Rubiaceae

Hawai'i dogweed

Bobea sandwicensis (A.Gray) Hillebr.

Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Bobea

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Hawai'i dogweed: ʻAhakea Rubiaceae Hawaiian endemic genus Status: Vulnerable Oʻahu (Cultivated) Early Hawaiians had many uses for ʻahakea. It was used for canoe (waʻa) construct — Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Hawai'i dogweed

Synonyms

Bobea hookeri Hillebr.
Chomelia sandvicensis A.Gray
Guettardella sandwicensis (A.Gray) H.Mann
Rytidotus sandvicensis (A.Gray) Hook.f.

Characteristics

Growth habit: Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: native

Photos

Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: David Eickhoff from Pearl City, Hawaii, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Bobea

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.