Flower profile

'aiakanene

Coprosma ernodeoides

Native to Hawaii

'aiakanene is a flowering plant.

1states

672HI sightings*

672U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Hawaii

Quick look

Coprosma ernodeoides, known as black-fruited coprosma in English and kūkaenēnē or ʻaiakanēnē in Hawaiian, is a sprawling shrub occurring only on the islands of Maui and Hawai‘i.
From Wikipedia's article Coprosma ernodeoides, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rubiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Hawaii. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 672 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #73 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

'aiakanene gift ideas

Handmade 'aiakanene gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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'aiakanene art print
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'aiakanene greeting card
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'aiakanene mug
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'aiakanene earrings
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'aiakanene embroidery pattern
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'aiakanene sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (12 records)

There are only a handful of Hawaii flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G3 Vulnerable worldwide. ^NatureServe
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Hawaii. ^{HAR 13-107}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Please leave it where it grows

Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Hawaii. ^NatureServe

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records 'aiakanene in 1 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Hawaii.

Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Maui.

More Hawaii flowers

Coffee

Coffea arabica

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in HI

Manono

Kadua affinis

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–November

ʻōhiʻa lehua

Metrosideros polymorpha

Native

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile COER3.
iNaturalist, Coprosma ernodeoides: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Coprosma ernodeoides (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Coprosma ernodeoides (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: cwarneke via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.