Family: Amaranthaceae

Kuluʻī can grow to a shrub or small tree, but it is usually branching at the base. Oval leaves are fuzzy, silvery, and vary in shape. Flowers are insignificant, but occur in signature stout woolly spikes that dangle and resemble teardrops. Twigs are also covered in silvery or pale brown hairs. The light gray trunk has a mottled diamond pattern.

Habitat & Uses

Kuluʻī is endemic to all of the main Hawaiian islands and be found from sea level to 3000 feet. Typically, you can find these shrubs scattered to sometimes common in open dry forests, exposed ridges, and lava fields. The only documented early use of this plant was for aerial displays were kuluʻī flowers and wood were packed into an ʻohe or bamboo, lit on fire, and thrown off of particular cliffs. Flower spikes and new leaves continue to be used in lei-making, wreath making, and other floral arrangements.

Landscaping & Cultivation

Kuluʻī grows as a silvery shrub, perfect for landscaping in dry areas. This plant can grow up to a 10 foot shrub or as a small tree (15-30 ft.) Mature plants can spread anywhere from 3-20 feet. Kuluʻī’s downy floral displays and striking silvery foliage will capture anyone’s attention. The more sun it gets, the more shiny it becomes. It is a low-maintenance addition to a lei garden, moonlit garden, or in xeriscaping. Once established, it is very drought tolerant and can grow in rocky, coastal areas and mid-elevation residential areas. Kuluʻī can be grown from seed or cutting.

Kuluʻī likes to be planted with other natives such as koaiʻa, wiliwili, naio (Myoporum sandwicense), nāʻū, ʻūlei, ʻaʻaliʻi, ʻohe makai, lonomea, and mānele (Sapindus saponaria). In landscaping, apply 13-13-13 slow release fertilizer every six months. Prune judiciously to stimulate vigorous new growth and keep an eye out for pests like ants, scales, mealybugs, aphids, and thrips.

Name Origins

The ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi kuluʻī could be broken down into two words kulu and ʻī. Kulu can mean to drip, trickle, or flow as tears. The word ʻī can indicate something is supreme, great, or the best. So its name could be referring to how the plant grows with its teardrop flowering parts or perhaps how water interacts with the plant. The scientific name Nototrichium comes from Latin meaning remarkable and hair referencing this plant’s dense pubescence. Sandwicensis denotes this species belonging to the “Sandwich Islands,” an old world name for Hawaiʻi as given by early voyager to Hawaiʻi Captain James Cook.

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Cut flower
• Hedge
• Lei flower
• Privacy / screening
• Specimen

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers