants in Hawaii
This section is an encyclopedia of plants that have come from or will be brought to the Hawaii Kai Plant Exchange.
Edible fennel, belonging to the carrot and parsnip family, has the texture of celery with a faint flavor of anise. Used extensively in Italian cooking, the vegetable can be eaten raw or sauteed. Both the bulb and fronds can be used. Fennel grows easily and also produces many seeds which […]
Perfect for anyone who has the room and loves tomatoes. These are approximately 1″ long.
This came to us recently as a donation and has done exceptionally well. Wandering Jew comes in many varieties and colors. This variety is known as Purple Heart or Purple Queen. The plant is in the spiderwort family. The plant grows easily through cuttings and division and thrives in partial […]
Marungay is an excellent growing choice if you have lots of room and are very hungry. The tree grows prolifically; the bean pods and the leaves are edible and highly nutritious. Seriously though, the plant is really a true miracle. Popular in India, the Philippines and Indonesia, it has been […]
The Asia Ip and Britton varieties come from Johnny’s Seeds. The green shiso is grown from the seed stock of shiso originally purchased locally at Leilani’s Nursery in Waimanalo. Green is a staple, the type you get in sushi. Britton is pretty, but a little less tender. Asia Ip is […]
Mad Hatter is a member of the Capsicum baccatum pepper species from South America commonly used in Bolivian and Peruvian cuisine. It is sweet and mild along with being attractive and novel in its shape. We received a few seedlings in December 2019. They will likely be available in February […]
I don’t have a name for this one, other than the extra large orange flesh papaya a coworker brought back from her house in Molokai. Excellent flavor, sweet — the flavor is almost like a cross between papaya and cantaloupe. Papayas aren’t picky plants. When young, they like water. Once […]
Endemic Hawaii plant that is used to make herbal tea. Plant likes moist soil and partial sun. Hearty, grows from slip.
The Spider Plant is a popular indoor hanging plant needing just windowsill light to flourish. The leaves come in a variety of patterns, from green and yellow to green and white and solid green. For November 2019 we have two varieties, white/green and solid green.
