If you find yourself trekking through the mist-shrouded rainforests of Hawai‘i, look for the ‘Ie‘ie (*Freycinetia arborea*), a stunning woody liana that looks like a tropical pineapple decided to climb a tree.
Identification
The ‘Ie‘ie is unmistakable: a robust, sprawling climber with stiff, sword-shaped leaves (up to 80cm long) that grow in a distinctive, three-ranked spiral at the tips of its branches. While it resembles a miniature Hala tree, its climbing habit sets it apart. Look for the spectacular star-shaped "flowers"—actually fleshy, salmon-to-orange bracts surrounding three or four cylindrical spikes (spadices). Unlike the coastal Hala, ‘Ie‘ie leaves have fine, sharp serrations along the entire margin and the midrib’s underside.
Habitat & Range
This species is endemic to the main Hawaiian Islands. You’ll find it scrambling over the forest floor or scaling the trunks of ‘Ōhi‘a trees in mesic to wet forests, typically at elevations between 300 and 1,500 meters. It is a cornerstone species of the montane rainforest ecosystem.
Behaviour
As a woody liana, the ‘Ie‘ie uses adventitious roots to "walk" up trees toward the canopy light. It is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. An observer will notice that the plant often forms impenetrable, tangled thickets. Its blooming cycle is a major event for the forest, drawing in pollinators with the sweet scent of its bracts.
Diet
As a photosynthetic autotroph, the ‘Ie‘ie "feeds" on sunlight. However, its complex root system is highly efficient at drawing nutrients and moisture from the mossy bark of host trees and the rich, volcanic leaf litter of the forest floor.
Fascinating Fact
The ‘Ie‘ie was the primary food source for the now-extinct ‘Ō‘ū (a Hawaiian honeycreeper). Today, because its original bird pollinators are gone, the plant relies heavily on the introduced Japanese White-eye and even invasive rats to spread its seeds—a rare example of a native plant surviving by adapting to "alien" help.