Nanea (Vigna marina) is also known by the common name beach pea, and can spread a good five to fifteen feet while getting no taller than a foot. Keep your pruning shears handy, as it is a fast grower; a good clipping will also encourage denser growth. On the plus side, Nanea provides erosion control and is able to fix nitrogen from the air surrounding the roots, so no extra fertilizer need be applied. Neighboring plants will benefit from the nitrogen as well. The leaves are trifoliate, comprised of three leaflets with a pointed tip. In earlier times, they were pounded with the stems and midribs to make a poultice used to treat wounds. The fruit is, of course, a legume which turns brown upon ripening, and then opens and twists to release its seeds. Around the world are other Vigna species, which are closely related, and are well-known crop plants: adzuki beans, mung beans, and Chinese long beans, among others.
If you're looking for attractive and native ground-huggers, Nanea and Pa'u o Hi'iaka have got you covered. Don't let their delicate flowers fool you; they are hardy, as their coastal to low-elevation habitat demands, tolerating wind, drought, heat, and salt spray. Nanea (Vigna marina) is also known by the common name beach pea, and can spread a good five to fifteen feet while getting no taller than a foot. Keep your pruning shears handy, as it is a fast grower; a good clipping will also encourage denser growth. On the plus side, Nanea provides erosion control and is able to fix nitrogen from the air surrounding the roots, so no extra fertilizer need be applied. Neighboring plants will benefit from the nitrogen as well. The leaves are trifoliate, comprised of three leaflets with a pointed tip. In earlier times, they were pounded with the stems and midribs to make a poultice used to treat wounds. The fruit is, of course, a legume which turns brown upon ripening, and then opens and twists to release its seeds. Around the world are other Vigna species, which are closely related, and are well-known crop plants: adzuki beans, mung beans, and Chinese long beans, among others. Pa'u o Hi'iaka known botanically as Jacquemontia ovalifolia sandwicensis, is another excellent groundcover and suitable for erosion control. It can be grown easily from stem cuttings, and may naturally root at the leaf nodes.The stems can twine along the ground for a good ten feet or so. As its bell-shaped flowers suggest, it is in the Convolvulaceae, or Morning glory family of plants. The leaves are thick and fleshy, and arise from stems covered in hairs, adaptations to dry environments. Pa'u o Hik'iaka was one of the plants I saw hacking out a living on the arid landscape of Kaho'olawe. It is told that the Hawaiian name for the plant came about when Pele took her sister Hi'iaka to the beach. Out went Pele to surf (or fish, as some may tell), leaving her sister. Pele got caught up in her pursuits, while her sister fell asleep under the hot Hawaiian sun. The gods, concerned about Hi'iaka, had the twining and vining plant form a thick mat over her, protecting her from sunburn. Thus the name, pa'u o Hi'iaka, which may translate as skirt of Hi'iaka.
1 Comment
David
9/15/2013 01:57:58 pm
Jeanne,
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