Experience paradise through handcrafted island beauty. Maile is a fragrant native vine endemic to all of hawai’i except kaho’olawe and ni’ihau Maile is a member of the family apocynaceae and genus alyxia The leaves vary in size, shape, and color ranging from dark to fairly light green. Maile is also found in montane mesic and wet communities A pacific island vine (alyxia stellata) of the dogbane family with fragrant leaves and bark that are used for decoration and in hawaii for leis
The leaves are highly variable in size, shape, and color ranging from dark to fairly light green Maile is an indigenous vine or shrub found in wet forests throughout the hawaiian islands The dark green leaves can be easily overlooked by the uninitiated To create a lei the stems are stripped of bark, which unleashes maile’s fresh, unmistakable scent, and tied into loose open knots. Maile does well as understory plants with other native species such as ʻōhiʻa, koa, āulu or lonomea, mānele, pāpala kepau, and hāpuʻu Some forms are good for trellises, others a low growing shrubs.
It is commercially cultivated primarily for lei, which are highly valued in cultural events such as weddings, graduations, and retirements. One of five of the native plants to honor laka, goddess of hula Legendary story about 4 maile sisters who sponsored hula, picture on the left shows maile berries. Ti leaves and maile leaves are both incredibly popular options for hawaiian lei Read on to learn the differences and similarities between the two.
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