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Scientific Name
Vitex rotundifolia
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Family
Lamiaceae
Genus
Vitex
Status in Hawaii
Native
Native Region
Tropical Asia, Subtropical Asia, Pacific
Cultural Significance
Pōhinahina is culturally valued in Hawaiʻi both for its ecological usefulness and its traditional cultural roles. Its creeping growth stabilizes sandy and rocky coastal soils, making it an important plant for beach and hillside restoration and a reliable groundcover in gardens. Traditionally, its leaves were used medicinally to treat burning sensations and aches, and their fragrant foliage continues to hold cultural significance today through use in lei, wreaths, and other floral arrangements.
Sources
Vitex rotundifolia L.f. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science. (2024). Plants of the World Online. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:865973-1/general-information
Vitex rotundifolia. (n.d.). Plant Pono. https://plantpono.org/pono-plants/vitex-rotundifolia/
Collection Number
BYUH_25_1
Recommended Citation
Clariza Mae Gamba, "Pōhinahina" (2026). Herbarium Collection. 1.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/herbarium/1